I work at an international ESL college for college age students, and I've heard of this happening but I saw it for the first time today. A student took his shoes off, reached his leg over the counter and rinsed his feet one by one in the sink and put his shoes back on.

I just half-looked at the situation with as little disgust on my face as I could muster and he said "don't pay attention to me, it's a ritual" I said "I know" and went about my business. After leaving the washroom, I said "surely washing your feet in the sink is a sanitary issue" to which she shrugged and said "it all goes down the drain I guess" I'd heard of the students washing their feet after lunch or something, but I thought maybe they used a basin or something. Needless to say water is left all over the sink and on the floor.

Can anyone tell me what religion dictates this, if there is a legitimate sanitary issue?
Judging by the teacher's reaction (who is my supervisor but not manager) they know about this.
I'm sure they bend over backwards to accomodate students to get their attendance and money, or just look the other way.
Am I overreacting thinking that some attention should be brought to this matter?

Looks like they might have been our old friends, the Muslims.

The Holy Prophet (peace be on him) said,
"WUDHU is the key to prayer as prayer is the key to Paradise. ISLAM lays extreme stress on cleanliness and "TAHARAT".

As external actions have deep impact upon internal feelings, such as artificial crying makes a person sad as well as artificial laughter makes one happy so is cleanliness and ablution.

Purified body lends to purity of mind, however, cleanliness which is ablution, or wudhu, has been made compulsory before each prayer and in certain cases even a full bath has been made obligatory before prayer.

Wudhu

John

reisender wrote:I work at an international ESL college for college age students, ... A student took his shoes off, reached his leg over the counter and rinsed his feet one by one in the sink and put his shoes back on.

I just half-looked at the situation with as little disgust on my face as I could muster ...
Am I overreacting thinking that some attention should be brought to this matter?

What "matter"? Why the disgust? Their feet are probably cleaner than their hands (especially if they wash them five times a day).

What's a sink for, anyway? Do you* eat out of it?

*I mean the writer of the OP

That's nothing. My wife's seen it done in a hospital ward sink, FFS.

Ive done a lot worse in the occasional sink, you just didnt see it.

Wow you're overreacting. if it revulsive just don't look at it. he has to pray, he has to rinse, and he has no other option except the sink. being critical of every stupid thing that you observe in society makes you a jerk.

james1v wrote:Ive done a lot worse in the occasional sink, you just didnt see it.

Oh, you, too!

What's the problem? Apart from the spilt water, but that happens when washing your hands.

Aurlito wrote:Wow you're overreacting. if it revulsive just don't look at it. he has to pray, he has to rinse, and he has no other option except the sink. being critical of every stupid thing that you observe in society makes you a jerk.

Err, excuse me? He has to pray? Says who? Expecting other people to suffer his mediaeval religious nonsense makes him a jerk. First prove that Allah exists, then prove that Allah demands praying and foot-washing then there might be something in these stupid ablutions. Once, that is, you've proven that there aren't equally potent deities who demand that feet be rubbed in shit before praying.
Edit: pig shit even, just to stress the point.

Oeditor wrote:

Aurlito wrote:Wow you're overreacting. if it revulsive just don't look at it. he has to pray, he has to rinse, and he has no other option except the sink. being critical of every stupid thing that you observe in society makes you a jerk.

Err, excuse me? He has to pray? Says who? Expecting other people to suffer his mediaeval religious nonsense makes him a jerk. First prove that Allah exists, then prove that Allah demands praying and foot-washing then there might be something in these stupid ablutions. Once, that is, you've proven that there aren't equally potent deities who demand that feet be rubbed in shit before praying.
Edit: pig shit even, just to stress the point.

How is watching someone wash their feet suffering his medievil nonsense?

Oeditor wrote:

Aurlito wrote:Wow you're overreacting. if it revulsive just don't look at it. he has to pray, he has to rinse, and he has no other option except the sink. being critical of every stupid thing that you observe in society makes you a jerk.

Err, excuse me? He has to pray? Says who? Expecting other people to suffer his mediaeval religious nonsense makes him a jerk. First prove that Allah exists, then prove that Allah demands praying and foot-washing then there might be something in these stupid ablutions. Once, that is, you've proven that there aren't equally potent deities who demand that feet be rubbed in shit before praying.
Edit: pig shit even, just to stress the point.

In his own boundaries, he has to pray. simple.

Paul G wrote:

How is watching someone wash their feet suffering his medievil nonsense?

Well let me put it like this: if when visiting my wife in hospital I'd decided to wash my feet in the patients' sink I'd have been out on my arse, and quite rightly. As a visitor, I would be there on sufferance and have minimal rights. Had someone spilled some urine on my feet, I would be entitled to wash them - if I were unable to stagger to the bathroom. If some deranged magic man and his psychotic acolyte had been alleged to demand that I wash my feet just because, no. Those sinks are there to keep the ward free of infection. If the man's feet are not infected, he doesn't need to wash them. If they are infected, he'd better get the hell out of there and get them treated by his doctor.

Oeditor wrote:

Paul G wrote:

How is watching someone wash their feet suffering his medievil nonsense?

Well let me put it like this: if when visiting my wife in hospital I'd decided to wash my feet in the patients' sink I'd have been out on my arse, and quite rightly. As a visitor, I would be there on sufferance and have minimal rights. Had someone spilled some urine on my feet, I would be entitled to wash them - if I were unable to stagger to the bathroom. If some deranged magic man and his psychotic acolyte had been alleged to demand that I wash my feet just because, no. Those sinks are there to keep the ward free of infection. If the man's feet are not infected, he doesn't need to wash them. If they are infected, he'd better get the hell out of there and get them treated by his doctor.

I fail to see, unless there's a hygeine risk, why anyone isn't permitted to wash their feet anywhere they please? That the hospital would kick you out has no relevance to whether it's right or wrong.

What if he just fancied washing his feet for another reason? The act should be treated purely for what it is, without the religious connotations. What is harmful about washing feet over hands?

Aurlito wrote:

Oeditor wrote:

Aurlito wrote:Wow you're overreacting. if it revulsive just don't look at it. he has to pray, he has to rinse, and he has no other option except the sink. being critical of every stupid thing that you observe in society makes you a jerk.

Err, excuse me? He has to pray? Says who? Expecting other people to suffer his mediaeval religious nonsense makes him a jerk. First prove that Allah exists, then prove that Allah demands praying and foot-washing then there might be something in these stupid ablutions. Once, that is, you've proven that there aren't equally potent deities who demand that feet be rubbed in shit before praying.
Edit: pig shit even, just to stress the point.

In his own boundaries, he has to pray. simple.

What's wrong with just being able to do as he pleases with his own damn feet?

Paul G wrote: What is harmful about washing feet over hands?

You're liable to give yourself a hernia, for a start.

sorry...

sorry...

I'm with Oeditor on this one

Anyway, feet are more prone to fungal infections, verrucas, athletes foot

I once went to the loo at work and found a girl washing her belly button piercing in the wash basin

Paula1 wrote:I'm with Oeditor on this one

Anyway, feet are more prone to fungal infections, verrucas, athletes foot

I once went to the loo at work and found a girl washing her belly button piercing in the wash basin

So I assume if there were no hygeine concerns you'd be ok with it?

Maybe we could have tests for using bathrooms, too dirty and you can't wash.

I don't see the big deal either. Kids are stuck at school all day, where else are they supposed to wash them if they just came from gym class and their feet are rancid? Besides, it's a bathroom, that's where you are supposed to be doing private, hygienic rituals.

Feet are not dirty, probably spread a lot less germs than hands... if you don't have fungal infections^ that is.

The problem isn't that he washed his own feet, IMO, my issue is that he didn't get his own sink lol