Muslim students' female-only swim at GWU makes waves

[chanel]

At the request of the university's Muslim Students' Association, George Washington began offering a once-weekly, female-only swim hour in March

Sisters' Splash, as it's called, is not the only special accommodation that a college has made for Muslim students. George Washington already has foot baths for pre-prayer rituals, and a handful of other institutions — including the University of Michigan-Dearborn and George Mason University — have them as well. In 2008, at the request of female Muslim students, Harvard University ran a one-semester pilot program that reserved six hours a week for female students only at one of its lesser-used gyms, though the program was discontinued after that semester. There's also Gamma Gamma Chi Sorority Inc., an Islamic-based sorority that has five regional chapters, though not all are active.

Shelley Mountjoy, a doctoral student at George Mason who briefly attended George Washington as an undergraduate, doesn't much care what goes on at private colleges. But she takes issue with the foot baths at George Mason and with other religious accommodations at public universities. She is afraid that policies like the female-only swim hour will have a domino effect and spread to other colleges. "I don't want my tuition dollars paying to accommodate somebody's religion," she said. "It's not the entire campus's religion. We don't all have to subscribe to Islamic law."

There is more to the issue than religion, though. Erin E. Buzuvis, an associate professor of law at Western New England College and co-founder and contributor to The Title IX Blog, said it's unclear whether barring men from the pool constitutes a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the law requiring gender equity in educational programs at federally funded schools and colleges.

Muslim students' female-only swim at GWU makes waves - USATODAY.com

An hour a week doesn't seem like a big deal, however once again, a certain small minority is demanding special privileges. Comments?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Do they also offer a male only swim? If not, I can see a discrimination case.

 

[syrenn]

Why? Is it because they want to swim naked?

Sorry but i think its wrong.

 

[Marc39]

Are the women swimmers also protected from Muslim men beating them up if they disobey, as their allah commands?

 

[Tank]

 

[LumpyPostage]

If that's what they're wearing I say ban it immediately.