Posted on 01/28/2007 1:38:10 AM PST by Dundee
A ROW has erupted over Muslim-only washrooms at La Trobe University that can be accessed only with a secret push-button code.
Muslim students have exclusive access to male and female washrooms on campus, sparking claims of bias and discrimination.
The university and Islamic leaders have defended the washrooms as vital to Muslim students' prayer rituals.
...
Australian Family Council spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said concerns over the exclusive facilities were valid.
"Do we have a Christian washroom or an atheist washroom?" he said. "The whole thing is madness."
...
"If Muslims are saying 'we are good Australians and want to integrate', why are they insisting on separate washrooms?" he said.
Victorian Muslim community leader Yasser Soliman said the washrooms were necessary.
He said the separate facilities were also due to concerns from non-Muslim students.
"Muslims need to wash their feet before prayer and in the past there have been complaints about them washing their feet in sinks, so this is a happy medium," he said.
Mr Soliman said most universities provided Muslim-only prayer and washrooms for students.
A La Trobe University spokesman said the washrooms were established with the advice of senior Muslim religious leaders.
He said the university also had a Christian chapel with a meeting room and four chaplains from major denominations had offices.
La Trobe University Christian Union vice-president Richard Thamm backed the washrooms.
"It's part of their religion, they need to wash in a special way before they pray," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
And this posted earlier:
Bolton bans Holocaust Day (English City Bows to Muslim Pressure)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774695/posts
They are begging for Apartheid...
Or the West is...
The washrooms and prayer rooms have been in Universities in Australia for much longer than the 20 years I spent working at a South Australian University. Christians and/or other religions do not require the same ritual washing before prayer that Islam does therfore these places where introduced years ago for Islamic students.
Do I like it - not much but they also have seperate Women's rooms, rooms for other Overseas Students, Aboriginal Students basically if you are a minority you could probably apply for a room and get it.
Who would want to be white Aussie male at Uni?
Mel
Remember that this is a university we are talking about here and as such it is a fortress of of the politically correct left.
Good news is that this is been brought to the light for the public to see.
Coming to a town near you!!! Be afraid, very afraid!
Even better my Nephew is head of the SA Branch of the National student union and he is a very conservative Catholic - news from him is that more and more conservative students that are standing up to be counted. His Dad wants him to make of go of Politics some time in the future so look out for Aaron Russell.
Cheers
Mel
What? No separate facilities for the "transgendered"? LOL! (Which we have over here!)
I have seen plenty of students go into those prayer rooms. I have never seen one wash their feet before going in.
Personally I've no real objection to the facilities being provided. Actually I think it's great for these kids to spend four years among a much wider community. But I really wonder whether there is a real need for this facility or not.
If you want to talk about what worries me - it's the fact that when the Union House toilets at Melbourne Uni were renovated a couple of years ago, they deliberately installed floor to ceiling partitions in a couple of the male toilet cubicles to provide those having sex in there privacy. I thought that was disgusting. I actually don't have a problem with gays myself - what consenting adults do to each other isn't my business. But there's a time and a place for it.
And equity would demand that if they are going to cater to gays desire to have sex on campus, surely there should be somewhere catering to the straight students too.
I guess they wouldn't want a few rolls of my Koran toilet paper. No. probably not.
Install a bidet and be done with it. That's what they're made for anyway ..... right?? /sarc
Nam Vet
How about washing their hands, mouth, face and feet at an outdoor fountain?
I would recommend rubbing down the doorknobs with liberal amounts of bacon grease.
When the mussies take a dump,they don't use paper(that's not halal!)They wash their bums with water instead.
(That's the damn truth!)
Alright, now *I'M* offended.
Lawsuit, here I come.
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