IN THEORY:Are school footbaths appropriate?

The University of Michigan recently approved installation of two footbaths in a pair of unisex bathrooms so Muslim students could wash their feet before prayers, as required by their faith. Part of the motivation was to improve safety, and university officials point out they were paid for by student fees, not taxpayer money. Do you think it’s appropriate for a public institution to provide amenities such as footbaths when it’s done to improve safety or does it run afoul of the separation of church and state principle?

When anything is done to improve safety or to provide a needed service to the public, then I am in favor of using public or private funds to cover the cost, whether it is to accommodate the disabled, pregnant women, drug recovery centers or religious needs.

The issue here is that there is a serious health concern in washing the feet in the public hand basin and a potential dangerous problem for a slip-and-fall injury. In addition, the enrollment of Muslim students is high and growing, thus making it an even greater risk. Therefore, the resolution proposed by the university is proper.

This should not be looked at as preferential treatment toward the followers of a particular faith or to endorse a religion. In this case, it is a safety issue, and if not taken care of immediately can become a health and liability issue to the school.

Besides, the federal government has a long history of giving to religious groups when they serve the public interest. For example, some students use federal grants, such as the Pell Grant, to pay for religious schools.

IMAM SAYED MOUSTAFA AL-QAZWINI

It is wrong to use general tax money to build a church to be used only for one specific religion. It is also wrong to use student fees collected from all students to build ritual facilities for those of one specific religion.

A basic goal of education, even at the University of Michigan, should be to teach students how to reason and use common sense in relation to everyday life and being part of an overall common society. Clearly, the habit of washing one’s feet before saying prayers is not supported by common sense as a way of achieving anything other than showing abject and servile adherence to an arbitrary and illogical rule of a specific religion.

During World War II, the Roman Catholic church gave up the requirement for all Catholics to eat fish instead of meat on Fridays because such a rule could be difficult to follow for the military personnel wherever they were fighting. It certainly is not too much to ask that Muslim students should be excluded from the required foot-washing ritual while at colleges. And it is not too much to ask that Muslim students should abide by common sense rules of the university to not do things such as washing their feet in bathroom sinks. When such students graduate, do they expect their employers to provide foot-washing facilities for them to use during the day before prayers?

JERRY PARKS

If I were Muslim, I think I would use a small plastic pitcher to collect water from the faucet, then pour it over each foot using a small tub to catch the water. I would also consider under what circumstances the foot washing might be excused or adapted, for example in deserts, if imprisoned and in some public urban environments.

Another option would be for Muslim students to build a small mosque with footbath included, just as other religious groups, such as Newman Centers, offer their own facilities on campus.

Religious freedom means privately funded groups may build whatever accommodations they wish. But public money should not be used to build facilities that are used primarily by a religious group or which seem necessary only because a group is using public facilities improperly, especially when there are other options available for the group to exercise their freedom to practice their religion.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT