should the muslim taxi drivers be fired?

Question

The muslim taxi drivers in the minneapolis airport are discriminating against seeing eye dogs and anyone with a dog and also if you are carrying alchohol. They are given licenses to work at that airport so no other taxis can come there. If they are not doing their job should they be fired?? Is it ok then that I discriminate and refuse to do business with a muslim taxi driver ??

THey are discriminating against me and the Federal Law: "Americans with Disabilities Act" says they are breaking the law if they don't let me in with a guide dog.

Yes it does seem that Muslims are making things difficult for themselves. They take themselves SO SERIOUSLY that they look like idiots!! They shame their own religion!!

Answer 1

yes... the are imposing their religion on customers.....and are guilty of discrimination....for religious and disablity reasons...

send them all back to the country they came from.

Answer 2

I've never heard of this issue, but I guess I can see why the Muslim taxi drivers are refusing fares. It does not mean I agree with them, though.

Concerning the alcohol, it's not like they are transporting alcohol for a profit. It's just someone's personal property. The most they should expect is to be able to require that the alcohol containers remain closed while in the car. I think that's reasonable. It would be the same as if the driver asked you not to smoke in the car. No big deal.

As for the dogs, there's nothing in Islam that says you can't have a dog. The only thing about dogs is that they are unclean because they eat their own droppings, so if you touch a dog you can't pray until you have cleaned yourself. I don't see the big deal about having a dog in the backseat of a car. I would just tell the person not to let the dog poke his head up front. I mean, what if the driver is allergic to dogs? I'm sure the passenger would be considerate enough to keep the dog out of the driver's face. And if these are seeing-eye dogs, they are well behaved and would not be a problem.

This seems to be a case of some Muslims making their religion too difficult for themselves. They just need to lighten up.

Answer 3

It appears the the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Commission is dealing with the problem, thirty day suspension of the first refusal of service, two year suspension on the second refusal of service.
Looks like some of these drivers will be seeking other employment in the near future.

Answer 4

January 04, 2007

Minneapolis airport officials propose stiffer penalties for Muslim cab drivers refusing service
An update on this story. "Airport battles some Muslim cabbies," from AP:

MINNEAPOLIS - Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport are proposing stiffer penalties — including suspension of an airport taxi license — to Muslim cab drivers who refuse service to passengers toting alcohol or service dogs.
Officials on Wednesday asked the Metropolitan Airport Commission for permission to hold public hearings on a proposal that would suspend the airport licenses of cab drivers who refuse service for reasons other than safety concerns. The penalties would also apply to drivers who refuse a fare because a trip is too short.
Drivers would have their airport licenses suspended 30 days for the first offense and revoked for two years after the second offense, according to the proposal.
"Our expectation is that if you're going to be driving a taxi at the airport, you need to provide service to anybody who wants it," commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said.
The commission is expected to vote Jan. 16 on the request for public hearings.
Airports Commissioner Bert McKasy said the issue raised by Muslim cab drivers who say that carrying alcohol or dogs, including those that help people with disabilities, violates religious beliefs is "unfortunate."
"I think it's pretty much the consensus of the commissioners and the staff that we have to provide good service to the public, and that's pretty much the bottom line," McKasy said.
Each month, about 100 people are denied cab service at the airport. Airport officials say that in recent months, the problem of service refusals for religious reasons has grown. About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at the airport are Somali, many of them Muslim.
Hogan said the goal is to have a new policy in place by May 11, when airport taxi licenses come up for annual renewal.
"We want the drivers to know about the policy in advance, so that if they don't think they can work under these conditions, they have the option of not renewing their license," Hogan said.
Last year, the airports commission received a fatwa, or religious edict, from the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society. The fatwa said "Islamic jurisprudence" prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol, "because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam."
Eva Buzek, a flight attendant and Minneapolis resident, said she was recently refused service by five taxi drivers when she was carrying wine as she returned from a trip to France.
"In my book, when you choose to come to a different country, you make some choices," said Buzek, a native of Poland. "I never expected everything to be the same way as in my homeland, and I adjusted. I never dreamed of imposing my beliefs on somebody else."
But Hassan Mohamud, imam at Al-Taqwa Mosque of St. Paul and director of the Islamic Law Institute at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, one of the largest Islamic organizations in the state, said asking Muslims to transport alcohol "is a violation of their faith. Muslims do not consume, carry, sell or buy alcohol, and Islam also considers the saliva of dogs to be unclean, he said.
Mohamud said he would ask airport officials to reconsider.
But many Somali taxi drivers don't have a problem transporting passengers with alcohol and are worried about a backlash, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Jamal said he supports the tougher penalties.
"We tell the taxi drivers, if you don't want to do this, change your job," he said. "You are living in a country where alcohol is not viewed the way it is in your country."

Answer 5

"Airport Battles Some Muslim Cabbies


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport are proposing stiffer penalties - including suspension of an airport taxi license - to Muslim cab drivers who refuse service to passengers toting alcohol or service dogs.

Officials on Wednesday asked the Metropolitan Airport Commission for permission to hold public hearings on a proposal that would suspend the airport licenses of cab drivers who refuse service for reasons other than safety concerns. The penalties would also apply to drivers who refuse a fare because a trip is too short.

Drivers would have their airport licenses suspended 30 days for the first offense and revoked for two years after the second offense, according to the proposal.

"Our expectation is that if you're going to be driving a taxi at the airport, you need to provide service to anybody who wants it," commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said.

The commission is expected to vote Jan. 16 on the request for public hearings.

Airports Commissioner Bert McKasy said the issue raised by Muslim cab drivers who say that carrying alcohol or dogs, including those that help people with disabilities, violates religious beliefs is "unfortunate."

"I think it's pretty much the consensus of the commissioners and the staff that we have to provide good service to the public, and that's pretty much the bottom line," McKasy said.

Each month, about 100 people are denied cab service at the airport. Airport officials say that in recent months, the problem of service refusals for religious reasons has grown. About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at the airport are Somali, many of them Muslim.

Hogan said the goal is to have a new policy in place by May 11, when airport taxi licenses come up for annual renewal.

"We want the drivers to know about the policy in advance, so that if they don't think they can work under these conditions, they have the option of not renewing their license," Hogan said.

Last year, the airports commission received a fatwa, or religious edict, from the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society. The fatwa said "Islamic jurisprudence" prohibits taxi drivers from carrying passengers with alcohol, "because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam."

Eva Buzek, a flight attendant and Minneapolis resident, said she was recently refused service by five taxi drivers when she was carrying wine as she returned from a trip to France.

"In my book, when you choose to come to a different country, you make some choices," said Buzek, a native of Poland. "I never expected everything to be the same way as in my homeland, and I adjusted. I never dreamed of imposing my beliefs on somebody else."

But Hassan Mohamud, imam at Al-Taqwa Mosque of St. Paul and director of the Islamic Law Institute at the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, one of the largest Islamic organizations in the state, said asking Muslims to transport alcohol "is a violation of their faith. Muslims do not consume, carry, sell or buy alcohol, and Islam also considers the saliva of dogs to be unclean, he said.

Mohamud said he would ask airport officials to reconsider.

But many Somali taxi drivers don't have a problem transporting passengers with alcohol and are worried about a backlash, said Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center. Jamal said he supports the tougher penalties.

"We tell the taxi drivers, if you don't want to do this, change your job," he said. "You are living in a country where alcohol is not viewed the way it is in your country."

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/2007/01/014683print.html

Answer 6

Thier licenses should be suspended or revoked. Here is the latest update on this:
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/913549.html

You are right. They are breaking the law by not allowing guide dogs.

Answer 7

It's okay if you refuse to do business with a specific taxi driver who refuses to take guide dogs or whatever. To refuse to do business with all Muslim taxi drivers would be immoral, since many aren't jerks. A better system would be to call the cab company about any specific taxi drivers who do the wrong thing.

Answer 8

Don't they view dogs as unsanitary creatures? In that case, yeah, it's okay to discriminate against them if they're the only taxi drivers, and they won't allow dogs! Otherwise, just find another taxi.

Answer 9

That's called ethnic/cultural cleansing.

Answer 10

obviously, if they have a problem complying with the rules and regs of their job, then they can be fired.