Candace, the footbaths at Umich-Dearborn have been in the works for a while. They’ve been working on installing such things on the main campus, in Ann Arbor. Right now, all the Muslim students have is a generic “reflection room,” which is actually a few doors down from the almighty Michigan Review international headquarters.
You’re right that there’s a double standard, but here’s a thought: Instead of going after UM-Dearborn and GMU for installing footbaths, let’s celebrate and encourage them. And similarly, let’s encourage colleges and universities to make more space for religious prayer and celebration for their students. I think it’s the wrong tact to take to say that, just because there’s not, say, an active Christian prayer space on campus, that a Muslim space should similarly be forbidden. Let’s see all of these as steps towards bringing concrete religious faith back onto campus.
Also, the argument that UM is coddling an insular minority for the sake of political correctness doesn’t apply here, either. Dearborn, as we all know, has the largest Arab population in the United States. At UM-Dearborn and at the flagship campus in Ann Arbor, the contingent of Muslim students is sizable. They aren’t a small interest group clamoring outside the gates of the University.