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Citizen's Arrest for Circumcision?

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In Canada the sexual mutilation of a child is a serious criminal offence. According to the Canadian constitution all laws in the country must apply to and protect both sexes equally. Yet no police force in Canada currently enforces the genital mutilation law with respect to minor boys undergoing religious circumcision rituals.

When attempting to acquire funding from the court challenges fund a group attempting to challenge this injustice was told that they could not be given funding since there was no evidence that the law did not apply to boys already. This is because no criminal case involving male religious circumcision has ever come before the courts.

However, like in most democracies, Canadian law allows for any citizen to make an arrest of a person committing a crime to which they are witness.

What do you believe the consequences would be if someone were to make a citizen's arrest for religious circumcision of a minor?

Please note that the Jewish community is chosen as an example for this poll because they are most strongly associated with ritual circumcision of minors. It could just as easily be applied to Islam or any other culture that circumcises minors.

See also

Thank-you for your participation.

Do you believe that religious male circumcision of a minor is in contravention of the Criminal Code of Canada?
No
Yes
If you witnessed a religious circumcision of a girl would you feel obliged to carry out a citizen's arrest?
No
Yes
If you witnessed a religious circumcision of a boy would you feel obliged to carry out a citizen's arrest?
No
Yes
If you witnessed a Jewish Bris ritual where an infant boy was circumcised how likely would you be to make an arrest of the Mohel?
Not a chance
I would consider it
I would want to do it but would be too afraid
I would do this
I actually have done this
If a Mohel was arrested by a citizen for performing a Bris how likely do you think it would be that he would be indicted?
Not a chance
It might happen
It definitely would happen
It already has happened
If a citizen were to make an arrest of a Mohel for performing a Bris, do you think the citizen would be charged for making a false arrest?
No. Its too touchy a subject.
Yes. The Jewish community would insist on it.
If you were a juror on a case of a citizen charged for arresting a Mohel for performing a Bris, would you vote to convict or acquit the citizen? Assume that citizen's defence is that he believed the child was in peril and was acting in the child's interest.
Acquit
Convict
Suppose the citizen was charged with kidnapping and libel to serve a 15-year sentence if convicted. Would this make a you more or less likely to acquit the citizen than if he was charged with an offence which carried maximum sentence of less than 2 month in prison.
More likely to acquit
Less likely to acquit
For quality control purposes please summarize in your own words what you think this poll was about.
This poll was created on 2002-06-06 05:41:19 by fdostoevski