DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - MICHIGAN: THE A.C.L.U. WILL NOT STAND IN THE WAY OF THE ISLAMIZATION OF AMERICA

Muslims won't fund footbaths
Leaders cite ACLU's decision not to oppose use of public money for UM-Dearborn project.
Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News

DEARBORN -- Muslim leaders in Metro Detroit have decided not to raise private money to pay for two footbaths at a local college campus now that the American Civil Liberties Union has said the plan doesn't pose constitutional problems.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn's plan to spend $25,000 on the footbaths was criticized on conservative blogs and radio shows this month. Critics said using public money for the project would violate the First Amendment, which says governments can't favor or subsidize religions.
Muslims are required to wash body parts, including feet, up to five times daily before prayers.
University officials say the floor-level wash basins are needed because some students at the 8,600-student campus wash their feet in the sinks.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said his group was concerned a public outcry would cause the university to back down from the project.

"If the ACLU had decided to take legal action against the UM-Dearborn, we probably would have called for the university to raise the funds privately, just so that the UM-Dearborn wouldn't have to go through the trouble of having to defend its position against the ACLU," Walid said.

Kary Moss, director of the Detroit branch of the ACLU, said its review concluded the plan is a "reasonable accommodation" to resolve "safety and cleanliness issues" that arose when Muslims used public sinks for foot cleaning before prayers, which often spilled water on bathroom floors.

"We view it as an attempt to deal with a problem, not an attempt to make it easier for Muslims to pray," said Moss, who likened the plan to paying for added police during religious events with huge turnouts.

"There's no intent to promote religion."


and the people respond:


Should college help Muslims with foot baths?

Bathe off campus
If ritual bathing is so important, Muslim students should drive or walk to the mosque that's less than a mile from campus ("College's foot bath plans spark backlash," June 5). They should schedule their classes around their prayer time. If all Christian groups are forced to find off-campus places to pray, then Muslims should, too.
L. Meyer
Dearborn

Wash feet at home
People wash their feet at home, not at school. That's just the way it is. In my years at school, I never washed my feet at school unless I had an accident in chemistry class. Give me a break.
Felicia Chase
Bellaire

Bathroom use not deterred
I attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn for my undergraduate studies, and Muslim students washed their feet in the bathrooms frequently. It is their right to exercise their religious beliefs in whatever way they must, but it shouldn't be at the expense of other students and taxpayers. Building these "foot baths" will not deter anyone from using the bathroom sinks in the library and other buildings for washing their feet in the future.
Daniel Spencer
Canton Township

Bottled water better?
If the foot-washing stations were placed by the restrooms where water and sewer pipes already exist, wouldn't the feet of Muslim students get dirty by the time they get to where they will be praying? Wouldn't it be better for them to take some bottled water and put it onto a paper towel?
Wally Piontakiewicz
Hamtramck

No special interest catering
If Muslims want public institutions to cater to their religious whims, they should move to the Middle East. America is degraded every time we cater to the special interest of a group, especially if that group has no respect for the rights of others.
Richard O'Keefe
Redford Township

Keep religion private
Religion is a private matter. All religious fetishes should be carried out in private and at the religionists' expense, not the state's.
Henry Morgan
Westland

Baths show understanding
Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion with 1.3 billion practitioners. This dynamic alone should encourage the building of bridges and understanding between the major faiths of Abraham. I commend Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn for having the vision to do something positive to enhance the synergy between these faiths in America.
Harun Ar-Rasheed
North Las Vegas, Nev.

Christian sensitivity too?
Wouldn't it be nice if the University of Michigan-Dearborn were as sensitive to the 90 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Christian? If that group asked for any sort of accommodation, they would be laughed off campus.
Don Schmittdiel
Clinton Township

Reduce tuition instead
Although I do not care how a person practices his or her religious beliefs, I believe that using public funds for a religious ritual is wrong. Instead of using the monies for baths, the university should bring tuition down by about $500, since they have all this money to spend on a nonessential.
Tom Danowski
New Boston

Take up a collection
We understand that Muslims must purify themselves before praying. However, they must not do so at the expense of the rest of the community. Do churches request that the general public underwrite the cost of baptismal fonts to purify themselves? Do Jewish people request that the public underwrite the cost of mikvahs used monthly by women and converts? Given the huge projected budget deficit, this is a misuse of taxpayer money as well as a violation of the separation of church and state. If Muslim students want foot-washing stations, why don't they take up a collection among the Islamic community to fund it?
Rose Crane
Oak Park

Equal opportunity prayers
If this is permitted in our universities, then I should be able to pray in public or assemble there. Everyone should.
Forrest Harris
St. Clair Shores


Pertinent Links:

1) Muslims won't fund footbaths

2) Should college help Muslims with foot baths?