The president of the Jewish Community in Denmark says the measure represents “the worst threat since World War II.”
The petition describes circumcision as a form of abuse and corporal punishment, equating it with female genital mutilation.
Denmark is set to become the first European Union country to vote to prohibit circumcision, spurring many Jews to consider emigrating.
Several members of parliament said that they would ignore party leaders and vote to ban non-medical circumcision.
“Essentially it’s about animal rights and children’s autonomy that are perceived as more important than religious freedom.”
The petition proposes a punishment of up to six years in prison for someone who circumcises anyone younger than 18.
The Danish investigation started in May came after it funded a West Bank women’s center that ended up being named for terrorist Dalal Mughrabi.
A group funded by the governments of Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands boasted of campaigning to get an arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni.
A concrete bunker jutting out of sand dunes on the Danish coast has been re-purposed as part of a new museum.