Originally Posted By RoadTrip There is a big controversy currently going on at MSP. A large percentage of cab drivers in the metro area are Somali Muslims. A substantial number of them do not want to provide rides for passengers who are carrying liquor because of religious convictions. Now the Metro Airports Commission is planning harsh penalties for any cab driver refusing to take a fare because of religious convictions. I guess I wonder why it is such a big deal. It happens about 100 times per month... just over 3 times a day. That is really insignificant compared to the number of taxi rides that are taken out of the airport each and every day. The drivers already pay a price for their convictions... if they refuse a fare they have to go back to the end of the line and start over again. You would think that minimum fairness would dictate that they would be allowed to stay at the front of the line until a no-liquor customer comes along. I really don't see that as a hardship to the traveling public. Are there really so many NOTICLBE liquor carrying customers that this should have much of an impact on service to the public? I tend to think it is more seen as a ‘gotcha’ to Muslim taxi divers then any real threat to the U.S. Details: <a href="http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1029753.html" target="_blank">http://www.startribune.com/462 /story/1029753.html</a>
Originally Posted By DlandJB I always thought there was a ban on any kind of eating or drinking in a cab - liquor or soda, etc...Just because of the cleanliness of the cab. I've never heard of it because of religious reasons.
Originally Posted By Mr X Maybe people with such strong religious convictions shouldn't be in the customer service industry? Seriously, I think that's pretty messed up (refusing to serve a customer because they happen to be carrying something you don't like). So does that mean a Jewish cab driver can refuse rides to people carrying pepperoni (or feral pigs, for that matter)?
Originally Posted By officerminnie In Las Vegas last week, our cab driver had just refused to take the very drunk people ahead of us because he was worried they would throw up in his cab. I just thought that was interesting.
Originally Posted By fkurucz ^^That would be reasonable. But the original story is about people flying into airports with sealed, duty free liquor in their possesion. They aren't drunk, they aren't going to barf. And the muslim cabbies refuse to take them. IIRC the problem for the cabbies at the airport was that if they refused a fare they were sent to the back of the line, to which they complained. I wonder what's next? Refusal to take fares when the women aren't veiled? How about refusing to take unaccompanied women at all? These coul both be considered "sharia" issues.
Originally Posted By jonvn "I guess I wonder why it is such a big deal." Because the next step is "I'm not picking someone up if I think they're a jew." Or "Those people were wearing crosses, I won't pick them up." These people are licensed by the local government to do a job. It is not their job to be the religion police.
Originally Posted By dsnykid if someone wants to turn down money in order to follow their own religious beliefs, I guess that is their choice... personally i don't see how driving someone who has a substance that your religion is opposed to violates you beliefs, but who knows?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<if someone wants to turn down money in order to follow their own religious beliefs, I guess that is their choice... >> And let's face it... only those who are truly loaded would be suspected of having alcohol with them. If you just wanted to bring some home and wait until you were in the privacy of your own home to get drunk the cab driver would never be the wiser. Do you think these guys plunder luggage and do invasive body searches like our glorious TSA folks do? Hell no. I find it hard to believe that people are being "innocently" refused service. You want to bring booze home in a cab?? Keep it inside your luggage or your carry-on. You want to chug Jack Daniels on the cab ride home, perhaps you should find a non-Muslin driver. Or maybe a meeting nearby with Bill W. and the folks.
Originally Posted By Mr X Interesting point about the veiled woman thing. Is alcohol somehow worse in that religion? If not, these cabbies are just hypocrites. And again, someone who feels the need to judge others by a particular religious standard has no business working in the customer service industry. They should go get a job in a lonely warehouse somewhere, or some other place away from the general public.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Over the past 5 years, airport officials say 5,400 passengers have been turned away. Some had guide dogs or pets, others were carrying cases of wine from California, or liquor from duty-free shops. "There are times where cab after cab will refuse service, and passengers can be waiting for 20 minutes," says Patrick Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. "We've had complaints of people being asked if they had any alcoholic beverages in their luggage."*** Sounds like they are being a lot more invasive and probing than just "hey, this guy seems drunk, I won't take him". And the dog thing is astounding. THAT, to me, would be grounds for a discrimination lawsuit if a blind person were to be refused service. TDG, I'm guessing "no" on the feral pigs after all.
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Well darn it...so much for equality and tolerance. But some of them actually turn down people with guide dogs?? That ticks me off. >:-(
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I'm thinking someone with a St. Bernard wearing one of those little rescue barrels of whiskey would really be out of luck.
Originally Posted By Mr X lol. Yes, apparently they do turn away guide dogs, which to me is much worse AND, they don't even have the excuse of "someone who transports alcohol is a sinner", they just think dogs are unclean (and feral pigs, I guess). On that note, the dog thing aside (which I, too, find rather offensive)...I think that they've found a good argument in that "one who transports is as much a sinner as one who drinks". So, they are not judging OTHERS for having booze, they are refusing to put THEMSELVES in a sinful position. Which, in a way, makes it really really blasphemous that they would take a cab driving job at all. I mean, after all, even if they ask, many people will simply say "no", or "it's none of your business", and so these muslims are in a position to be commiting the horrible sin of transporting alcohol without knowing it each and every day!!
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy <the dog thing aside (which I, too, find rather offensive)> Extremely offensive. Guide dogs are kept by people who need help. I'd like to see what one of these discriminatory cabbies would think if they need some help somewhere and are refused services. I just figured it was law or whatever that if you have a guide dog, the dog is allowed *anywhere*---it should be, imo!
Originally Posted By Mr X That IS the law, as far as I know. So, how they can get away with it with just "go to the back of the line" is beyond me. Freedom of Religion doesn't give one the license to discriminate against people, it just means you are free to practice your religion personally. If your religious beliefs are somehow compromised by others, frankly it's YOUR problem and you need to figure out how to stay away from others. In other words, stay out of the customer service industry. Geez, I mean, you don't see too many devout Hindu's working in a Manhatten McDonald's, do you? Or even if they did, they'd keep their mouth shut about their beliefs. Customer "I'll have a Big Mac with fries". Hindu "I'm sorry sir, the cow is a sacred animal. I will not serve you beef, it is against my religious beliefs...might I interest you in a tasty apple pie?".
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy LOL! And yeah, good points. But you forgot that they're so sly that they'll try to sell you *two* apple pies for a mere dollar. ;-)
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>And the dog thing is astounding. THAT, to me, would be grounds for a discrimination lawsuit if a blind person were to be refused service.<< Well, according to Sharia law, dogs are "unclean". In Iran it is illegal to keep them as pets (working dogs are allowed).
Originally Posted By fkurucz Imagine if a Christian cabbie refused to take an unmarried couple to a hotel. I really doubt that they would receive any sympathy.
