Islamic Foot-Washing Stations Planned for Dallas Airport – The project is meant to prevent Muslim travelers from washing their feet in public sinks before prayer. [More]
I guess expecting foreigners to adhere to our cultural norms is intolerant.
What happens if we go over there and violate theirs?
Hey, just give ’em a generation or two to “assimilate”…
[Via Sweet Babboo]
UPDATE
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday directed a review of state grants to entities operating two major Texas airports over religious accommodations after Dallas Fort Worth International Airport said it would no longer move forward with a proposal to install Islamic washing stations. [More]
So… they’ll still be allowed to wash feet in sinks…?
I’m so old, I remember when the big no-no was brushing your teeth in ’em.
Years ago I was working for a software company and walked in to the bathroom to find a person washing their feet in the sink. Not easy to do. He told me that before thir midday prayers they had to do this ritual washing. Okay but do I want to wash my hands in that sink?
Before my wife retired, she was a senior network programmer for Miami-Dade County government. Her job required her to occasionally visit the county government’s headquarters in downtown Miami at the Steven P. Clark Center (AKA SPCC).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_P._Clark_Government_Center
The building’s first level is a partially enclosed plaza. The second level incorporates a sort of food court and restroom facilities for the the buildings occupants and visitors. Third level and up are the actual county government offices. The first level area, open but under the bulk of the building and enclosed and air conditioned, being out of the weather, and the second level, being air conditioned also have attracted a substantial homeless population. They rather aggressively panhandle government employees and visitors alike, spend their take in the food court, hang out in the booths provided for those dining there, and do their business in the adjacent public access restrooms.
Here’s the interesting part. They use the sinks to go “number one”, the toilets to bathe, and go “number two”outside in the landscaping. They have an aggressive cadre of enforcers to make sure that no one using the facilities violates that protocol. The protocol makes no sense to ordinary folks. As a result, employees and visitors avoid those restrooms at all costs. Why don’t the homeless use the toilets as toilets and bathe using the sinks?
Well, I guess it makes perfect sense to them and may be one of the reasons why they’re homeless and we’re not.