In Minnesota, cab drivers who ferry people from the airport to wherever they need to be are claiming that they will not take fares from people who have service dogs, or who are carrying alcohol. The former is deemed unclean, and the later outlawed, so both are outside the realm of what is allowed by the Qur'an. The cab drivers are asserting their First Amendment rights to their freedom of religion.
If this sort of hair-splitting is allowed, we as a country are in for a world of hurt. The freedom of religion grants the freedom to practice whatever religion you want, not to impose your standards on other people. Blind people are being discriminated against, because they are denied a fare if they have a service dog. I would rather grant rights to someone who has a physical challenge than someone who is choosing to run a business in this country.
In this case, the drivers are trying to have it both ways. They want the freedoms of living in our country, but when they have a problem with something, instead of making the decision to undertake a different profession, they cry that their rights are trampled.
I realize that I've been on a "rights" kick as of late, but these stories keep cropping up in the news, and I don't like where our country is headed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Let the cab driver have their "religious freedom". As long as they are a privately owned business (and not funded by the government), then they should have every right to choose who they will and will not pick up.
If someone were really smart, they'd move to that area right now and start their own cab company that does not discriminate against anyone at all, and promote that trait heavily. I'm guessing they would make a boat load of money with the bad press the current cab company is getting.
"Let the cab driver have their "religious freedom". As long as they are a privately owned business (and not funded by the government), then they should have every right to choose who they will and will not pick up."
Taxicab companies don't exactly work that way.
First off, many times a cab company will have a monopoly on an airport or a section of an airport...only that company can work there. Another company can't just move in.
Second, cabs are required under federal law not to discriminate (the feds got 'em under the commerce clause). This is because in the past, cab drivers wouldn't accept riders who were "unclean" to them...namely black people. So drivers can't legally pick and choose who they give a ride to based on certain criteria, and disabled people fall under it.
People with service animals get a special exemption: They are allowed to bring their animals anywhere, even in places that do not allow pets or are legally required to bar pets (such as supermarkets).
While the driver may have his religious freedom under the first amendment, it's not an absolute freedom to practice it regardless of legal consequences, and one cannot ignore laws simply because your religion says so. Sometimes you can win the case (Amish children and schools), sometimes not (Mormons and bigamy). Christians in this country have had to reconcile with their faith and the realities of living in modern society, perhaps it's time Muslims do too.
If the cab driver simply can't find a way to accept dogs, then he shouldn't be a cab driver. If his religion keeps him from performing a job, he shouldn't do it. If a Muslim took a job as a bartender and refused to serve drinks because it's his religion, but expected to keep his job, I'd laugh. Accepting service animals is his job. Do it, or quit.
As for carrying alcohol (I'm assuming you mean "in a suitcase" and not "in an open container"), it's quite simply none of the cabbie's business what I'm carrying, and I'm not forcing my religion on him, so he shouldn't force his on me.
Post a Comment