Women-Only Gym Hours for Muslims?
Early this year, several female Muslim students at Harvard University felt uncomfortable exercising at a campus gym due to their religious and cultural beliefs. They approached the school to consider opening at special hours for women only, and Harvard agreed.
Now several students are unhappy with the new policy because it discriminates against men. According to a recent AP report on this issue:
The policy is already unpopular with many on campus, however, including some women who consider it sexist.
“I think that it’s incorrect in a college setting to institute a policy in which half of the campus gets wronged or denied a resource that’s supposed to be for everyone,” said student Lucy Caldwell, who also wrote a column in The Harvard Crimson newspaper critical of the new hours.
Student Ola Aljawhary, who is Muslim and works out elsewhere on campus but is not one of the women who requested the change, rejected that argument.
“The majority should be willing to compromise,” she said. “I think that’s just basic courtesy. We must show tolerance and respect for all others.”
I wrote a blog post previously on the issue of building foot baths in bathrooms at the University of Michigan in order to accommodate Muslim men and women, and my argument for that can be applied here.
Where do we draw the line? First special hours for Muslim women to exercise without men. What next? Faculty-only exercise hours because the older generation are uncomfortable seeing constant reminders of younger, fitter versions of their previous self? Will this lead to hotel pools or public beaches accommodating religious minorities? Let’s be serious.
It would be impossible for Harvard to accommodate everyone’s special needs, and this should be no exception. I’m in favor of showing sensitivity toward religious beliefs; perhaps a smaller building funded by private donors could be built on or near campus that would be satisfactory. Or even a special room in the gym for women-only, provided the same workout equipment in that room can be found in another room that’s accessible to all. But you can’t win ‘em all.
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It’s too bad there isn’t a chain of women-only gyms in the area.
Maggie,
Harvard’s International students are only 9.1% of the student population, so the Muslim population may be smaller, and I can see the university bending a little for them.
The spokesman for Harvard said that it is only a ‘trial’ policy (a month long so far), which these six women received full support from the campus ‘Women’s Center’.
The spokesman also said:
“‘We get special requests from religious groups all the time and we try to honor them whenever possible,’ he said, noting that the school has designated spaces for Muslim and Hindu students to pray.”
Harvard is a private institution if I’m not mistaken, and as far as I know my tax dollars do not contribute to thier institution. On the other hand it does to public elementary schools around the nation that give public schooling to illegal immigrant children not born in the US and speaking no English, nor do their parents. Most of those type of schools in towns bordering Mexico are so bad that US Citizens are removing their children from these schools, and enrolling them in private school, just so their English speaking children can keep up with children in schools around the country that don’t have the same problem. I believe all children of the world should be educated, BUT, where do we as Americans draw the line?
In my opinion, a private institution such as Harvard accommodating 6 Muslim women students (paying student’s maybe) is nothing compared to my tax dollars being spent on those that break our Laws. In Arizona 55% of all inmates are illegal aliens, so my tax dollars are being spent on housing “Illegal Criminals”, LOL. Where do we draw the line?
The gym in question is one of many gyms Harvard has on campus, and 6 hours a week out of 70 hours (for that 1 gym) to me is not a big deal. Why? As a trainer myself, I know first hand how these women would feel. For example, the facility where I work is renovating, and will add a “CO-ED STEAM ROOM”; that’s right, I said the same thing! How comfortable do you think women let alone a 240 lbs. self-conscious woman would feel in her bathing suite around male strangers? Pretty bad don’t you think, and in fact they will not use the “steam room” to which they’re paying monthly dues for. I mean the facility will not have individual usage times for men and women. So if you think that 240 lbs. woman would feel bad, then you can understand how a Muslim women would feel; she might as well be that 240 lbs woman.
“Where do we draw the line? First special hours for Muslim women to exercise without men. What next?”
I say it depends on whom we are drawing lines in front of and why. I see room for compromise in this situation.
BFBF
Since Harvard is a private school they should be able to do whatever they want with their money and their property. They are trying to accomodate students who are struggling to adhere to their cultural and religious practices and traditions. This is not a bad thing. If some students think that the practice is so heinous as to warrant protest then they should…by leaving Harvard and spending their tuition money at another school that would not have women only hours at their gyms. Those students are in the Boston area which has the highest concentration of colleges and universities in the country. They wouldn’t have to look very far.
Now if Harvard wanted to be truly fair they would have men only hours for those muslim men who do not want to exercise with women who are wearing revealing workout clothes. Not only would it serve the needs of those men but it could sheild the university from criticism that it is sexist. After all what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
Where do we draw the line ?
Well the bigger problem is where will they draw the line with their demands ? or will they ever ?
The same religious principles that they adhere to which forbids them to wear “revealing” cloths and exercise in the presence of men also forbids them to mix with men in other places such as classrooms and cafeterias. If they decide to follow the strict letter of the Mulsim religious law , and they will eventually, then they will be demanding for more and more. I am an X-muslim and I know exactly how these people think. This is just a foot in the door.
Harvard is free to honor such demand but I urge the Harvard students to reject such demands and similar ones which encourage discrimination against gender and the denial of equal access to university facilities for all students at all times.
Peace.
Fouad,
Do some Catholic grade schools have similar policies. Yup! Girls sit on one side and boys on the other. They also have separate lunch periods. I don’t see the problem, but Harvard should provide a womens only Gym to accomidate women that don’t want to work out with men period. Those 6 hours are not exclusive for Muslim women, they include all women and I bet many women of different beliefs are happy for this “TRIAL” run.
Like I said Harvard is a private institution and can do whateve they want, and Fouad it looks like you cannot accept this and are taking it personal as it really does not effect you. It does not effect those that pay to attend Harvard, and if 6 hours a week does effect some, then they are not working hard enough. Discrimination would be if Harvard had “ABSOLUTELY” no gyms for men, just women.
I think this society has Muslim on the brain so whenever Muslims do something it is a big deal, but when things are compare to real issue that effect all of us, it shows how silly the other issue really is.
BFBF
“I think this society has Muslim on the brain so whenever Muslims do something it is a big deal, but when things are compare to real issue that effect all of us, it shows how silly the other issue really is.”
I think it ilustrates why “Political Correctness” is a nice dream but isn’t always a practical solution. Instead of demanding that universities adopt policies and protocols that do not offend anybody (an impossible task if you ask me) allow universities to adopt policies and protocols that they want to adopt. Students can then choose hihc university they want to attend. If muslim students cannont find a university that meets their criteria then the muslim community should open their own univrsity. African Americans did the exact same thing in the years of segragation and they created some fine universities.
Faoud-
I think you make a good point that this may be just the begining of demands but I don’t think it is as big a problem as you may think. Harvard does not have to agree to any demands made by muslims, or an other religious group for that matter. If that happens the only options available to the muslim students that wanted seperate classrooms would be to:
1. Go to co-ed classes
2. Go to another university
This is a case where the market should decide how far Harvard goes. It’s that simple. Perhaps muslim students would value men and women only classes over a Harvard education but I doubt it.
I honestly don’t agree with this decision. Certainly, Harvard is a private university and can make these sorts of accommodations. But, yes, where does it stop? If certain Muslim women (and I note “certain” since not all women from this religion even view this as a problem) requested this, what’s to say that Orthodox Jews might request a change or evangelical Christians? And I find it hard to believe that there aren’t private gyms that are only for women in the Cambridge/Boston area.
I understand an organization making a special area for people to practice their faith - this doesn’t infringe on others’ ability to participate in the resources and activities of the place. On the other hand, honestly, these students can’t organize their own religious activities without their school giving them something to do that? Who is to say that Harvard should not give special areas for every Christian denomination represented in the student body?
When a person who is deeply religious chooses to go to a primarily secular school, then you have to expect that you might have to make some adjustments to going there such as finding a gym that is women only or learn how to deal with a secular environment. One of the strengths of a secular environment is that it doesn’t accommodate to specific religious or ideological imperatives. That actually makes for a more tolerant and open community.
Hey, you summed it up with your second sentence that “Harvard is a private university and can make these sorts of accommodations.” It stops when Harvard decides to stop it.
I’m a little tired of people demanding special dispensations on behalf of “feeling uncomfortable”. In my opinion, too many people in all manner of demographic categories are habitually indulging their most thin-skinned, hyper-reactive impulses, as though a feeling of discomfiture is to be construed as the outcome of abuse or social injustice. Another testimony to how unbelievably spoiled Americans (and apparently some guests as well) have become. They then expect everyone else to kowtow before their apparent inability to “feel comfortable” outside the strict social and cultural structures that most often have no connection to norms within the place they’ve chosen to come to.
Would Harvard so quickly respond if, say, middle-aged caucasian males demanded special-use provisions for facilities on campus? (Speaking as a middle-aged caucasian male, it’s not the sort of thing I’d ask for, but it’s not inconceivable). When MACMs dominated the scene in universities across the nation in past times, they were (rightly) told that antiquated norms that elevated them to Special Status were to be left behind in the new period of equalizing rights. In that context, how can Harvard say Yes to one group reaching for Special Status while saying No to everyone else? This attempt to be all things to all people on behalf of a malignant form of political correctness sets a very bad precedent. Treating everyone the same is inherently fair. “Fair” does not necessarily mean the same as “what I wish for”, but then it’s no one’s obligation to give us what we wish for, especially at the expense of others’ access to facilities they also helped pay for. There’s no such thing as being simultaneously “special” and “equal”, whether or not we have double-X sex chromosomes and wear hijab. I don’t say discriminate against them, I just say don’t discriminate in their favor.
Harvard is co-ed. Live with it.
“When MACMs dominated the scene in universities across the nation in past times, they were (rightly) told that antiquated norms that elevated them to Special Status were to be left behind in the new period of equalizing rights.”
They had no choice! A “LAW” was established to intergrate society. They were “NOT” told that their current norms elevated them to special status, Obvious “RACISM” elevated them to special status. Harvard allowing 6 hours a week out of 70, should not be compared to desegregation. These women are not reaching for special status, they just want to work out. It would be another story if they wanted all women to wear Hijabs like themselves while working out. I think it is a good thing Harvard has done. Harvard may convert one of the many gyms to a womens only gym, FOR ALL WOMEN. But again its not money out of our pockets, and it’s really Harvards problem.
BFBF