Sharia in Minneapolis Update. By Amina Khan for Islam Online, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
MINNEAPOLIS — A lingering face-off between Muslim cabbies and the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minneapolis is showing no signs of abating with the drivers defending their action and the authorities threatening tougher penalties."This is something that has been going on for many years," Abdinoor Bolal, a cab driver at the airport, told IslamOnline.net.
"As a Muslim, I cannot carry alcohol, but there are others who would take that passenger, it was not a problem until some conservative groups got hold of the issue."
The Muslim drivers, mostly of Somali descent, insist that because Islam prohibits transporting alcohol, they cannot take fares from passengers who are carrying alcohol with them.
"There is a system already in place that distinguishes between smoking and non-smoking cabs, as well as cabs which will only take a certain number of passengers, why can’t we do that for those passengers with alcohol?" Bolal asked.
"They are no longer considering any compromises, but instead are punishing us for our beliefs because the airport feels pressure from the public."
The Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minneapolis is threatening tougher action against the cabbies.
Drivers who refuse service will now face a thirty day suspension for the first refusal, and a two-year revocation for the second refusal, Melissa Scorvronski, the commission's public affairs coordinator, told IOL.
They will decide whether to adopt the stricter proposals, recommended during a public hearing on February 27, early next week.
Scorvronski noted that currently, if a driver refuses a fare, they will have to go to the back of the line, resulting in a wait time of between two to four hours....
A story that has been widely report is that a Muslim taxi driver had refused service to a blind person with a guide dog on the ground that Islam considers the saliva of a dog is unclean.
"They say blind people have been refused, but this has not been an issue, no one has been able to tell me when and where such an incident took place," said Bolal.
"They are using this issue to shift public opinion and make us look bad."
Scorvronski, the airport spokesperson, acknowledged conflicting reports on an incident where a passenger with a guide dog was refused service.
"The taxi drivers have denied it, but the National Federation of the Blind claims that they have refused."
Meanwhile, it's all our fault:
Muslim groups also accused the media of exaggerating the issue and taking it out of proportion."The media has jumped on the issue to generate animosity and create hate," charged Hashi Abdi, spokesman for the Somali Action Alliance.
"They are saying that now we have Shari`ah on our shores," he told IOL, arguing the issue "goes beyond alcohol, it is about a racial issue."...
The organization has also received complaints about abusive behavior towards drivers by gas station attendants.
"Ever since 9-11, our community has been looked at with suspicion," Abdi said.
Five years after the terrorist attacks, many American Muslims complain they continue to face discrimination and stereotyping because of their Islamic attires or identities.
The US Senate Office Of Research has said that Arab and Muslim Americans have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Wrong
Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society’s Freedom Foundation, said several compromises were put forth such as color coding cabs that will not transport passengers with alcohol.
"But the compromises did not work out since it is public transportation and you cannot impose your religious beliefs on others," he told IOL.
The Muslim American Society (MAS) has been mediating between the cab drivers and airport's officials.
Last year, the Minnesota Transit Department sought the counsel of the MAS about the issue.
"They asked us what was the religious basis for refusal, and we told them," Bray recalled.
He insisted that although the name of the council is the fatwa council "it was not intended at all to be a binding fatwa on all Muslim cab drivers."
It has been widely reported in the US media that the MAS issued an official fatwa forbidding Muslim cabbies from taking passengers carrying alcohol.
"We only offered religious guidance, and the information was intended to be advisory," Bray maintained.
"There has been a misrepresentation of our involvement, some right-wingers jumped on this issue and the next thing you know we will be asking to cut off hands and stone women."
Although MAS supports the cab drivers, "we believe that since they are taking employment in the public sector, it is wrong to deny taking fares from those who may have alcohol, we cannot use religion as a litmus test," Bray said.
"Our main goal now is to help them keep their jobs, and we also believe that in the concept of Shari`ah, necessity dictates exception."
At least for now, eh, Mahdi?
Why doesn't the Metropolitan Airports Commisin get tough on them? That way the Somali provocateurs will get the message. Give them an inch, they want the whole mile next.
This is a big problem for them since they are unable to leave religion at home and in the mosque. This is going to be a big problem also because they also started insisting on separate bathrooms because, once again, they are not leaving their religion at home and telling all of us - who pay for those bathrooms, that we are dirty and not clean enough to go to the bathroom in the rooms that we as citizens pay for.
If a white, Christian did any of this - we would be fired on the spot - there would be no 'deals'.
How old are these articles?
Quote:
They will decide whether to adopt the stricter proposals, recommended during a public hearing on February 27, early next week.
I say we should boycott cabs driven by Muslims!!
From the article:
"'Ever since 9-11, our community has been looked at with suspicion,' Abdi said."
Duh.
Fire them all.
Deport them all.
They're liars, first of all.
Islam allows the drinking of alcohol and the eating of pork in extremis- if you are starving and there is nothing else available- and permits dogs to be used as guard animals.
So there are exceptions.
And, if there are any exceptions, then these cabbies' blanket refusal is complete b.s.
It's covert Islamic supremacism.
Our culture is considered inferior.
Back to Mecca with them, and let him drive their cabs around the Ka'aba.
No dogs, no alcohol and no pork, guaranteed.
Why is the last part of this acticle ignored?
--------------------------------------------------
Jamel Benamer, Vice President of Masjid al-Huda and member of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of Minnesota, hopes the issue will be resolved soon.
"[This] is presenting a bad image for Islam and creating a hostile environment for Muslims in Minnesota," he told IOL.
He regretted that the media "are trying to find only those who agree with it, they are fishing in dirty water, to make Muslims and Islam look extreme in the eyes of most Americans."
Benamer does not support the drivers' action.
"Most Muslim scholars are against the refusal of service," he said.
"What is forbidden is carrying the alcohol itself, not a person who is carrying the alcohol.
"If a driver still has doubts, they can take employment somewhere in a private company."
It isn't being ignored, it's being scorned because it's typical Muslim victimology. These idiots come to our country and insist that we adapt to their medieval barbarism regarding alcohol and guide dogs, yet it's all the media's fault? Uh-huh. Benamer wants to make nice, he can stop with the qualifiers and just say "It's wrong to refuse service." Period.
Get the hell back to Somalia! These people should be grateful each and every day to have escaped their hellholes for a land of plenty, yet all they want to do is drag us down. There's one hell of an explosion coming in the West, and the longer it takes to arrive, the more violent it's going to be.
Average people are only going to take the utter abdication of our political leaders in the face of this sort of cultural and democratic suicide for so long. Within a decade, I'll just about guarantee that we'll see the rise of BNP-style parties in the US and Canada, or the adoption of BNP-style attitudes in mainstream parties. We're heading for a very dark place.
A Christian pharmacist got fired for refusing to prescribe birth control. He had no right to deny someone the pill for religious reasons, so why do these Somalis have the right? Can't anyone other than us J Watchers connect the dots?
well seeing as Muslims are allowed to lie to infidels I very much doubt that the truth is being told here and I read many reports of blind people with service dogs they refuse service to this in the USA you are not allowed to put your belifs on to someone else and it's long past time he seventh century cult members realize this is not the Middle East and sharia law is not the law of the land here in the USA and never will be!! If you want to live under sharia law they need to go back to Somalia
OutOfAqaba-
You said it all so nicely. Thank you.
It's like painfully watching some dolt inflating a tire on his car and in spite of your warnings he insists that he's not over-inflating it. Meanwhile you make a dash for the other side of the street before the guy looses half his face. Or its like the Mother of All Pimples, just gets uglier until finally there is healing. Please forgive the terrible metaphors.
Re: pharmacists, not all are treated so. There is accomodation for their beliefs in some pharmacies, they just rotate staff to fill those troublesome prescriptions.
With all that is going on with Islamic's across the world and they think they gonna take over America. Kick their buns out..we don't need them here creating problems for us. Have American's seen enough for the last few years...what do it take for the citizens of this country (true American's who are patriotic and true to this country)to start putting them in their place. I don't want them here trying to change our God, our country,our ways etc. Look what is happening in Europe!!! We already know they plan to take the world by force...but it is 'hidden forces". Anyone with common sense knows all these fires in America, apartment buildings burning, chemical places exploding among homes exploding (oh and the news say it's gas leaks..yeah right!). Trains crashing, big trucks crashing...and they target our schools, our food supply...dang, even dog and cat food!!! Make you wonder?
Who put the chemicals over the playyard at a school? For children to come in contact with....
Have you American's had enough of their bull? I have and if we don't face reality..if our government don't face reality...we are in for a rude awakening.
Wake up America!
"...it was not a problem until some conservative groups got hold of the issue."
.....in other words, there is no problem as long as you submit to Islam and do not complain....
7th century morons........
"They say blind people have been refused, but this has not been an issue, no one has been able to tell me when and where such an incident took place," said Bolal.
Of course they can't they are blind stupid! However, I have known some very clever blind people. Wait 'til one of them catches you on a camera phone. Last laugh will be theirs.
The good news is the guy who owns the liquor store in the Airport is doing a bang up business to all those people who don't want 'have' to ride with the Somali Cab Drivers. He probably gets the story brought to the forefront every time it dies down. LOL
...it was not a problem until some conservative groups got hold of the issue."
"They are no longer considering any compromises, but instead are punishing us for our beliefs because the airport feels pressure from the public."
"They are using this issue to shift public opinion and make us look bad."
"There has been a misrepresentation of our involvement, some right-wingers jumped on this issue and the next thing you know we will be asking to cut off hands and stone women."
With moslems, it's always someone else's fault, always "them", never us.
What a pity party islam is.
"The organization has also received complaints about abusive behavior towards drivers by gas station attendants."
......there ya go...no gas for taxis who will not pick up passengers....
""The media has jumped on the issue to generate animosity and create hate," charged Hashi Abdi, spokesman for the Somali Action Alliance."
....it appears to me, that your refusal to offer the community a service you are employed to provide is creating animosity and hate...
i want to exercise my god's given right to make muslim go unemployed.
put that damn sticker on the cab "I am a muslim" and take some popcorn to watch the show
I drive a cab occasionally in Melbourne, Australia. We also have a lot of Somali cab drivers. I'd typically work the airport 2 or 3 times a shift and as far as I know the Somali drivers do not object to carrying alcohol in their cabs. They do not. So this standoff in Minneapolis is curious, it would seem the Somalis there have turned this into an issue to make some sort of point.