- Jan 14, 2006
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Universities Install Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone Is
Pleased
Dearborn, USA - 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.
Its an awkward thing, said Alexis Oesterle, a junior. If
Im sitting with Muslim friends, I wouldnt want to bring it up. In
this country, at this time, its not so easy to discuss the issues of
Muslims in American society.
As the nations 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.
Pleased
Dearborn, USA - 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.
Its an awkward thing, said Alexis Oesterle, a junior. If
Im sitting with Muslim friends, I wouldnt want to bring it up. In
this country, at this time, its not so easy to discuss the issues of
Muslims in American society.
As the nations 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.
