And Maweza Razzaq, president of the MSU Muslim Students’ Association, said having foot baths would make them feel more comfortable about practicing the ritual in public because she knows Muslim students at the university who wash their feet in public restrooms before praying.

“It’s a big tradition, and if there are other people around they look at you weird,” she said. “I think it would be a great thing to do.”

Since Muslims traditionally pray five times a day and some live off campus, washing their feet in public restrooms during the academic year is unavoidable, Razzaq said.

“Change is always scary for people,” she said. “They’re scared of things they don’t understand.”

Many Muslims wash their feet, hands, face and forearms before praying, a ritual that is very important to people of the Islamic faith, Razzaq said.

U-M Dearborn also received sanitation complaints from students and faculty who said they didn’t like using the sinks after students had washed their feet in them, Gallagher said.

“It was presenting a significant danger to users who were washing their feet and users who were using the bathrooms,” Gallagher said. “If we know they’re doing this and we can’t stop it – we have to take steps to protect their safety.”

In 2004, an estimated 11 percent of the incoming freshmen at U-M Dearborn were Muslim, Gallagher said.

The foot baths are expected to be completed by the end of the year, Gallagher said. The baths – which will be part of a restroom renovation project – consists of a faucet at knee-level, surrounded by a drain on the floor.

Joe Conn, spokesman for the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said installing the foot baths is a clear violation of separation of church and state.

“This is an example of student money being used to support religion, and to me that’s controversial from a constitutional standpoint,” he said. “We think each religion should support its own activity instead of looking to the government.”

By footing the bill for the measure, the university sets a precedent that says it’s willing to provide special services to all religious groups, Conn said.

“If you approve this action, then every other religion will want their activity approved,” he said. “You can’t say yes to one group and no to another because that’s discrimination.”

But the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, is a staunch defender of separation of church and state – and doesn’t oppose the foot baths.

Prohibiting Muslim students from washing their feet in the university’s sinks without an alternative foot-washing location could be considered a violation of the students’ right to practice their religion, an ACLU report stated.

And since the facilities aren’t inherently religious – they aren’t blessed, they don’t promote Islam and any student can use them – they aren’t considered a violation of separation of church and state, the report said.

Zeshahn Humayun, president of the U-M Dearborn’s Muslim Students’ Association, said the foot baths are an example of the university looking out for the safety of its students, not preferential treatment.

“If there’s a wet floor and someone slips, there’s a lawsuit,” he said. “Some people have the misconception that the university is favoring one group of people. I think the university is willing to accommodate any student’s need.”