Dear The Real Singapore,
I refer to the article on your website titled "A YOUNG SINGAPOREAN MUSLIM: I AM NOW AGAINST CIRCUMCISION". I ask that you keep my name and email address private. My response for the article is below:
Let it be clear that this is not a rebuttal for the writer's argument, and this is simply an opinion about discussing such issues involving religion.
I enjoy debates on religion, but I do it amongst those who are close to me, or I ask/discuss it with people who are more knowledgeable than I am. Privately. Not by using the internet as a platform.
Why? The internet has a huge audience, and especially in our community, information online is easily accessible and spreads like wildfire. Why is this bad?
If you doubt or find a flaw in a religion's laws or practices, and you feel the need to get people's opinions on the matter, then firstly, make sure you post it as a question, not a statement. Because the latter can fuel rage amongst faithful believers, easily convince and "convert" doubtful believers (without doing their own research first), and misinform non-believers about the religion. Besides, it more polite to ask about an issue and give an opportunity for others to justify themselves, instead of making your own assumptions about it.
Secondly, if you post your argument on the basis of simple logic (i.e your own assumed smartness) then please sit down. What are you trying to do, recruit more people to turn their backs on the religion? Even though society is generally part of what makes a religion, to me, religion is a personal endeavour, one that is between the individual and God (or Gods, depending on which faith.) So any decision to denounce one's faith should be done based on that individual's own efforts to clarify his/her doubts. By posting such statements, people who don't give a thought on the reliability of the source (which is a lot of people) and don't go further by doing more research on their own part, will be convinced by your stand blindly, hence rejecting the religion with no concrete reasons that resonates his/her own personal voice.
And if you have done some research and you list your sources, then well done. But unfortunately, not all sources are reliable, and that compromises the reliability of your research in general. For example, Wikipedia is not a reliable source, although admittedly it is a convenient way to obtain quick information. Why is this such a big deal? Because if you want to post such strong views on a sensitive matter such as religion or tradition, things that have been in place even before you were born, then you better have the muscle to back up your claim. So all the information you received by "research" need to be of the HIGHEST quality, it needs to be PRISTINE, that's why I feel the need to be this petty. Content from all sources need to be confirmed and cross-referenced, and cannot simply be from one resource base. In other words, your supporting evidence cannot only be taken from the internet. Books, interviewing experts in the field (plus providing proof of your interview) are some examples, and even then it doesn't make your argument completely reliable. It simply makes it MORE reliable than it otherwise would have been.
Basically what I'm trying to bring across here is that posting such statements online can be very misleading. If it is simply supposed to be an opinion for others to consider, then make sure it is put across as an opinion, not a fact. The previous 2 paragraphs are based on the assumption that you are establishing a statement, not asking a question. So I hope people will put in more thought when they post such content, especially when it involves sensitive and personal matters such as that of religion.
I am aware that this is an imperfect world, and many simply do not care about what they put out on the internet. So, I guess the only "solution" (not really) is for people on the receiving end to be more careful about believing in any information available online.
Finally, I would just like to reiterate that the purpose of me writing this is not as a direct argument to the issue brought up by the initial writer about circumcision in the Islamic faith. Being a Muslim myself, I have to admit that I do not know much about the matter, and so I don't have much offer. I am simply pointing out that it is very easy to mislead people, and if the intention was not to mislead, then I hope people reading the content will be more weary and avoid being unintentionally misled. Find our more on the matter on your own, and cross-reference your findings for better chances.