Muslim Cab Drivers in Minneapolis Face New Penalties

The Minnesota Metropolitan Airports Commission has voted unanimously to enact new penalties for taxi drivers who refuse passengers that are carrying alcohol or have dogs traveling with them. This story hit the news wires a while back, but now the Commission is finally had enough complaints from air travelers who have had their fares refused by Muslim cab drivers.

Now, if they refuse to give rides to travelers, they face a two-year revocation of their taxi permits. A first-offense, under the new regulations, would result in a 30-day suspension of their cab license. A second-offense will take away their license for two years. Under current policy, if they refuse a rider, they have to go back to the end of the cab line. That costs them time and money -- this new regulation may cost them their jobs. And deservedly so.

Complaints have been filed by blind people that are accompanied by their canine companion. The Muslim Somali immigrants say they (the dogs) are "unclean". Their Islamic faith bans alcohol consumption, but these cab drivers also think it applies to those travelers who have unopened bottles in their luggage. In the last five years, there have been roughly 4,800 instances when drivers refused fares who carried the demon rum in their baggage.

Travelers from international destinations that bring back duty-free alcoholic beverages often have them in readily identifiable packages. The Muslim drivers see them and then refuse the passengers fare requests.

In my humble opinion, the crux of the matter is the issue of immigrant assimilation. Historically, every ethnic group that came to this country did their damnedest to "fit in" with their new country. The native language was still spoken by the immigrants, but they insisted on their children learning and adapting to American culture and language. The Italians, Irish, Poles, Germans, and every other nationality did it. Why can't or won't the Muslim immigrants do the same?

I'm not suggesting they abandon their religious beliefs at all. If your religion requires you to kneel in front of a velour picture of Elvis, fine: just don't impose your beliefs on me or adversely affect the fabric of American society.

We have a Balkanization of America in progress right now. Mexican immigrants think (sometimes demand) that Spanish should be the second language in this country. My wife, who's an RN, experienced this phenomenon in San Antonio, Texas, when she worked in a Critical Care unit. The patient, a Mexican-American woman, had been in the States for over twenty years, yet didn't speak a word of English. Her daughter yelled at my wife, telling her that she should be fluent in Spanish. It's not an isolated incident, either.

There was a TV news article recently on the Muslim woman who worked as a cashier at a supermarket. She refused to handle pork products, as it violated her religious beliefs. Fine. Don't work in an occupation in this country where there could be a conflict with your religious beliefs. You need to make accommodations, not the rest of us!

Another high profile incident involved a woman in Florida who refused to remove her head gear for a driver's license photograph. It again was against religious beliefs. Fine. No photo, no driver's license. Comprende?

A worst case scenario is the Muslim male who was wanted by the Feds. He fled the U.S. on his sister's passport. How? He wore a Muslim woman's garb, including the head gear. There was no way the airport screeners could positively identify the person with the passport. That alone outrages me, that the TSA personnel that did screening for an international flight didn't demand the head scarf be removed. What a great episode that would make for the series "24".

If you think I'm exaggerating or engaging in a xenophobic diatribe, just look at what's happening in Europe with their large Muslim populations. France has had its riots and the Germans are also uncomfortable with the lack of immigrant assimilation into its society.

It's time to stop bending the rules for religious reasons. Our country is imploding under the weight of special interest groups and immigrant demands. Our gutless ELECTED representatives need to step up and say, "enough is enough".