Universities will provide Muslim footbaths

[jbg]

So what if we hear it (accusations of desecration)? Unless it's forbidden by the university, it's not discrimination. Furthermore, since the Muslims were using sinks that are used by the entire public, why would they think public use of the footbaths would be desecration??

Talk about creating a problem where none exists! This whole 'issue' is a non-issue.

Ever hear of arbitrary university discipline? More about that when I return.

[ScottSA]

So what if we hear it? Unless it's forbidden by the university, it's not discrimination. Furthermore, since the Muslims were using sinks that are used by the entire public, why would they think public use of the footbaths would be desecration??

Talk about creating a problem where none exists! This whole 'issue' is a non-issue.

Sure it's a non-issue. Until it becomes an issue. Just like this one. These things pop up as issues all the time as a matter of course. It's incrementalism, and incrementalism has a long and proud history of sneaking up on people who later swore they never saw it coming.

Do you seriously think that Muslims are going to meekly allow other people to wash their feet in the things? Have you not seen the ongoing bullying in the name of "moderate" Islam that's going on all across the west?

[Guest American Woman]

Sure it's a non-issue. Until it becomes an issue. Just like this one. These things pop up as issues all the time as a matter of course. It's incrementalism, and incrementalism has a long and proud history of sneaking up on people who later swore they never saw it coming.

Do you seriously think that Muslims are going to meekly allow other people to wash their feet in the things? Have you not seen the ongoing bullying in the name of "moderate" Islam that's going on all across the west?

This is still a non-issue. Some people are making it into an issue with all of their "what-ifs" based on absolutely nothing, but left alone it would go unnoticed. And yes, I seriously believe Muslims are going to "meekly" allow other people to wash their feet in the footbaths, same as they had no problem with other people using the sinks that they've been using all this time.

[ScottSA]

This is still a non-issue. Some people are making it into an issue with all of their "what-ifs" based on absolutely nothing, but left alone it would go unnoticed. And yes, I seriously believe Muslims are going to "meekly" allow other people to wash their feet in the footbaths, same as they had no problem with other people using the sinks that they've been using all this time.

I suggest you do some reading on what exactly is going on with these "meek" followers of the "religion of Peace." I'm talking about what the alleged "moderates" are up to. They are absolute masters at using our own freedoms against us.

The latest, just to give you an example, is the thoroughly dishonest tactic by Cair to smear one of its high profile opponents...called him a "racist," and then citing a comment by some commenter on his blog in such a way as to suggest that he said it. This is not something that stands out in Cair's tactics...it's commonplace.

All these "non-issues" add up, and they are adding up rapidly these days.

[cybercoma]

The latest, just to give you an example, is the thoroughly dishonest tactic by Cair to smear one of its high profile opponents...called him a "racist," and then citing a comment by some commenter on his blog in such a way as to suggest that he said it. This is not something that stands out in Cair's tactics...it's commonplace.

This has a lot to do with footbaths at the UofM... Edited August 5, 2007 by cybercoma

[jbg]

Universities are notorious for unfair or selective discipline, as I stated in an earlier post (link), often on the basis of "political correctness". It is, for example, difficult for someone accused of sexual harrassment to defend themselves. A "guilty until proven innocent" mentality prevails, and often the accused are denied the right to confront their accusers. Sometimes even the rights of students undergoing stress or depression-related problems are given remarkably short shrift.

This is directly relevant to the issue of Muslim footbaths, since, if the Muslims accuse other students of "desecrating" them, the accused students will be facing being officially labeled "racist" and face possible suspension or expulsion. Given the time-sensitive nature of core academic courses, a student even falsely accused of desecration may face ruinous consequences to their studies.

Edited August 6, 2007 by jbg

[cybercoma]

This is directly relevant to the issue of Muslim footbaths, since, if the Muslims accuse other students of "desecrating" them, the accused students will be facing being officially labeled "racist" and face possible suspension or expulsion. Given the time-sensitive nature of core academic courses, a student even falsely accused of desecration may face ruinous consequences to their studies.

...emphasis added.

edited: jbg changed his post

Edited August 6, 2007 by cybercoma

[Moxie]

It's not a matter of if a student is charged but when, I can only shake my head at those who defend this as not being a religious issue. To allow foot baths is to allow a place of worship in a public institution, California forces children both male and female to convert to Islam for a week as part of a sensitivity training course. Now I'd have no issue with this if other religions had equal treatment but no only Islam is worthy of being tought. It's morally repuganant and offense to me as a female to force a child to don a head scarf and convert to Islam, the radical element must think the US and there hard core left work for them. Personally I'd remove my child from this course, it's another assine program by the radical left to appease and appease whilst they insult the intelligence of those those they offend. Our lads and lasses are dying over seas at the hands of the Radical Islamist and parts of the US is forcing children to convert to Islam in the name of political correctness. Jesus how stupid is the hard left?

[Guest American Woman]

California forces children both male and female to convert to Islam for a week...

I would definitely appreciate a link to your source for that.

[jbg]

...emphasis added.

edited: jbg changed his post

The "editing" was to link it to the earlier post where I promised a fuller discussion of the issue of student discipline. The portions you highlighted did not change.

[cybercoma]

The "editing" was to link it to the earlier post where I promised a fuller discussion of the issue of student discipline. The portions you highlighted did not change.

I know, I was just explaining why I edited, since the software puts that stupid flag up.

[Moxie]

American Girl do your own homework, you don't seen very well read on what's happening globally to accomadate a minority by the left/left. If you are going to have an opinion at least attempt to make it one based on facts not your opinion only.

Here's another example of the US left/left pandering to Islam: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../INTBR8OJC1.DTL

Okay I'm a softy, this link isn't California but you get the idea of far the left/left will bend over and cough cough.

I may of broke rule 306 subsection 42 so here's a link if I have to remove the article:

Author: Mark and Renee Taylorhttp://www.familysecuritymatters.org/homeland.php?id=1036373

Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.

Date: June 6, 2007

Why is it that Christianity is not allowed to be taught or even referred to in our public schools, but that Islam is? And what kind of Islam is being taught? An idealized version or the real deal? FSM Contributing Editors Mark and Renee Taylor ask many more tough questions of our educators.

Infiltration of Schools: Another Tactic of Islamists

By Mark and Renee Taylor

In a society that has spawned government-funded public schools that either preach or teach “understanding” and “tolerance” for white-washed versions of Islam, gay marriage, illegal alien amnesty, promiscuous sex, drug use and more, a teacher at Enloe High School in Wake County, North Carolina, has been suspended and transferred to another school, even though his students are protesting that move. His crime? Not the usual “sex with a student” that has been so prevalent in today’s newscasts. No, teacher Robert Escamilla invited Christian evangelist, Kamil Soloman, head of Kamil International Ministries Organization, to speak to his ninth grade class in February.

The mission of Kamil International Ministries (Kimo4Jesus.org) is as follows: “Kamil International Ministries Organization is dedicated to teaching the truth about Islam. We love Muslims but we believe that Islam is not a Divine faith, Muhammad was not a prophet from God and the Koran is not the Word of God. Our mission is to raise an awareness of the danger of Islam among Christians and equip them to share Jesus with Muslims. We will be glad to impart historical and factual information about Islam.”

Soloman is no stranger to the dangers that face a Christian bold enough to stand up to Islam. Having spent time in Egyptian prisons as a “threat to Islam”, Soloman’s unwavering faith in the teachings of Jesus Christ gave him the strength to survive torture in Egyptian prisons and, after being released from prison and exiled from Egypt, Soloman came to the United States, where he began teaching in churches about the potential dangers of Islam.

KIMO’s website has many publications which, without apology, compare the teachings of the Koran against the Bible. Soloman is keenly aware of the radical Islamist enemy and its threat to Christianity worldwide. However, it was the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) that stepped in, forcing the Wake County school district to “punish” Escamilla.

CAIR, recently named in a federal case as "unindicted co-conspirators" in a criminal conspiracy to support Hamas, a designated terrorist group, claims it was alerted to Soloman’s visit by the father of a Muslim student at the school; he complained about a handout titled, “Do Not Marry a Muslim Man”, which seems a reasonable conclusion if one is aware of the treatment of women under Islam (see the film “Submission”). According to CAIR’s website, the legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Arsalan Iftikhar, has written a letter to Dr. Adelphos Burns, the superintendent of the Wake County Public School System that read in part:

"It is unconscionable for a teacher at any public school to abuse his or her position of trust by forcing such hate-filled, inaccurate and intolerant materials on students. One can only imagine what a Muslim student in the class might have experienced and how students of other faiths will now regard their Muslim classmates."

CAIR further demanded an apology to the students and disciplinary action be taken against the teacher.

In contrast to this scenario, in October, 2004, “multicultural” trainer, Afeefa Syeed, was brought into government-funded public schools, along with third, fourth and fifth graders from a local Muslim academy in Herndon, Virginia, to teach the lessons of Ramadan. According to the Kansas City Star article on CAIR’s website, Syeed and the children presented the call to prayer in Arabic, displayed prayer rugs and offered tastes of dates. In countless other classrooms across the country, similar efforts were made to educate students about the time of fasting and spiritual reflection for adherents of the world's second-largest religion.

What of the Christian or Jewish children in the Herndon (and all other) schools? Why weren’t their own rituals of fasting or spiritual reflection taught or compared or contrasted? Why is the teaching of Islam favored in a government-funded school? And who decides that the teaching of Islam, as delivered in American schools, is in accordance to what Muslims themselves are taught by the Koran? Or that it is in accordance with what is taught in madrassah schools the world over that graduate millions of Muslim children, steeped in hatred and intolerance, who believe Islam should conquer the world and that any American is the devil incarnate? Is that taught in our schools? If schools are really meant to prepare our kids for the real world, why does any school teach a white-washed version of something that could be, and most probably is, an existential threat to our kids and certainly to their way of life?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the famous Somali refugee (and former Muslim) who became a Dutch Parliamentarian and was partner to Theo Van Gogh - murdered by an extremist Islamist - believes that Islam must be reformed if it is ever to co-exist with modernity. Uncompromising in this view, she is not at all alone in this belief. Yet it seems to be the agenda of CAIR to infiltrate American schools with the idea that Islam itself is a “religion of peace” while at the same time there is heavy debate and wide disagreement on this, even among Muslims. That doesn’t stop CAIR, however; they insist on enforcing totalitarian-like rules on others by remaining determined to silence anyone who questions Islam. Silencing free speech is not the American way.

Escamilla should not have been suspended nor transferred. He should not have, in fact, received any punishment at all. By inviting Soloman to speak to his class, like the administration at the Herndon schools, he was educating his students to the truths about Islam and Christianity. Christianity has been reformed; Islam has not. And because of that lack of reformation, there remain 7th Century Islamist teachings in the Koran still practiced today, strands of which have reached into the 21st century and metastasized into a politicized version of a fundamentalist, or radical, Islam that is fervently practiced today.

One must remember that radical Islam has declared war on the West, and particularly against America and Americans. No matter how CAIR and other apologists try to spin it, the reality is the Koran itself teaches that Islam is not compatible with Christianity and those who do not submit to Islam are to be subjugated or, ultimately, killed. Until such time as there is reformation, this is what Muslims are exhorted to believe. In fact, there has never been a time in history where Muslims and Christians lived together peacefully and the events at Enloe High School are just another example of that fact. No, Soloman was not imprisoned this time for speaking out against Islam; but his free speech rights, in the land of the free, were utterly trampled and denied him. In our estimation, CAIR used manipulation and fear, its own brand of terrorism, to force the school system to break the law and cower to CAIR’s demands.

According to an interview with WRAL, Escamilla stated that he has had speakers in his classroom of various religions without reprisal. He further points out that the school has exhibited a double standard with regard to Christianity and Islam.

Just as homicide bombers terrorize communities in the Middle East and terror cells plot mass murder in cities worldwide in order to destroy the Western world, CAIR is using the American legal system and the government-funded school system to deliver its own brand of free speech terrorism to subdue that which they find distasteful.

We are being attacked on several fronts in this war; this is only another tactic used by radical Islam to destroy our way of life.

Edited August 6, 2007 by Moxie

[cybercoma]

To allow foot baths is to allow a place of worship in a public institution

Great point!

Public institutions should not allow places of worship for any religion. Religion should be a personal thing that has no affect on others. Obviously, by putting in footbaths, they're supporting a specific religion.

Perhaps the school should consider a stripper factory for the Pastafarians, RAmen!

California forces children both male and female to convert to Islam for a week as part of a sensitivity training course.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I think children should be taught about all religions in school, not a select few. They should also be taught that it's perfectly acceptable not to believe any of it. To be forced to convert to Islam for a week and participate in their religion is completely mind-boggling.

[ScottSA]

American woman, unlike many on the left, seems like a reasonable person who just hasn't looked into this issue well enough. It's just atrocious that huge segments of the population just don't have a clue what inroads are being made in our society by the allegedly "moderate" counterparts of these 6th century thugs.

[Guest American Woman]

Every opinion I've had I've backed up with facts, Moxie, while several on here are reacting totally in fear and/or 'what ifs' based on absolutely nothing.

Fact is, Islam and it's history/impact on the world is being taught in the public schools to seventh graders in California as part of the social studies cirruculum, and it's one unit of 11; it's not a separate 'indoctrination' course. No one is "forced to convert" to Islam. One school system did chose to teach this unit with role playing and costumes but has not commented on the learing of Muslim verses, so it would appear you are the one who is not "very well read" on this topic.

I sense a lot of anger in your response, along with an attempt to degrade me by referring to me as "American Girl" instead of "American Woman." If you cannot stand up to someone questioning your statements and discuss your point of view without anger and insults, if you cannot provide proof to back up YOUR claims, you are the one with the problem, and I will not waste any more time trying to discuss this with you.

[ScottSA]

Fact is, Islam and it's history/impact on the world is being taught in the public schools to seventh graders in California as part of the social studies cirruculum, and it's one unit of 11; it's not a separate 'indoctrination' course. No one is "forced to convert" to Islam. One school system did chose to teach this unit with role playing and costumes but has not commented on the learing of Muslim verses, so it would appear you are the one who is not "very well read" on this topic.

What do you think Muslims would do if they were forced to dress up like Christians and, say, walk the stations of the cross? What do you think would happen if some teacher tried to do it in Saudi Arabia? Given that pushing Christianity over thar is I believe a beheading offense, or at least a damned good jailing offense, I suspect I know.

How come the double standard?

[Guest American Woman]

What do you think Muslims would do if they were forced to dress up like Christians and, say, walk the stations of the cross? What do you think would happen if some teacher tried to do it in Saudi Arabia? Given that pushing Christianity over thar is I believe a beheading offense, or at least a damned good jailing offense, I suspect I know.

How come the double standard?

As I already pointed out, it was only one school that chose to teach the unit on Islam with role playing, and it wasn't with the intent to "convert" the students; role playing has been used in other areas of study within the school as well.

I think there would be hell to pay if Muslims were forced to dress up like Christians. I don't deny that. However, what Moxie said is false. California does not "force children both male and female to convert to Islam for a week as part of a sensitivity training course ... in the name of political correctness."

Here's a link to the California Grade Seven History-Social Science Content Standards:

Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.

1. Identify the physical features and describe the climate of the Arabian peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, and nomadic and sedentary ways of life.

2. Trace the origins of Islam and the life and teachings of Muhammad, including Islamic teachings on the connection with Judaism and Christianity.

3. Explain the significance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic beliefs, practice, and law, and their influence in Muslims' daily life.

4. Discuss the expansion of Muslim rule through military conquests and treaties, emphasizing the cultural blending within Muslim civilization and the spread and acceptance of Islam and the Arabic language.

5. Describe the growth of cities and the establishment of trade routes among Asia, Africa, and Europe, the products and inventions that traveled along these routes (e.g., spices, textiles, paper, steel, new crops), and the role of merchants in Arab society.

6. Understand the intellectual exchanges among Muslim scholars of Eurasia and Africa and the contributions Muslim scholars made to later civilizations in the areas of science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature.

[CLRV]

This non-issue is a classic example of the rationalization of hate, fear and intolerance.

Of course, there have been quite a few reasonable responses. The third post on the very first page should have been enough to put this to bed. Anyone who wishes to hide the sordid nature of their real motivations behind a guise of reasoned secularism; who wishes to assert that no educational facility should be abetting religion, must first attend to the beam in their own eye by seeing to the elimination of every Christian student association conducting prayer and bible study within every major post-secondary institution in North America. They must fire and remove every campus chaplain providing spiritual guidance on campus. They must remove all religious texts, especially the Bible, from every school library because you never know when somebody is going to derive a spiritual reaction devoid of cold academicism. Then and only then will there be any credibility at all left over for those objecting to this minor act of lavatory renovation.

The same goes for the misplaced comparison to the issue of the Ten Commandments within a court house; a building clearly defined as housing one of the three branches of government. Such Constitutional ignorance cannot be taken seriously. Neither is a university a public school. It may receive public funding, but it is primarily funded by private donation and tuition. Last time I checked, muslim students were paying the same tuition fees as everyone else. The difference between a teacher leading an entire class of children in prayer and making small accommodations which allow young adults to practice their faith without impediment should be self-evident to a reasonable mind.

Then there is the shameless dishonesty of portraying a completely unrelated educational program, designed to get students to see from someone else's p.o.v. for a few days, as a forced conversion. There are some educational programs that get men to see a pregnant woman's p.o.v. by having them wear a weight belt around their middle for a few days. No doubt this should be seen as forcing them to get a sex change operation. Such nonsense certainly didn't deserve the reasoned, researched response given by A.W. and the stream of vitriolic abuse that ensued was entirely what one would expect from someone drawing such insane, conspiracy-minded conclusions.

As for the question of whether an analogous program would be tolerated in Saudi Arabia, dear me, yes. Let's guide all our public policy based upon what the government of Saudi Arabia would do. Let's throw away all such educational experiences because you wouldn't catch the House of Saud trying it. Otherwise it's a "double standard". Absolute madness. The "double standard" going on before our eyes is using the Saudis as an example of muslim evil even while Bush and Condi arm them to the teeth.

What this boils down to is that certain people hate muslims and are going to get upset when even the slightest attempt is made to be nice to any muslim anywhere. For such people, the only good muslim is a dead muslim and the only good money spent on muslims is to drop high explosives on them. These are the same people who will then turn around and rhetorically wonder aloud why muslims hate us. They are no better than the hate-spewing fundamentalist mullahs who goad a minority of muslims into joining the terrorist cause and they are just as dangerous to the majority of geniuinely Christian souls in the west.

With any luck, the University of Michigan will have no more trouble dismissing their ridiculous bleating than I have.

Edited August 6, 2007 by CLRV

[rogue state]

Our lads and lasses are dying over seas at the hands of the Radical Islamist and parts of the US is forcing children to convert to Islam in the name of political correctness. Jesus how stupid is the hard left?

why are your agressive "lads and lasses" overseas, in the first place ?

they should find other outlet for their aggresivity and idiot fury, like building roads.

[cybercoma]

American woman, unlike many on the left, seems like a reasonable person who just hasn't looked into this issue well enough. It's just atrocious that huge segments of the population just don't have a clue what inroads are being made in our society by the allegedly "moderate" counterparts of these 6th century thugs.

You keep saying "inroads" are being made on society as if they're forcing Americans to convert to their religion, yet you've shown no evidence whatsoever of any such thing happening. All that is happening is Muslims trying to garner equal respect for their religion as the others have.

Now you can't have it both ways, either all religions are nonsense or they should all have the same respect. If you want to characterize Islam by its radical elements, then characterize Christianity and all other religions by their radical elements.

[cybercoma]

What do you think Muslims would do if they were forced to dress up like Christians and, say, walk the stations of the cross? What do you think would happen if some teacher tried to do it in Saudi Arabia? Given that pushing Christianity over thar is I believe a beheading offense, or at least a damned good jailing offense, I suspect I know.

How come the double standard?

There's a double standard because we hold our society to a higher standard. If you're suggesting Christianity should treat all other religions in the US and Canada the way Islam treats other religions in Saudi Arabia or Iran, then there's simply no point in having any sort of rational discussion with you.

Not to mention the irony of your, "pushing Christianity is a damned good jailing offense," quote. Seems to be that pushing Islam in the United States will give you a sentence in Guantanamo, or result in being mugged by a group of thugs in the street that think you're a terrorist. If you want to exaggerate, both sides can be exaggerated.

The things that happen in Muslim nations are appalling, and if you're going to paint all Muslims with the same brush, then you're dismissing religious belief. If you're dismissing religious belief, then you should dismiss all religions. Now if you want to condemn the violence and barbarism, then you shouldn't paint the entire religion with that label anymore than you would paint the entire catholic church as rapists and pedophiles.

Edited August 6, 2007 by cybercoma

[cybercoma]

With any luck, the University of Michigan will have no more trouble dismissing their ridiculous bleating than I have.

I agree, that most of the bleating is ridiculous, but consider something for me.

The primary reason for installing the footbaths is the safety of students on campus, are employers not legally obligated to provide a safe work environment for its employees? Will there come a point where companies that have Muslim employees be forced to install footbaths for safety?

Believing in a religion is a personal choice. Anyone who believes in a religion chooses to dismiss all others and for that very same reason their religion is likewise dismissed. The unknowable and unfalsifiable nature of religion should be enough to treat it as mythology and superstition. Yet here we are, installing footbaths in Universities because a group of people seem to think they know the will of an entity that in all likeliness doesn't exist.

They've made a lifestyle choice, which involves this particular ritual and I don't think the University, nor employers, should feel obligated to provide for Islam (or any other religion for that matter). It is unsafe to wash your feet in a sink, especially when you're standing on a tile floor; however, they've made the choice, by believing that this is something they MUST do to appease a God, and therefore should be responsible for their actions.

If prayer rooms and footbaths are going to be provided for Muslim students, so too should a church be provided for Christian students (several different types for all the denominations) and a synagogue for jewish students. Obviously a ridiculous request and regardless of the safety issue of washing feet in a sink, the school is still providing a holy area for Muslim students and therefore should also be providing a holy area for all other religions if they're going to go that route.

At what point do you look at the validity of religion and just decide to tell all students to keep their religions to themselves?

[ScottSA]

There's a double standard because we hold our society to a higher standard. If you're suggesting Christianity should treat all other religions in the US and Canada the way Islam treats other religions in Saudi Arabia or Iran, then there's simply no point in having any sort of rational discussion with you.

I bet you don't see the irony of this post.

[ScottSA]

With any luck, the University of Michigan will have no more trouble dismissing their ridiculous bleating than I have.

I daresay you have demonstrated profound dhimmitude instead of "dismissing" anything. Did you miss the entire thread?

[kimmy]

So people who want say, the 10 commandments, used as law in Canada should leave?

Essentially, yes. I'm vehemently opposed to the intrusion of any religion upon our law.

I'm bigtime in favor of the commandments against murder and theft, obviously. But somebody who wants the law to reflect the commandments about, say, idols, other gods, or not working on Saturdays will just have to get lost. That's not happening here. Not while I'm in charge.

Nah, you would never say that, because they arent Islamic.

our never going to tell Jews 2 go live in Isreal or Catholics to go to Vac city, because your against Islam and sieze any pretext.

That's cute. You think you know me.

You don't. You obviously haven't very many threads here if you think I'm forgiving of any religious douchebaggery, regardless of what faith is behind it. Ask Sharkman or Betsy how tolerant I am when Christians try to throw their weight around.

Just last week Sharkman was crying in another thread about how mean I am to Christians and wondering why I'm not as harsh on Muslims.

If Muslims think I hate Muslims, and Christians think I hate Christians, I guess that just means I'm consistent.

I can't recall any discussions here about Jews or Buddhists or Hindus getting all inyerface. There was one a couple of years ago about a Jew who sued an airport to make them take down their Christmas display, I guess.

Now, give me a real example and not just generalizations and half truths that you dont understand.

I already cited the Muslims who tried to silence our free press with a lawsuit regarding the publication of the Mohammed cartoons. What do you have to say about that?

Has an Islamic person ever told you how to live your life.

You wouldnt stand for it.

You're right about that much.

Christian people tell me how to live my life far more than Muslims, I accept both comments and reject their suggestions, they have the right to their own views as do I.

I don't disagree with this either. I've personally had far more experiences with Christians informing me of the error of my ways than I've ever had from Muslims.

And I don't stand for that either.

This thread was about Muslims, though.

Maybe you should get to know some muslims. Kinda hard to hate groups when you know members.

I used to work in an office of about 20 where half of the employees were Muslims. I didn't hate them at all. Nobody made a fuss about their religious views. It was just fine. It was exactly how I feel religion should work in Canada: a personal, private matter. If everybody in Canada handled their religious differences as neatly as our office, things would be most harmonious.

-k