A few Tennessee lawmakers apparently inquired whether a new sink at the state capitol designed for custodial use was a sink for Muslims to wash their feet in before prayer, the Associated Press reported Monday. The lawmakers were reassured that it is simply a “mop sink.”
“I confirmed with the facility administrator for the State Capitol Complex that the floor-level sink installed in the men’s restroom outside the House Chamber is for housekeeping use,” Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley wrote in an email. “It is, in layman’s terms, a mop sink.”
The Tennessee Capitol underwent renovations in December, the AP reported, and the sink is designed to make it easier for custodial staff to clean mops and fill buckets. The sink is located in a men’s bathroom outside the House chamber.
As TPM has reported, Tennessee is no stranger to controversy when it comes to Islam. In 2011, legislation was proposed to make Sharia law illegal. And in February 2012, a group of police officers in the state attended a training seminar held by a man who has claimed that Muslims should not be granted First Amendment rights.
(AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
