Accommodations for Muslim students
To accommodate the prayer rituals of Muslim students, the University of Michigan-Dearborn has decided to do what several other campuses have already done: install footbaths, The New York Times reports. The decision is controversial, and students are divided on whether it’s an appropriate use of their building-maintenance fees. The newspaper says some have raised legal questions about whether the plan is a legitimate accommodation of students’ right to practice their religion—or unconstitutional government support for that religion.
As the article points out, most school calendars already are built around the Christian calendar–Sundays off, and holidays around Christmas and Easter.
Do you think schools should alter their facilities and practices to accommodate the religious needs of their students?
August 14th, 2007 @ 1:44 pm
A facilities consultant from Arizona writes:
“A resounding no!. State (government) funding of such accommodations amounts to uniting church and state. If the need is so great, then the particular sect should procure facilities near the campus(es) and build its own
special accommodations at its own expense. Where would these accommodations end?”
August 14th, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
A reader from Washington state writes:
“Adding facilities and equipment to accommodate a particular religious belief amounts to state support for religion.”
August 15th, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
Absolutely, positively NO!!!! In America, where we can’t say a religious prayer in a school setting, how can we even think of such an accommodation for a specific religion.