Alchohol:No TAxi

[Zulkiflim]

Heya

[PIE]Islam

Got alcohol? Somali taxi drivers may refuse to drive
3 Oct 3, 2006, 22:03






About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Somalis, many of them Muslim. About three times daily, would-be customers are refused taxi service when a driver sees they're carrying alcohol.

When flight attendant Eva Buzek returned to Minneapolis from a trip to France, five taxi drivers refused to take her home from the airport. The reason? She had two bottles of wine in her suitcase -- and the drivers were Muslims, who don't drink and refuse to have alcohol in their taxis.

About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Somalis, many of them Muslim. And about three times each day, would-be customers are refused taxi service when a driver sees they're carrying alcohol.

"It's become a significant customer-service issue," said Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, on Thursday.

Now the airports commission has a solution: color-coding the lights on the taxi roofs to indicate whether a driver will accept a booze-toting fare. The actual colors haven't been decided on yet, but commission officials met Thursday with representatives of the taxi drivers and the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society to continue working on the plan.

The airports commission has struggled with the issue for several years. Alcohol is a serious concern for devout Muslims, said Hassan Mohamud, an imam and vice president of the society. The Qur'an, Islam's holy book, strictly forbids buying, selling, drinking or carrying alcohol.

The observant drivers object only to transporting openly displayed alcohol, said Ali Culed, a Somali Muslim who's been driving an airport cab for eight years. They won't search passengers or quiz them about what's in their bags.

"It is a religious issue," Culed said. "I cannot force anybody to change their belief, but not in my cab. I don't want the guilt. I just want to be an innocent person."

Hogan said taxi starters at curbside will look for duty-free bags with bottles or other obvious signs of alcohol and steer riders to cabs whose drivers don't object to booze.

Buzek, the flight attendant, said she was refused service in March after she told a driver to be careful with her suitcase because it had wine in it. Other drivers in the taxi line passed the word, she said, and four more refused her service. A dispatcher finally steered her to a driver who would take the fare.

Buzek, who grew up in Poland, said her treatment goes against American values.

"I came to this country and I didn't expect anybody to adjust to my needs," she said. "I don't want to impose my beliefs on anyone else. That's why I'm in this country, because of the freedom.

"What's going to be next? ... Do I have to cover my head?"

Mohamud said that wouldn't happen.

"According to Muslim law, a Muslim driver cannot question a person's faith or beliefs," he said. "It's not a matter of the person, it's what the person is carrying."

If other religious issues come up, they'll be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Hogan said.

"We can't promise that we can accommodate every religious belief," he said. "Our interest is in making sure people can get a cab."

Sources: John Reinan, Star Tribune[/PIE]

Alhamdulilah,the brother no matter what they do still follow Islamic laws.

But you can be sure that moderate muslim will think of profts first than Islamic laws.

[Woodrow]

The Question is not if the drivers were doing the right thing. They should be commended for upholding their values. But, the question should be, is it haraam for a Muslim to be a Taxi driver in the US? Before one becomes a taxi driver, it should be understood that most passengers will not be Muslim, they will be engaged in acts that are Haraam. Perhaps it would be best if Muslims chose not to be Taxi drivers. Being one is similar to a Muslim accepting a job as a bartender and then refusing to serve alcohol. A Muslim can not be a public Taxi driver as part of the job will entail delivering passengers who are in possession of haraam items.

The alternative is for Muslims to start their own Taxi Businesses and stress what is not allowed in their cabs, before opening up for public business.

[IceQueen~]

^ yeah..good idea masha allah
I guess there's always a load more involved behind the scenes...

[Woodrow]

^ yeah..good idea masha allah
I guess there's always a load more involved behind the scenes...

It would also serve another purpose. As the Muslim population grows, it would be a benefit to see a halal Taxi fleet in the larger cities at least. There should be ample customers to support one. I would also suspect that non-Muslims who are anti alcohol would be pleased to see them also.

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[Torquemada]

Heya

[PIE]Islam

Got alcohol? Somali taxi drivers may refuse to drive
3 Oct 3, 2006, 22:03






About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Somalis, many of them Muslim. About three times daily, would-be customers are refused taxi service when a driver sees they're carrying alcohol.

When flight attendant Eva Buzek returned to Minneapolis from a trip to France, five taxi drivers refused to take her home from the airport. The reason? She had two bottles of wine in her suitcase -- and the drivers were Muslims, who don't drink and refuse to have alcohol in their taxis.

About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Somalis, many of them Muslim. And about three times each day, would-be customers are refused taxi service when a driver sees they're carrying alcohol.

"It's become a significant customer-service issue," said Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, on Thursday.

Now the airports commission has a solution: color-coding the lights on the taxi roofs to indicate whether a driver will accept a booze-toting fare. The actual colors haven't been decided on yet, but commission officials met Thursday with representatives of the taxi drivers and the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society to continue working on the plan.

The airports commission has struggled with the issue for several years. Alcohol is a serious concern for devout Muslims, said Hassan Mohamud, an imam and vice president of the society. The Qur'an, Islam's holy book, strictly forbids buying, selling, drinking or carrying alcohol.

The observant drivers object only to transporting openly displayed alcohol, said Ali Culed, a Somali Muslim who's been driving an airport cab for eight years. They won't search passengers or quiz them about what's in their bags.

"It is a religious issue," Culed said. "I cannot force anybody to change their belief, but not in my cab. I don't want the guilt. I just want to be an innocent person."

Hogan said taxi starters at curbside will look for duty-free bags with bottles or other obvious signs of alcohol and steer riders to cabs whose drivers don't object to booze.

Buzek, the flight attendant, said she was refused service in March after she told a driver to be careful with her suitcase because it had wine in it. Other drivers in the taxi line passed the word, she said, and four more refused her service. A dispatcher finally steered her to a driver who would take the fare.

Buzek, who grew up in Poland, said her treatment goes against American values.

"I came to this country and I didn't expect anybody to adjust to my needs," she said. "I don't want to impose my beliefs on anyone else. That's why I'm in this country, because of the freedom.

"What's going to be next? ... Do I have to cover my head?"

Mohamud said that wouldn't happen.

"According to Muslim law, a Muslim driver cannot question a person's faith or beliefs," he said. "It's not a matter of the person, it's what the person is carrying."

If other religious issues come up, they'll be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, Hogan said.

"We can't promise that we can accommodate every religious belief," he said. "Our interest is in making sure people can get a cab."

Sources: John Reinan, Star Tribune[/PIE]

Alhamdulilah,the brother no matter what they do still follow Islamic laws.

But you can be sure that moderate muslim will think of profts first than Islamic laws.

I would have fired them as soon as they got back to the station.

[Woodrow]

I would have fired them as soon as they got back to the station.

Legaly you would have been within your rights. Moraly, I think you sould have had more tolerance if you knew they were Muslim when you hired them. It is a 2 way street. Yes the employee needs to follow the protocol of the company. But, at the same time the company needs to be aware of the limitations of the employees.

I still think the best solution is for Muslims, who choose to be Taxi Drivers, to pool their resources and form their own companies.

[Torquemada]

Legaly you would have been within your rights. Moraly, I think you sould have had more tolerance if you knew they were Muslim when you hired them. It is a 2 way street. Yes the employee needs to follow the protocol of the company. But, at the same time the company needs to be aware of the limitations of the employees.

I still think the best solution is for Muslims, who choose to be Taxi Drivers, to pool their resources and form their own companies.

I would have made accomidations for them upfront if I knew they were going to refuse people based on alcohol but not being made aware right away who they will and won't be picked up would void our contract in my eyes. I could be sued because they refused those people for discrimination.

[Skillganon]

The thing I don't get, how does the TAXI driver know wheter you are carrying alcohol in the suitecase or not?

[Woodrow]

The thing I don't get, how does the TAXI driver know wheter you are carrying alcohol in the suitecase or not?

The person would either have to voluneer the info, it might be visible, or the driver might ask.

[Zulkiflim]

Salaam,

The end matter is no matter what we do we should not stop following Islamic laws.

There are Muslim vets,do they take care of dogs,yes they do,but they can hire other vets for dogs or swine.

So even in life,in the time of the Prophet,when he was around uncles and nephews who drank and performed licentious acts,or torutred slaved,HE ALWAYS FOLLOWED THE ISLAMIC ACTS.

Sometime we cannot but be around things unislmaic but when we have a choice we should not.Is that not right...

so Lahamdulilah for the taxis drivers,they are earning their hard earned money and follow Islamic laws.
Inshallah in the future we will see more brothers and siters who will dirve taxis for decent people.

[Keltoi]

I think Woodrow's idea is probably the best one. Start a taxi service that caters to Muslim values. I'm sure in places like Houston and elsewhere this sort of business would make a profit.