Posted on 02/13/2008 4:42:27 AM PST by fweingart
There's an uproar in the U.K. over recent comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury that, given the country's growing and restive Muslim population, it is "unavoidable" that certain aspects of Islamic law would, at some point, have to be accepted in Britain.
What many Americans do not realize is that there's a concerted effort by some in the American Muslim community to move slowly in a similar direction right here in the United States.
While this effort is not necessarily about Sharia law, it is an attempt by some Muslim Americans to force the rest of us to enable their cultural and religious practices in the public sphere. Instead, they should be assimilating and abiding by general U.S. norms.
One of the front lines of this fight: footbaths.
Growing numbers of Muslims living in the United States are seeking to wash their feet in the sinks of public rest rooms. The foot-washing is part of wudu, the ritual ablutions a Muslim performs before the five prayer sessions he or she observes every day at intervals from morning till night. The ablutions can take several minutes and involve repeated washing or rinsing of the hands, mouth, nostrils, face, arms, forehead, hair, ears and, finally, the feet.
There is nothing wrong with a devout Muslim seeing it as his religious duty to wash his feet. I take no issue with the practice whatsoever.
But I do not accept the notion that large, primarily secular institutions - or society as a whole - should invest time and money building facilities expressly to make it easy for people to perform the ritual.
Yet that is precisely what is happening. Not surprisingly, it is universities - bastions of open-ended tolerance - that are on the leading edge of the trend. Last year, it was reported that the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where more than 10% of students are Muslim, announced it would install $25,000 foot-washing stations in a number of rest rooms.
In contemplating this, the school was following in the footsteps of other institutions including Stanford University, the University of Houston, Boston University, St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota at Duluth. Indeed, right here in New York, NYU is considering installing footbaths in the Islamic section of its planned interfaith center.
Somehow, the American Civil Liberties Union - normally given to howls of execration at the mere thought of a creche in any semipublic place at Christmastime - is not challenging any of this. Why? Because, it says, it's not a matter of religion but of "cleanliness and safety." Foot-washing in regular sinks can be a messy business. It can also be off-putting for non-Muslims who must use the sinks and rest rooms for ordinary purposes.
But the question of whether footbaths improve cleanliness and safety is beside the point. What is at issue is the extent of public accommodation of religion. And furthermore, while the Council on American-Islamic Relations is specifically recommending that Muslims perform their ablutions in rest room sinks, it turns out that elaborate foot-washing at every prayer time isn't even required under Muslim law.
Indeed, a perusal of Islamic Web sites reveals some flexibility regarding the washing - for example, simply wiping over the sock is sufficient, rather than soaking the bare foot.
But this seems not to matter to those who want to thrust Islamic practices into the public sphere or to the politically correct officials who refuse to draw the line.
Foot-washing done in public places, whether in sinks or footbaths, sets Muslims apart from larger society. Rather than facilitating that, we should ask members of the American Muslim community to adapt their behavior to the country in which they live.
Foreign government have rights to US sovereign infrastructure? LOL you’re funny.
Evidently you are on a new crusade against Islam. See, I don’t think that God ever authorized or blessed such a thing. I think God’s message is one of peace and love, and to reach out to those who hurt you and turn the other cheek.
The crusades were wrong then.
A crusade is wrong now.
Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamists are trying to start a religious war, but I’m not going to enable that. I’m going to try to live as Christ taught that we should, and as President Bush has led us in this war.
You will not find the President agreeing with your passion. And might I suggest that it is because of people like you that the conservative movement has been crippled.
Just because years have passed does not justify condemning an entire religion because of what some have passed off as faithful execution of God’s writ.
You err regarding the Palestinian situation. The Palestinians are not descendants of those people. The Palestinians came long after the Jews were there - long after Christ.
It is hard for me to understand how one could deny that Islam has Judaic roots. Some radical Muslims might fight the notion, but I think it’s pretty well established in any world religions class that Judaism, Christianity and Islam all came from the same root, with Judaism being the first.
I would be surprised if Islam did NOT share anything in common with Judaism, as opposed to being surprised that it DID.
And the pope performs symbolic foot-washing to this day. We're talking about customs formed by desert people who wore sandals, so I'm sure their feet got pretty grimy.
The original article does note that, at least according to some imams, a symbolic wiping of the outside of the sock is sufficient.
They need a scolding from Eddie Murphy's grandma: "Baby, that's nasty!"
I’m not sure who you’re talking about; if you’re referring to the Christians for killing Muslims during the Crusades, then sure it does! If they’ve repented of their sins and sought forgiveness (which could also be interpreted as having changed their ways) then they are forgiven by God (and their sins are no more. I didn’t say this; God said it.
If you’re talking about the Muslims who were busily engaging during the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Centuries in, what they’ve again become famous for over the past half century - threatening murder and mayhem against all who refuse to submit to the Will of Allah (also known as the ‘Moon God’) then…
I can and do condemn them!
I can do so because they are still engaged in the same despicable and disreputable behavior today that they were engaged in 8 centuries ago – the subjugation of other peoples by threat of intimidation and force – insisting that they Submit or Die, then yes, I can and do condemn them (and I think I’m justified in doing so).
They have not changed; they were forcing people to convert to Islam in the 7th Century and they’re still doing so today (and raping, torturing, and murdering those who refuse).
Regarding the Palestinian ‘Situation’, I’m aware that they are not ‘direct decendents’ of the original peoples however, had the Hebrews obeyed God and kept his commandments faithfully they would, I believe, have never been forced from their homeland. And you might wonder what my reason for this belief is? Even the might of the Roman Empire could not have prevailed against Almighty God if He had decided to protect His People from Rome! As it is today, they have to settle for being the Remnant of His People on whom He will Pour Out His Blessing.
The Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) now is that the Jews did return to their historic homeland – the one promised them by the God of Abraham and Isaac and their nation was recognized by the United Nations in 1948. I believe God Ordained it and God Caused it to Happen! Israel does exist and I believe God will protect them – not the false god, “allah” but the real God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.
What I think is really irrelevant (and what you think is irrelevant as well); what matters is…
What does God Want? And more to the Point, What is He going to do to protect His People! His people are the Jews (not the descendants of Ishmael)!
The crusades were wrong then.
I don't know why you apparently felt insulted, you ARE predictable.
The Crusades were a defensive war, fought to stop the invading hordes.
Ignorance, as Rush has said, is the most expensive commodity traded. Your posts are an example of that.
I think God’s message is one of peace and love, and to reach out to those who hurt you and turn the other cheek.
Bet you can't say that with your head detached from your body, may you face the opportunity to try.
Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamists are trying to start a religious war, but I’m not going to enable that.
Then go talk to them, not us, they have ALREADY started a religous war. We have only begun a non-religous defensive war.
Most of us learned all we need to know about Islam on 9-11, about 20 years too late, long after they began their relious war aginst us.
it is because of people like you that the conservative movement has been crippled.
CO had a 'compassionate conservative' as a governor until last election, much like Bush. As with Bush, the luke-warm conservatism killed the republican Party in CO. We now have a Liberal D for governor.
Since you brought up the Christian religion, look in the Bible to read about Gods reaction to luke-warm. We are now experiencing that same reaction amoung voters.
Maybe a hoof would do. It’s a cloven hoof and the devil will approve.
If you can’t read it for yourself, how can I help you?
Many of the Jews of today do, also. However, they do not insist on Jewish washing stations, because *they* have been discriminated against. For some reason, the Muslims are over-indulged, rather than faced with discrimination.
I wonder if footbaths look anything like urinals?
ADA compliance is also a vastly overfunded regulation for millions of Americans. My point being not to encourage this path, but recognition that the argument for minority status might backfire.
IMHO, we used to have trough urinals and floor standing urinals, which are now considered to not be hygienic and removed by codification from the supplier’s inventory.
Third world nations still commonly use floor urinals such as those in Japan, and trough and floor to waist high wall urinals.
It isn’t unimaginable for a vitreous clay manufacturer of urinals to produce a floor sink which doubles in function as floor sink, urinal, bidet, emergency eye wash and drinking fountain, but when HIV positve public restrooms have created a culture which uses its feet to flush the toilet and open the bathroom door, I don’t see how any amount of dedication to create a public foot washing center won’t avoid similar controversy.
Ummm, they’re busily installing them across college campii.
So if you’ve got to take a leak you can’t just “take your business elsewhere” unless you’re willing to get arrested for whizzing on the shrub outside the loo.
ISN’T IT FUNNY HOW SOCIETY TWISTS INTO PRETZELS ABOUT SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE LUNACIES, HAS FITS IF SOME CHRISTIAN DARE STICKS UP FOR IGWT ON OUR COINS, BUT THIS GETS A COMPLETE FREE PASS!
Just mount them on the ceiling.
Why don’t we simply install bidets?
That way Muslims can wash their feet and the rest of can rinse our hineys and backsides?
That way we also go green by saving on toilet paper as well!
GO GREEN!
EVERYONE WINS!
There’s no need for more proof. There’s simply a need to be sane at this point.
Liberalism is simply a disease, a virulent and dangerous as...botulism or anthrax.
There’s no reasoning with the unreasonable!
www.thomasmore.org
www.aclj.org
When I make a claim, I try to back it up with cites to relevant authorities. I assumed that you would do likewise, as opposed to rely on solely your personal opinion.
The only story that I have seen regarding this critical issue that thraetens the fabric of America is one in which Muslims asked for permission to pay for a facility where they could conduct these washings.
If America’s fabric is so poorly woven that it cannot bear the weight of a feather, we lost long ago.
Sounds more like making a mountain out of a mole hill (and considering the souce as Worldnet I am not surprised).
The Muzzies are claiming above six million brain washed lemmings in the USA.
Why this figure? They want to be of greater numbers to the Jews.
The best estimate of Muzzies in the USA comes from Daniel Pipes who produces up a figure of 2.35 million, which less than 1% of the American population, and if you consider the fact that many of these are Nation of Islam, who are considered heretics by Sunni and Shiite Muslims, the figure goes down even further.
More: http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/1
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