>The following article was published in the WorldNetDaily.com
The Kansas City International Airport has added several foot-washing basins in restrooms to accommodate a growing number of Muslim taxicab drivers who requested the facilities to prepare for daily Islamic prayer, WND has learned.
The move concerns airport police who worry about Middle Eastern men loitering inside the building. After 9/11, the airport beefed up its police force to help prevent terrorist attacks.
“Why are we constructing places of worship for them inside our airports?” said an airport official who requested anonymity. “Why are we catering to their rituals? We don’t do it for any other religion.”
Other major airports also are dealing with increased demands from Muslim cabdrivers.
For instance, cabbies at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport recently caused a stir when they refused to carry passengers possessing alcoholic beverages or accompanied by seeing-eye dogs. Alcohol is forbidden in Islam, and dogs are considered unclean.
There are approximately 250 taxicab drivers operating at KCI Airport in Missouri, one of the largest airports in the U.S., linking some 10 million passengers between mid-America and other U.S. cities. Approximately 70 percent of the drivers are of Middle Eastern heritage and practice the Islamic faith, sources say.
KCI Airport Police are responsible for the cab drivers, including the holding areas of the building. The KCI Aviation Department, which oversees the police, recently expanded the taxicab facility restroom area to include the construction of four individual foot-washing benches.
The cost of the project is not immediately known. A spokeswoman for the engineering department said she could not break out the figures.
KCI Airport Police Capt. Jim Harmon declined comment, explaining, “This is a touchy subject.”
He referred questions to the KCI Aviation Department.
In a cleansing ritual known as ablution, Muslims are required to wash their feet before praying to Allah five times a day. They often complain that public restroom sinks do not accommodate their needs. Floor-level basins make it easier for them to perform their foot-washing ritual.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has pressed government agencies and businesses to install the foot basins in restrooms.
The controversial Muslim lobby group advises employers to allow Muslim workers time to perform both the washing ritual and prayer, which “is usually about 15 minutes,” according to a pamphlet CAIR publishes called, “An Employer’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices.”
It is sad that many government agencies, business, and schools are catering to Muslim insistence that public institutions provide for their religious needs. This demand that American society accommodates to Islamic religious practices is an evidence that what is happening in Europe is beginning to happen in America.
America is an open society where every individual can practice his or her religion. People in this country are also free not practice any religion if they so desire. However, discriminating against blind people and their seeing-eye dogs on religious grounds violates American principles and laws.
If Christians had demanded the Kansas City International Airport to provide for their religious needs, there would be an uproar in Kansas City and the ACLU would be all over the airport authority with threats of lawsuits.
Where is the public outcry for what is happening in Kansas City? And where is the public outcry in Minneapolis over cab drivers’ refusal to carry passengers accompanied by seeing-eye dogs? Maybe a lot of people are quiet because it is an evil time (Amos 5:13).
Where is the ACLU? They are not involved in this issue because Christians did not make the request for foot-washing basins.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: ACLU, Kansas City, Muslims,
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>dr. mariottini – i usually soak up all that you write, but i’m having trouble doing so here…i just don’t see the issue here. now i do see a problem with them not transporting customers based on the dogs and alcohol… if they can’t do that, it shouldn’t be their line of work.but on the other hand, the prayer basins just don’t bother me. the fact is, we do have a lot already catered to us, as Christians. public hospitals have chapels, many airports and other places do as well. we’re just so used to it, we barely notice anymore. of course this says nothing about the aclu… you’re right… they would be involved if it were Christians putting something up, but we’re all aware of their motives.much love,tuf
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>Refusing to transport seeing eye dogs should be a crime, on alcohol I am more ambivalent, it’s a clash of two “freedoms”. On the basins I have an axe to grind – when I arrive hot and sticky at an airport (via the subway not an expensive taxi 😉 or off a long distance plane) I’d love to be able to wash my feet. So as long as the baths do not enquire about MY religion I say install them quick!PS I’m sorry Claude I did not address the substantive point of your post – I’m marking and in a frivolous mood!
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>Tuffy,Thank you for your comment. I have no problem with chapels in hospitals and airports. They are open to all religions as a place of prayer. The problem is that the water basins are specific to one religious group. If the airport cannot put the Nativity scene because it is specific to one religious group, why should they put water basins for one specific group. Either the airport pleases all religious groups or they please none.Claude Mariottini
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>Tim,That’s OK. All of us should have a frivolous mood once a while. I am all in favor of washing our tired feet when they hurt. But the case here is not one of hygiene or comfort. The water basin is used for a religious practice common to a specific religious group. I doubt that the airport would be that accommodating to a group of Christians.Claude Mariottini
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>i can somewhat agree with that. i guess my thought is that the basins won’t be encouraging anyone to become muslim… which is one of the main things of having a nativity scene… so i do see a difference, albeit a relatively minor one.i guess i just can’t bring myself to be upset here. :)much love,tuf
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>Tuffy,Maybe the reason I wrote this post is because of the duplicity of the ACLU. They are so ready to attack anything Christian, but they remain silent on this issue.Claude Mariottini
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