Creeping Dhimmitude (Muslim footbaths at airports)

American Thinker ^ | September 16, 2007 | Thomas Lifson

[yorkie]

One small step at a time, America is joining the umma, the global community of nations dominated by Islam. The latest example comes from Indianapolis, where the new billion dollar-plus airport terminal will include foot bath facilities designed specifically for the use of Muslim cab drivers performing ritual ablutions.

The blog Advance Indiana raises the right questions about this misguided enterprise:

If the foot baths are for everybody's use, as [airport spokesman] Dawson contends, why aren't they being installed in all of the bathrooms at the new airport? And if they are being installed to accommodate Muslim taxi cab drivers as is obviously the case, then why aren't similar accommodations being provided for Muslim airline passengers who patronize the airport? It looks like a slippery slope to me. What do you think? If the ACLU actually fought for principles, instead of political positions, it would be fighting this obvious expenditure of public funds to favor one specific religious group. But of course the ACLU is nothing more than a leftist pressure group which only pretends to embrace the Constitution when it serves a specific agenda. Advance Indiana comments:

Here's the ACLU's statement explaining why it chose not to file suit against the University of Michigan after it installed foot baths in campus restrooms. While the ACLU acknowledged that the expenditure of public funds to facilitate a religious practice raised red flags, it found the university's motivation for installing the foot baths was a "practical cleanliness and safety issue." Basically, the ACLU felt the Muslim students would wash their feet in the restroom whether or not the foot baths were made available. If they had to use the sinks, the concern was the bathroom floors were getting slopped up and some students didn't want to use the sinks after people washed their feet in them. While it may seem harmless to some to enable Muslim cab drivers to perform this ritual, the fact is that similar accommodations would never be tolerated for other religious groups (how about Holy Water founts for Catholic passengers praying for safety prior to boarding flights?). This is evidence that will be understood by Muslims seeking to establish the Global Caliphate that America lacks the will to oppose their domination, so long as it takes one step at a time. Treating Islam more favorably than other religions is demanded by Muslims and accommodated whenever they attain a critical mass. It is a sure indicator of Dhimmitude.

[fortunecookie]

...they’re taking their shoes off in a filthy bathroom? This sounds like a health risk to me.

And then you have to factor in that this shows preference to one religion.

I agree about the health risk from the bare feet. Then how long till someone complains about the non-Muslim patrons with pets or wine or pork products? Like some taxi-drivers in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Then will it be separate bathrooms or just a ban on those items? Or will the Muslims wishing to perform the ritual shoo away (no pun intended) others so as not to somehow taint the ritual, as in the multipurpose meditation room at George Mason University where non-Muslims are complaining of being made to feel unwelcome? (searching for link...) And all this in Indianapolis, of all places, a place I associate with solidly Mid-west America, apple pie, auto racing, baseball and farmlands. Aaah, the slippery slope...

[Tzimisce]

Um.......okay.

The bottom line is that according to the popular viewpoint, our government isn’t supposed to favor one religion over another - which is what the government is doing in this case.

Oh, but there are Jews and Christians who use footbaths too.

I repeat: according to the popular viewpoint, we’re not supposed to favor one religion (or group of religions) over others which is exactly what this does.

The fact that CAIR backs this up only makes me more adamant in my opposition...

[bannie]

We’ve lost our collective mind.

[muawiyah]

It has fallen out of fashion ever since the main missionary activity refocused on Northern Europe.

I think the snake handlers do it much more often though.

[Proverbs 3-5]

Oops! You mean that wasn’t a urinal?

[PGalt]

Thomas Lifson BUMP!

[twinzmommy]

Really? That’s it? No wonder my Christian friends are so grumpy!

*giggles*

[Pyro7480]

LOL! You know that’s not what I meant. ;-) I should have said “ritual footwashing,” but I inadvertantly made a funny.