Muhammad and Man at Harvard

Reading Michael Graham's article in the Boston Herald will let you see how things have come full circle at the institution founded by believers to train ministers for New England's churches. Yes, I know that this is old news, but what is even more interesting is that the new policy betrays Harvard's later commitment to a thorough going liberal openness. Here is the gist of the article.

Six times a week, Harvard kicks all the guys out of the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center at the request of the Harvard Islamic Society. This is to accommodate those female Muslim students whose faith won’t let them work out in front of men.
In the old days, Harvard would have laughed if some Catholic or evangelical mother urged “girls-only” campus workouts in the name of modesty. Today, Harvard happily implements Sharia swim times in the name of Mohammed.
At Harvard, that’s called progress.
When I asked Harvard spokesman Bob Mitchell about this new Sharia-friendly policy, he denied that they were banning anyone. “No, no,” he told me, “we’re permitting women to work out in an environment that accommodates their religion.”
By banning all men from the facility, right?
“It’s not ‘banning,’ ” he insisted. “We’re allowing, we’re accommodating people.”

I am not against men's and women's times in various facilities, but when the only reason for the accommodation is a religious preference, that seems, well, less than liberal!