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.
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, was cited as saying.
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. Some 600 airport taxi drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul cities, home to the country’s largest Somali community, are Somali Muslims.
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.