Muslims Cabbies Say the Dumbest Things
Muslim cab drivers are complaining of 'social polarization' and 'intolerance' for recent complaints about fares being refused rides because they have alcohol or a dog. Funny how these folk seem to think that when we (democratic Americans) do not allow their intolerant acts, that they start screaming intolerance. Reminds me of a lot of Christians too.
Story Below
Minnesota Muslim taxi drivers could face crackdown
Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota's biggest airport are facing a possible crackdown for refusing to give rides to travelers carrying liquor or accompanied by dogs, an official said on Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission has authorized a public hearing next month on a staff proposal to increase penalties for refusing fares, spokesman Patrick Hogan said.
A large number of taxi drivers in the area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Muslim Somali immigrants.
Many of them say they feel the faith's ban on alcohol consumption includes transporting anyone carrying it. Some have also refused to transport dogs, both pets and guide dogs, saying they are unclean.
Under the proposal -- which is also aimed at drivers who refuse to take short-haul passengers in favor of more lucrative long trips -- a first offense would result in a 30-day cab license suspension and a second a two-year license revocation.
The public hearing, approved at a commission meeting on Tuesday, will be held February 27.
Hogan said the number of refused rides has fallen from about 77 a month early in 2006 to eight to 20 a month currently.
The decline is due in part to the government security ban on large quantities of liquid in carry-on baggage, but the staff felt the situation needed to be addressed for a variety of reasons, Hogan said.
Hesham Hussein, a spokesman for the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, said that group, in trying to work out a compromise last year, told the commission that Islamic law prohibits not only the drinking but the selling and transport of alcohol. He said the group said nothing about dogs and would not agree that a person with a seeing-eye dog should be denied a ride.
The compromise the group tried to work out involved marking cabs to alert dispatchers and customers to those who would not transport alcohol so they would not be hailed or called up from queues.
The commission rejected that idea and Hussein told Reuters that approach idea now appears to be dead. Given the "social polarization" and intolerance among some in the country, he said, the "cards are stacked" against the drivers.
If the stronger penalties are approved drivers could still refuse to accept a fare if they feel the person seeking a ride presents a threat to public safety or is drunk or on drugs.
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Labels: Muslim Trouble
9 Comments:
Yes, it's the same things xians do...they are intolerant and then when we don't accept their intolerance, they cry that they are being persecuted.
If muslims want to work in a profession providing a service to the general public in a FREE COUNTRY, then they are going to have to accept the fact that this country consists of a diverse population. If they cannot accept it, they need to find another profession to work in where they do not need to come in contact with such diversity.
However, for atheists in this country, we have both sides against us. If we speak up in most cases and tell our employers we are atheists, how many of us will still have jobs after coming out of the closet with our atheism? Yet, companies go out of their way all too often to accomodate religious beliefs no matter how ridiculous and no matter how insubordinate they might be.
Just like Christians, they expect us to be tolerant of their intolerance. Oh, the insanity!
In a nation that supresses business owners so much that these cabbies are still employed, we should not be surprised at this. This is very similar to those Christians that refuse to fill birth control. Unfortunetly, I doubt that many people understand that our freedom of religion should be a freedom FROM religion as well.
www.bequeeththemasses.blogspot.com
It always feels like somebody older telling somebody younger who to disagree with. If your job is causing you to break your faith, find a new job.
In a nation of many religions, each person must find their own way to observe their faith and get along with their neighbors -- and their customers. When their religious behavior makes it difficult for them to get along with their neighbors, it is not necessarily the fault of the neighbor.
Refusing service is bad for business, not just the cabbie, but also for the airport. The airport is justified in acting to end a practice that is bad for its business. It is unfortunate for the cabbies, but they decide whether their devotion to their religion prevents them from meeting their obligations to their profession, much as a pharmacists must do. When a professional has clearly failed to perform his job, such as when a cabbie fails to transport a passenger or a pharmacist fails to dispense medication for reasons other than legal or safety reasons, he should be subject to a review of his professional accreditation. If he states that his religion prevents him from fulfilling the obligations of his profession, then perhaps he is not qualified in the profession.
One thing that is clear is that, in this nation, we must constantly fight the practice of discrimination. Accepting some passengers and refusing others, dispensing medications to some and refusing others, merely on the basis of their appearance (that they appear to be carrying alcohol), is a socially divisive practice that should be ended. The fact that the customer had beliefs which allowed them to engage in activities to which the vendor objected, mean that the CUSTOMER was discriminated against on the basis of their beliefs that their activies were allowable. Since we are not a religious nation, if the activities were lawful (carrying unopened alcohol in a cab, receiving a prescription for birth control) discrimination against the customer should be unlawful or disallowed by accrediting associations.
Do cabbies refuse to carry drunks? Those who are not carrying alcohol but have drunk a large amount of it? It could mean the life or death of a passenger and his victims, if that passenger then decides to DRIVE home.
What are the eternal consequences to these cabbies of ferrying someone who is carrying alcohol so that it is no visible.
The truth is that if these cabbies believe it is wrong to transport alcohol, and they know that they CANNOT know who is carrying alcohol and who is not, then they SHOULD NOT be in the transportation business. They have chosen to put a little lipstick on the pig of their moral transgressions and pretend that that makes it alright.
This reminds me of the party that Michael Jackson through for his mother, whose religious faith does not allow parties and presents, so he put the presents in brown paper bags. If the passenger is carrying their alchol in a little brown paper bag, so that the cabbie does not see it, then everything is all right.
I think their is a lot of intolerance against Muslims, but that doesn't mean that Muslims should try to impose their religious beliefs on others.
Well, if they want us to respect their religion, perhaps they need a sign on the cab: I am muslim and I will not transport alcohol, etc...and see how much they get in the way of fairs then. By the way, does it count if I just DRANK a bunch of alchol and they transport me? Nice blog! Thanks for the information!
How will they atone for the Ethanol in the gas tank? Take a vow to only accept 12 virgins in the afterlife?
If you don't want me to laugh at your religion, pick one that isn't so silly.
Though different on many levels, this argument reminds me of the forthcoming smoking ban soon to be imposed in the england this summer.
In my view, any non-monopolistic business practice should be able to take money from whoever they want whenever they want. These muslim cabbies will simply lose out on some business - and the slack will be taken up by those who will drive them about.. the winners from this - the other cabbies.. you can be sure they won't be complaining.
What does this have to do with smoking - well, if you don't like the smell of fags, go to a different bar.. and if there isn't one available - open it yourself and rake in the money from the supposed "hoards" of non-smokers wishing to go there.. as for the health of the staff - fuck 'em - no one makes them work there and it's a lot less dangerous than joining the army or working on an oil rig...
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