DEARBORN â Muslim leaders in Metro Detroit have decided not to raise private money to pay for two footbaths at a local college campus now that the American Civil Liberties Union has said the plan doesnât pose constitutional problems.
The University of Michigan-Dearbornâs plan to spend $25,000 on the footbaths was criticized on conservative blogs and radio shows this month. Critics said using public money for the project would violate the First Amendment, which says governments canât favor or subsidize religions.
Muslims are required to wash body parts, including feet, up to five times daily before prayers. University officials say the floor-level wash basins are needed because some students at the 8,600-student campus wash their feet in the sinks.
Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said his group was concerned a public outcry would cause the university to back down from the project.
âIf the ACLU had decided to take legal action against the UM-Dearborn, we probably would have called for the university to raise the funds privately, just so that the UM-Dearborn wouldnât have to go through the trouble of having to defend its position against the ACLU,â Walid said.
Kary Moss, director of the Detroit branch of the ACLU, said its review concluded the plan is a âreasonable accommodationâ to resolve âsafety and cleanliness issuesâ that
arose when Muslims used public sinks for foot cleaning before prayers, which often spilled water on bathroom floors.
âWe view it as an attempt to deal with a problem, not an attempt to make it easier for Muslims to pray,â said Moss, who likened the plan to paying for added police during religious events with huge turnouts. âThereâs no intent to promote religion.â
