duran
Junior Member
Islamic Sharia in control of U.S. airports?!
Commissioners at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, which annually services around 40 million passengers, decided to schedule a public meeting to consider punishing Muslim cab drivers who’ve been refusing to take passengers carrying alcohol, such as wine or liquor purchased at a duty free shop, because Islamic law forbids not only drinking but also the selling and transport of alcohol.
"It is against our faith and the airport is discriminating against Muslim drivers," says a cab driver who would only give his first name, Hashim.
Islam also regards the saliva of dogs to be unclean.
In one month, Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota’s largest airport turned down about 100 customers who were carrying alcoholic containers or a dog.
The Minnesota Chapter of the Muslim American Society defended the drivers’ stance, explaining that Islam forbids drinking, selling or transporting alcohol. Thus, Minnesota Chapter of the Muslim American Society said, driving a customer who’s carrying wine or liquor is a sin.
Three quarters of the 900 cabbies licensed to operate at the airport, are Muslims, so, their rejection to drive passengers carrying any of the above mentioned items is causing a huge problem to the airport authorities who complained that sometimes thousands of passengers are stranded without a ride.
The state’s Metropolitan Airport’s Commission announced arranging a meeting next month to decide on whether to fine those Muslim drivers with temporary and long term license suspensions.
Airport officials allege that 5,400 passengers have been turned away over the past 5 years, because some had dogs others were carrying 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," said 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."
Last year, Minnesota's Muslim American Society proposed a solution to this problem, suggesting coloring cabs that would not transport alcohol with a different color, but the airport commission rejected the proposal.
Alcohol emerged as a dangerous drug and a major threat to public health in the United States and many other parts of the Western world. In Islam, drinking, or selling alcohol is prohibited, because it is a disruptive social evil.
Alcohol addiction is not only an American problem, but also a worldwide socio-medical crisis that hasn’t been defeated despite public education of its dangers.
Islam asks its followers to abstain from alcohol, to protect them and the public in general form its evils.
-- AJP and agencies
Source: IslamOnline.com
Commissioners at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, which annually services around 40 million passengers, decided to schedule a public meeting to consider punishing Muslim cab drivers who’ve been refusing to take passengers carrying alcohol, such as wine or liquor purchased at a duty free shop, because Islamic law forbids not only drinking but also the selling and transport of alcohol.
"It is against our faith and the airport is discriminating against Muslim drivers," says a cab driver who would only give his first name, Hashim.
Islam also regards the saliva of dogs to be unclean.
In one month, Muslim cab drivers at Minnesota’s largest airport turned down about 100 customers who were carrying alcoholic containers or a dog.
The Minnesota Chapter of the Muslim American Society defended the drivers’ stance, explaining that Islam forbids drinking, selling or transporting alcohol. Thus, Minnesota Chapter of the Muslim American Society said, driving a customer who’s carrying wine or liquor is a sin.
Three quarters of the 900 cabbies licensed to operate at the airport, are Muslims, so, their rejection to drive passengers carrying any of the above mentioned items is causing a huge problem to the airport authorities who complained that sometimes thousands of passengers are stranded without a ride.
The state’s Metropolitan Airport’s Commission announced arranging a meeting next month to decide on whether to fine those Muslim drivers with temporary and long term license suspensions.
Airport officials allege that 5,400 passengers have been turned away over the past 5 years, because some had dogs others were carrying 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," said 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."
Last year, Minnesota's Muslim American Society proposed a solution to this problem, suggesting coloring cabs that would not transport alcohol with a different color, but the airport commission rejected the proposal.
Alcohol emerged as a dangerous drug and a major threat to public health in the United States and many other parts of the Western world. In Islam, drinking, or selling alcohol is prohibited, because it is a disruptive social evil.
Alcohol addiction is not only an American problem, but also a worldwide socio-medical crisis that hasn’t been defeated despite public education of its dangers.
Islam asks its followers to abstain from alcohol, to protect them and the public in general form its evils.
-- AJP and agencies
Source: IslamOnline.com
