The New Duranty Times (aka the New York Times) notices the footbath controversy, but largely just to portray Muslims as innocent victims of wicked conservative Christian fanatics. Religion/State issues are mentioned, but dismissed as "complex."
"Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is Pleased," by Tamar Lewin for the Times (thanks to WriterMom):
DEARBORN, Mich. — When pools of water began accumulating on the floor in some restrooms at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and the sinks pulling away from the walls, the problem was easy to pinpoint. On this campus, more than 10 percent of the students are Muslims, and as part of ritual ablutions required before their five-times-a-day prayers, some were washing their feet in the sinks.The solution seemed straightforward. After discussions with the Muslim Students’ Association, the university announced that it would install $25,000 foot-washing stations in several restrooms.
But as a legal and political matter, that solution has not been quite so simple. When word of the plan got out this spring, it created instant controversy, with bloggers going on about the Islamification of the university, students divided on the use of their building-maintenance fees, and tricky legal questions about whether the plan is a legitimate accommodation of students’ right to practice their religion — or unconstitutional government support for that religion....
As the nation’s Muslim population grows, issues of religious accommodation are becoming more common, and more complicated. Many public school districts are grappling with questions about prayer rooms for Muslim students, halal food in cafeterias and scheduling around important Muslim holidays. As Muslim students point out, the school calendar already accommodates Christians, with Sundays off and vacations around Christmas and Easter.
“Starting about two years ago, school attorneys have been asking more and more questions about accommodations for Muslim students,” said Lisa Soronen, a National School Boards Association lawyer. “These issues don’t get litigated very often; they’re usually worked out one by one.”
Nationwide, more than a dozen universities have footbaths, many installed in new buildings. On some campuses, like George Mason University in Virginia, and Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., there was no outcry. At Eastern Michigan, even some Muslim students were surprised by the appearance of the footbath — a single spigot delivering 45 seconds of water — in a partitioned corner of the restroom in the new student union....
But after a Muslim student at Minneapolis Community and Technical College slipped and hurt herself last fall while washing her feet in a sink, word got out there that the college was considering installing a footbath, and a local columnist accused the college of a double standard — stopping a campus coffee cart from playing Christmas music but taking a different attitude toward Islam.
“After the column, a Christian conservative group issued an action alert to its members, which prompted 3,000 e-mail and 600 voice messages to me and/or legislators,” said Phil Davis, president of the college.
Mr. Davis said that after a legal briefing, the board concluded that installing footbaths was constitutional, and that the college hoped to have a plan in place by the next school year.
Here in Dearborn, the university called the footbaths a health and safety measure, not a religious decision. And it argued that while the footbaths may benefit Muslim students, they will be available to others, like lacrosse players who want to wash their feet.
Still, the plans are controversial.
“My first reaction was, ‘Where’s the money coming from?’ ” said Emily Hutfloetz, a senior. “I feel like it’s favoring one group of people.”
On her Web site, Debbie Schlussel, a conservative lawyer and blogger in Southfield, Mich., posted, “Forget about the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state ... at least when it comes to mosque and state.”
And in an editorial, the student newspaper, The Michigan Journal, worried that opponents would turn their hostility “on Muslim students at the university and Islam as a whole.”
Hal Downs, president of the Michigan chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said, “The university claims it’s available for Western students as well, but, traditionally, Western students don’t wash their feet five times day.”
“They’re building a structure for a particular religious tradition,” Mr. Downs added, “and the Constitution says the government isn’t supposed to endorse a particular religion.”
The American Civil Liberties Union says the footbath issue is complex.
“Our policy is to object whenever public funds are spent on any brick and mortar component of religion,” said Kary Moss, director of the Michigan Civil Liberties Union. “What makes this different, though, is that the footbaths themselves can be used by anyone, don’t have any symbolic value and are not stylized in a religious way. They’re in a regular restroom, and could be just as useful to a janitor filling up buckets, or someone coming off the basketball court, as to Muslim students.”
Then, too, Ms. Moss said, the health and safety component is not normally part of religious accommodation cases.
“This came from the maintenance staff, which was worried about the wet floors,” she said. “We were also aware that if the university said students could not wash their feet in the sink anymore, that could present a different civil liberties problem, interfering with Muslim students’ ability to practice their religion.”...
He forgot to mention that the ones in the guys washrooms make lovely urinals. I've always felt that the number of urinals in most washrooms on campus is too small.
Why can't the muslims do like the rest of us compulsive foot washers? Just stick your foot in the toilet, swoosh it around a bit, and flush. Only drawback is this can lead to athletes butt.
Alright!! about time!!! I now have a special place to wash my bowls after I have eaten pork-flavoured Ramen or my forks used for eating bacon!!!!
If I am ever in the area- I'll see if I can do something like this, because, after all, it is not religious. It almost seems worth while doing an extra trip out that way with ham encrusted dishes in tow.
These footbaths seem ideal to wash small poochies of the Paris Hilton variety in.
The Mooslims wont mind a few dog hairs will they?
omegaman: I just about ruptured an organ reading your post. What's up with the feet? Are they walking in dog crap all day? Here's news, SHOWER.
“These issues don’t get litigated very often; they’re usually worked out one by one.”
The slow Sharia'isation of America - one footbath at a time.
Constitutional 'separation of church and state' my butt. Let them wash their stinky feet at the mosque.
“These issues don’t get litigated very often; they’re usually worked out one by one.”
The slow Sharia'isation of America - one footbath at a time.
Constitutional 'separation of church and state' my butt. Let them wash their stinky feet at the mosque.
“What makes this different, though, is that the footbaths themselves can be used by anyone, don’t have any symbolic value and are not stylized in a religious way. They’re in a regular restroom, and could be just as useful to a janitor filling up buckets, or someone coming off the basketball court, as to Muslim students.”
Christians and athiests unite; piss in those footbaths and leave a puddle in the bottom.
Has it ever occurred to these students and groups like CAIR that they could have fundraisers and pay to install these footbaths? The downside of doing this, of course, would be that there would be no outcry and then they would have trouble claiming to be victims of big, mean, evil America, as usual.
If these people actually want to live in America, maybe they should learn to be Americans and solve their own problems.
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Hmmmm, there's no religious significance to the foot bath? Well, how then have we managed to get along without them in our public places for lo these 200+ years?
No religious significance my foot. Get it? Bwah ha ha.
Why do we pander to Muslims and Muslims only? I don't see any talk of accommodating Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or any other of the worlds religions.
So why pander to a single one? Either grant equality to all or deny the one group.
Looks like Jim Crow's mounting a comeback thanks to the master racism that comes with Islamania. Before you know it, the infidels will get the crappy end of the old "separate but equal" deal.
Peter_Wiggin:
The Muslims originally were going to pay for the footbaths, I gather, but the dhimmi school said, no, don't bother, we'll pay for them.
Don't buy the New Duranty Times aka NY Times.
Maybe thesed foot basins are a good place to cool a few cases of beer every now and then.. on second thought.. I'd be loath to drink from a bottle that's been immersed in ice water that's previously been sullied by moslem feet.
yuk
Questions to the moslems in the West: WHAT if any benefit are you bringing to us?!
And please don't say you're bringing us islam.
You may think that's a wonderful thing. But you should hereby be told that it isn't for us. Just in case that hasn't become evident yet.
So.. tell me.. tell us.. HOW do we benefit from your presence in the West??!!
Elsewhere in wacademia, Wisconsin's Ward Churchill - Only Worse Update:
UW Badger Herald invites your taunts here./neh-neh-nah-nuh... neh-neh-NAH-nuh... hey-AY-ey!... Goodbye-aye!
As we all know, Islam has a lot of rules about the washing of various body parts in order to be clean for praying. This is considered (and recognized by the universities as) a religious requirement.
Keep in mind the locations of most of these footbaths (universities with a politicized Muslim community).
I honestly believe that, if a Muslim catches anyone doing anything unIslamic in the ritual footbathing basins, that person will be charged with a hate crime.
And if any evidence is found without a perpetrator, this will be grounds for the installation of security cameras (on the taxpayers' dime).
Be careful, folks. Choose your battles wisely. Whenever possible, rebel in ways that will make a difference without landing you in jail or costing you thousands of dollars in legal fees. Remember that they will use our legal system against us, so be smart and figure out how to fight them within that same system.
“Our policy is to object whenever public funds are spent on any brick and mortar component of religion,” said Kary Moss, director of the Michigan Civil Liberties Union. “What makes this different, though, is that the footbaths themselves can be used by anyone, don’t have any symbolic value and are not stylized in a religious way. They’re in a regular restroom, and could be just as useful to a janitor filling up buckets, or someone coming off the basketball court, as to Muslim students.”
Would an equivalent perhaps, be a "kneeling bench"? It's not exactly "brick and mortar", it can be used by anyone who feels the need to kneel for a moment in "preparation" for prayer (just as the footbaths are required for "preparation" for prayer), yet they could also be used by others for a legitimate purpose (like stress relief), and they're not usually stylized in a religious way (usually being just strips of leather attached to a wooden frame). People could start feeling the need to kneel all over the place and then complain that there is a health and safety issue related to their knees, where kneeling benches aren't provided. I'd like to see kneeling benches installed in all sorts of public venues. On what grounds would the ACLU object to this demand?
(Incidentally, it won't do to beg off the issue of kneeling benches by claiming that kneeling is an actual part of prayer ritual in Christianity (or in Catholicism at least) because that's exactly what wudu is in Islam. That washing of the feet is actually a part of Islamic religious ritual.)
Josephine,
I am curious regarding your caution. Do you think there are security cameras in the bathroom? Do these footbaths have signs over them, or could they be mistaken for bidets? You know, a lot of things are tossed in toilets. If a person is in a restroom and tosses gum, tissues, or any other nasty item in what looks like a sink or toilet--too bad.
CapitalistGig -- I am thinking of the young man who was recently charged with a hate crime for allegedly putting a couple of Korans into toilets in a university. There was mention of proof on security video but I don't know where the cameras were in that university.
If large clothing stores can put cameras behind two-way mirrors in change rooms, a backlash against "Islamaphobia" certainly has the potential to prompt the installation of security cameras wherever permissible by law.
If innocuous items such as gum or tissue are found often enough in the footbaths, you can best believe the universities will have mandatory "sensitivity" classes for all students and staff.
Or perhaps the sensitivity classes will be held prior to the unveiling of these footbaths. Perhaps Muslim student activists or their advisors will have anticipated this type of reaction and have already raised the possibility of "Islamaphobic" "attacks" on the sanctity of the footbaths.
If obviously unIslamic items, such as bacon, are found in footbaths, then I guarantee there will be crackdowns against "Islamaphobia" and every attempt will be made to find and charge the perpetrators with hate crimes.
Wait and see if someone is foolish enough to try it on university property.
Remember, we are talking about a politicized Muslim student body, perhaps (or probably?) supported, coached and funded by CAIR and its ilk.
If a person sullies the footbaths, s/he is causing a Muslim to be praying while dirty, thus invalidating his prayers (for example, if a Muslim passes gas while praying, he has to wash and start all over again). This would be highly distressing to Muslims, since they wouldn't be guaranteed that God is hearing their prayers. Any act against the footbaths will be considered on par with the Koran in the toilet or even worse because the Koran in the toilet wouldn't have invalidated the prayers of these Muslim students.
They could get a hundred imams to testify in court as to the deleterious effect this would have on the psychological and spiritual well-being of an entire Muslim student body.
My suggestion is that people pick their fights wisely. Know what you're fighting and figure out how to win.
Also: Remember the recent TV "interview" fiasco between CBC employee Avi Lewis and the brilliant Ayaan Hirsi Ali?
Avi Lewis = the professors and administrators of most of the universities.
And the cop they'd call in to assess the hate crime charge? Based on the recent Koran-in-the-can case, it'll either be a Muslim or someone who has taken sensitivity training from CAIR.
So.. tell me.. tell us.. HOW do we benefit from your presence in the West??!!
Posted by: Allahfanculo at August 7, 2007 5:59 PM
We don't. At it's most primitive, a la the Germanic tribes described in Tacitus, the West is light years more advanced than Islam. Think about the Ancient Greeks: 1,000 years before Mohammed lived, there was already a civilization that surpassed anything Muslims could ever create.
Islam is the most useless ideology, seen from the perspective of the human species aside from Muslims, ever invented. For Muslims, it's great. Ergo, Muslims are of no use to the rest of humanity, and are actually a detriment to humanity, which is why all non-Muslims should use every weapon at our disposal to rid the planet of this worthless ideology. I am as convinced of this as I am convinced that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
American and many other Western societies are paralyzed by political correctness, and the perversion of multiculturalism to the point that we are slowly destroying are own established foundations in order to bend to this ever increasing aggressive ideology who refuses to bend to anybody else.
Our universities,our academics,and our politicians are afraid to have a frank discussion as to what is happening to our foundations and our western values.
That's right, let us just keep bending over farther and farther until we fall flat on our PC faces; ---fools that we are right now!!!.
I fail to see why Muslim students can't bring a bottle filled with water (or a bag of sand) and wash their (face, hands) feet in some lawned area or over a drain outside.
Nah. Too precious I guess.
Just stick your foot in the toilet, swoosh it around a bit, and flush. Only drawback is this can lead to athletes butt.
Posted by: TheOmegaMan
I was thinking much the same thing, Omega. Just designate one toilet in each restroom as the foot-washer. I'm sure the rest of us would respect this and not use it for its ordinary purpose. Heh, heh.
cambridge press has destroyed all copies of ALMS FOR JIHAD. i found it at www.booksonboard.com in a downloadable version for $17.38. you have to have mobi pocket reader installed, but it is free and easy to install. (if this old fart can do it ...)
My religion teaches me that Muslims are the sons of apes and swine and the vilest of creatures.
My religion teaches me that I cannot share a bathroom or anything else with them and I'am a believer who will not bow to a cult that wants me dead or forcibly converted.
My religion tolerates just about all other religions, or tolerates those who leave me in peace.
But my religion doesn't tolerate Islam because it doesn't tolerate me.
What else would you like to know?
Can I wash my feet in these footbaths too?
I normally use a bidet - its the right height after all - so the whole footbath idea sounds cool if us poor kufr can benefit.
Or will it make the footbaths "impure" and "haram" becuase it is contaminated with my kufr poison??
If the latter - might I suggest a "foot washing day" immediately after the footbaths are installed.
How could anyone possibly object to anyone who isn't a moslem using the facilities available ...
Mohammedan Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (MO-CD)should not be accomodated with special obsessive ritual footwashing baths. This special accomodation will only lead to increased MO-CD and sufferers of MO-CD find it more convenient to engage in MO-CD. Like lemmings, these MO-CD sufferers must prepare themselves to worship MO the murderer, pedophile and caravan robber at the appointed time five times a day; however, this is their choice and we cannot mandate what some people will believe or practice.
However, public institutions, where public safety, public hygiene and the public's right to enjoy freedom from religion should not be impacted by the obsessions of sufferers of MO-CD. And, lest anyone think that sufferers of MO-CD should be entitled to special accomodation under the Americans With Disabilites Act, there is no prescription for religion as a disability, though, one could argue that obsessive footwashing, observing the fetal position to worship MO, the pedophile, murderer and caravan robber defies logic and good common sense, supporting terrorists who want to dismantle our government, erode our civil liberties and install Sharia Law with its obsessive mandates and misogynistic practices against women is the essence of a handicap and a mental disorder, this is not the subject of the ADA.
The universities should just mandate in the student handbooks that obsessive footwashing in the name of any religion will be discouraged. If a student must engage in MO-CD, he will be directed to return to the privacy of his own bathroom to engage in obsessive ritual footwashing. Either that, or lobby to get MO-CD declared a mental disorder which handicaps its practitioners and, thereby, entitles these obsessive footwashers to special MO-CD handicap footwashing stations in every airport, university, courthouse, public park, police station, etc., etc.
I have a feeling that the entire staff of The New Duranty Times adheres to an organizational mission statement which goes something like, "We are committed to doing our best to vex conservatives and mislead uninformed, naive readers about reality, with the goal of eventually unraveling the social fabric of the very nation that grants us the freedom of expression which we abuse so boldly."