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Dr. H Rasyidi thinks laughter is the best medicine, and in his specialization, circumcisions, a good sense of humor is crucial. This 15-year veteran of the rite of passage prides himself on his technique, which he claims is a bloodless exercise. Today, Rasyidi, who has two practices in North Jakarta and one in Bogor, tells us about how he honed his skill at mass circumcisions using the guillotine method, why men should ride a bike regularly and why Jakarta’s hospitals stopped performing the procedure on women.

You’ve been performing circumcisions for 15 years. Would you call yourself a specialist?

Yeah, all doctors are capable of performing circumcisions, but I specialize in them. My technique is different; it’s not like the textbook circumcision.

How so?

When I cut the skin it doesn’t bleed and it doesn’t hurt afterward, either. Patients can go about their usual daily routine. They can walk up stairs or drive a car — they just can’t stamp on the brake pedal [laughs].

Can you tell us a little circumcision history?

Abraham was the first man to get a circumcision; he was 80. Ishmael was the second and he was 13. Isaac was the third and he was 9. Nowadays becoming a man occurs between the ages of 9 and 13 so that is when we do most of the circumcisions. In Islam, when you become a man, you are required to pray five times a day and you need to be clean. Circumcision is part of the process of becoming a man.

When boys see you, do they get scared because they know what’s coming?

Depends on the kid. Some kids are scared of course, but others are brave.

How many offices do you have?

I have two here in Pulomas and one in Bogor, but I want to open a chain across Java.

What’s the greatest number of circumcisions you’ve performed in a day?

My record is 40. And that’s not even counting the mass circumcisions. That’s just me going door-to-door making house calls.

How many stitches does the patient usually need?

It depends on the size, but normally it’s about 20 stitches. Text books say the fewer the better, but 15 years has taught me the more stitches the better.

But I thought you said there was no blood?

There’s no blood, but the more stitches you put in the better it will heal. Can I give you some advice?

Sure.

You should ride a bicycle. It will make you strong and it’s good for your virility.

Got it. What’s a mass circumcision like?

It’s a guillotine system. We just have the boys come in one by one and we lay them down and then get the job done quickly. In the kampung it’s called tradisi bengkong . I don’t have the tools here with me. To be honest, I don’t have the time to do mass circumcisions now. I’m an expert. Fifteen years ago, I was doing all kinds of circumcisions. I was going to the mass ones, going to hotels, people’s houses, everywhere.

Hotels?

Yeah. It’s a special day. Some families rent a room for the celebration.

How do you feel about female circumcision?

From what I’ve read, if a woman is circumcised, the chances of her being hypersexual and wanting to have sex a lot goes down.

What would you say to people who think that female circumcision is simply a form of repression?

The World Health Organization outlawed it because girls were dying. Most of the hospitals in Jakarta refuse to do it now. I only cut a tiny piece off the tip of the clitoris. The girls rarely bleed. The idea of female circumcision is not to decrease the pleasure of sex, but to decrease hypersexual tendencies. A long time ago there was a section of the Muslim community that thought since the men do it, the woman should do it too. It’s just become a tradition now.

How old was the oldest person you ever circumcised?

He was 80 years old. He said he did it for his wife.

 

H Rasyidi was talking to Zack Petersen.