{"id":35,"date":"2007-08-10T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-08-10T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/feilerfaster\/2007\/08\/the-footbath-bloodbath.html"},"modified":"2007-08-10T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-08-10T06:00:00","slug":"the-footbath-bloodbath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/feilerfaster\/2007\/08\/the-footbath-bloodbath.html","title":{"rendered":"The Footbath Bloodbath"},"content":{"rendered":"

The issue of footbaths at Michigan schools created a bloodbath last year, which right wing bloggers insisting installing them in some colleges meant inviting Al Qaeda to the homecoming dance. The NYT examins the fallout<\/a>: <\/p>\n

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.
\nThe solution seemed straightforward. After discussions with the Muslim Students\u2019 Association, the university announced that it would install $25,000 foot-washing stations in several restrooms.
\nBut 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\u2019 right to practice their religion \u2014 or unconstitutional government support for that religion.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s an awkward thing,\u201d said Alexis Oesterle, a junior. \u201cIf I\u2019m sitting with Muslim friends, I wouldn\u2019t want to bring it up. In this country, at this time, it\u2019s not so easy to discuss the issues of Muslims in American society.\u201d
\nAs the nation\u2019s 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. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The issue of footbaths at Michigan schools created a bloodbath last year, which right wing bloggers insisting installing them in some colleges meant inviting Al Qaeda to the homecoming dance. The NYT examins the fallout: When pools of water began accumulating on the floor in some restrooms at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and the sinks…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":352,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Footbath Bloodbath - Feiler Faster<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/feilerfaster\/2007\/08\/the-footbath-bloodbath.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Footbath Bloodbath - Feiler Faster\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The issue of footbaths at Michigan schools created a bloodbath last year, which right wing bloggers insisting installing them in some colleges meant inviting Al Qaeda to the homecoming dance. 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