March 21, 2008
At Harvard, Students' Muslim Traditions Are a Topic of Debate
by Neil MacFarquhar
The New York Times
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Two issues of Muslim practice -- whether the call to prayer should ring out across Harvard Yard and whether the university should grant women separate gym hours -- have unleashed small waves of controversy over how Harvard practices tolerance.
Heated discussions have erupted on dormitory chat rooms, students said, while various opinion articles in the student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, have denounced both practices.
"I think that because Harvard is a secular campus, there is a fear among some students that religious beliefs or practices might be imposed on people who don't want anything to do with them," said Jessa Birdsall, a 20-year-old sophomore who said she thought the university should accommodate the beliefs of all students.
The debate began in early February, when the undergraduate college restricted one of the three largest gyms on its main campus, the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center, to women only on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
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