Who the hell needs their feet to be washed at random times during the day, now?!? Why do people take traditions that are no longer applicable to new circumstances and insist that they’re still necessary?
I bet those muslim students’ feet are cleaner without washing than the fully washed feet of 680 AD.

This is a mistaken policy, but look on the bright side: this kind of thing scares the Christian Righties–that’s got to be good.

LOL, true, I just don’t want there to then be influencial Muslim righties………

Why not a simpler, less expensive solution?

The Muslim students could be permitted to bring a plastic wash basin (the kind that hospitals use for bed baths) to school with them at the beginning of the school year. The students could be permitted to store the basins in a location convenient to the restrooms for use throughout the school term.

In this way, the school does not change its architecture, the sinks do not become pulled away from the wall, and the Muslim students are still within the boundaries of their religious ritual requirements.

that’s a really good idea!

With that rationale, though, I suspect it wouldn’t be long before other religious groups use “safety” as a reason to get taxpayer money

Yeah, but it could also make a good counter-argument. To wit: what if my religion, Reform Frisbeetarianism, requires me to urinate in foot baths whenever I see them in restrooms? This might put my safety at risk, since I’d probably get beaten up by devout foot-washers. Better to leave the foot-baths out.

In all seriousness, though, I think it’s really amazing that conservative Christians can see completely eye-to-eye with us on something like this, and write a well-reasoned article, and almost make it look like they really get church-state separation…but they just can’t make that logical extension to their own religion. I guess it’s just a failure of introspection–everyone else’s religion is a weird, deluded cult, but MINE is the One True Faith, so I should get special treatment.

So what we have is an attempt to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment by someone, along with help from ignorant news media people.

You keep granting them wishes soon you they will be granting you your wishes, the sword or Allah!

No one seems to be outraged by the fact that in the majority of Muslim Nations the Bible is outlawed, banned completely! Fact is also that as a non Muslim you cannot even enter Saudi Arabia. And as a female you are considered the property of your husband, you cant leave without his permission, you cant eat by yourself (you must have a male with you), you cant drive a car, and much more shockingly inhuman rules, yet the foolish in American are encouraging this religion here? Lets follow all the Islamic rules now! Why dont you learn what they are and stop being foolish!

Why don’t we all line up and follow the teaching of the Muslims now since in a few years with these morons in control that’s what we will be doing anyway!

Stop this Muslim infiltration NOW! The Muslim that wants to wash his feet at school can go back to his Muslim Nation and do so. In American we are not Muslims and we should remind them all of that fact each and every day, much in the same way they remind us that we are not Muslims in their country, which must ingornat Americans know nothing of.

We will fall due to ignorance in this Nation you mark my words. Ignorance of the God, and ignorance of Islam.

I like Lee’s solution.

I often make the argument with evangelicals that the whole preferrential treatment they receive/demand from lawmakers (think congressional/military chaplains, less strict HeadStart qualifications) will eventually turn around and bite them in the Bibles one day when they aren’t the majority religion anymore. This is usually followed by a rolling of the eyes and a “that won’t happen”. I think there is a saying that says, “when you open the door be careful the devil doesn’t follow behind”.

Just a side note, I assume The Friendly Atheist agrees with the “words” Richard Thompson is saying not his motivations/beliefs that went into them.

The Muslim students could be permitted to bring a plastic wash basin (the kind that hospitals use for bed baths) to school with them at the beginning of the school year. The students could be permitted to store the basins in a location convenient to the restrooms for use throughout the school term.

In this way, the school does not change its architecture, the sinks do not become pulled away from the wall, and the Muslim students are still within the boundaries of their religious ritual requirements.