Islamophobia 2013: "It is, in laymans terms," not the Islamic apocalypse

In March, Tennessee state legislators Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) discovered that a Muslim footbath had apparently been stealthily installed during renovations to Tennessee’s state Capitol building.

A concerned Ketron went and spoke to the Senate clerk about it.

 

Legislative administration director Connie Ridley explained away the possible apocalypse of Islamic pre-prayer hygiene rituals by clarifying the purpose of the suspected foot cleansing device: “It is, in layman's terms, a mop sink."

 

Ketron and Matheny have a history of puzzling efforts to protect America. Not allowing the Constitution to get in the way of what struck them as a good idea, the two men had previously introduced legislation that would have effectively banned being a Muslim in Tennessee.

 

(Saylor note: This is the first in a brief series of posts running from now until the end of the year examining some of the incidents, and issues that came up regarding Islamophobia in America in 2013.)