http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200707/CUL20070710c.html
Mosque and State: Taxpayer Dollars, Time Devoted to Islam in Schools
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
(CNSNews.com) - Decisions by public schools and colleges to provide
special prayer times or to make other allowances for Muslim students
have raised eyebrows -- but not all groups that oppose expressions of
religion in the public domain are speaking out.
Some religious liberty advocates -- who have long battled efforts to
purge government of religious displays, Bible readings and graduation
prayers -- regard the Muslim-accomodation trend as an op****tunity that
should be seized.
In one instance, the University of Michigan is preparing to spend
$25,000 to install two footbaths at its Dearborn campus to accommodate
Muslim students wanting to wash their feet before prayers.
Muslims initially were willing to raise the money to cover the cost,
but the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union --
often a foe of faith in the public square -- said there was no
constitutional reason why the university could not fund the project.
Kary Moss, director of the group, told the Detroit Free Press that
providing the footbaths was "reasonable" and "an attempt to deal with
a problem, not an attempt to make it easier for Muslims to pray."
A Michigan ACLU spokeswoman declined to comment further until a formal
opinion is issued on July 14.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a group that
frequently sides with the ACLU in such disputes, believes the decision
to spend the money on the footbaths singles out one religion for
special treatment.
"There are serious constitutional questions when you have non-neutral
accommodations available that's not equal to everyone," the group's
assistant legal director, Richard Katskee, told Cybercast News
Service. "There is no particular religious appearance to footbaths,
but they serve no secular use. It's like building a church on campus
and saying its okay because everyone is allowed in."
Muslim students on the Dearborn campus defended the decision.
Providing the footbaths is not just a religious accommodation, argued
Majed Afana, vice president of the Muslim Student Association chapter.
It's also a safety measure so students won't fall while wa****ng their
feet in conventional sinks, he said.
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