This piece from the Star Tribune should give all people pause, including people of the Muslim faith. The U.S. Constitution very clearly provides for freedom of religion while stipulating that the state cannot promote religions (the old "separation of church and state" issue). The crux of the matter is that people should be allowed to practice whatever religion they choose without interference from the government, while at the same time the government is not allowed to promote any one religion over another, or in any other way give preference or precedent to a specific religion. The relevant clause is the First Amendment, which states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."
Assuming that the STrib story is accurate, it would appear that the community college described has taken matters too far, trying to provide excessive accommodations for one religion that would amount to preferential treatment that could be construed as promoting one religion over others. Personally, it's not the gender separation or requirement to remove shoes that's bothersome (other cultures advocate this, too). Instead, it's the presence of in-your-face materials that cross the line. To me, it should be a single room, possibly gender-separated, requiring shoes to be removed (this isn't all that big of a deal, folks), and with an explicit prohibition against any further indication of one religion or another. Ok, maybe an unlabeled arrow that points toward Mecca is a courtesy that could be provided, too, given an interior location. Although, frankly, isn't that what a compass is for? Just my $0.02...
Here are a few additional references on separation of church and state... they're worth reading, because this clearly isn't a crystal clear issue... this is perhaps one area where the Founding Fathers needed to be a bit more clear...
Wikipedia: Separation of church and state
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state
AllAboutHistory: Separation of Church and State - The Metaphor and the Constitution
http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm
About.com: Myths, Misconceptions and Misunderstandings: Separation of Church and State
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/cs/blcsm_index.htm
Jefferson's Wall of Separation Letter
http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html
Anti-Defamation League: Separation: Good for Government, Good for Religion
http://www.adl.org/issue_religious_freedom/separation_cs_primer.asp
