Dear Friends, I am very happy to announce that the European Institute of Istanbul Bilgi University has now published the third issue of the Germany Brief. Dr. Peter Widmann, who is a member of the Department of International Relations and the European Institute, is continuing to up-date us about the recent debates in Germany. These briefs are being circulated to our e-mailing list in English and Turkish, and also accessible online in our website (http://eu.bilgi.edu.tr). In the third issue, Dr. Widmann is discussing various approaches about the ruling of the Cologne Regional Court about the circumcision. In this issue you will find the details of this popular debate in Germany, which also has repercussions in Turkey.

Ayhan Kaya Director, European Institute Istanbul Bilgi University http://eu.bilgi.edu.tr

Peter Widmann – Germany debates children?s rights, religious freedom and circumcision