Muslim taxi driver refuses woman with unopened alcohol

A MUSLIM taxi driver kicked a woman out of his cab because her shopping contained a 12-pack of lager. Alison Dawson had just climbed in with her son and six bags of shopping when the cabbie saw the beer and said: “You’re not getting in with that.”

The stunned market stall holder was forced to haul her belongings out of the cab and across the rank to another taxi.

www.dailystar.co.uk...

Read this earlier and was enraged.

Why are you a taxi driver if you only carry certain passengers- discrimination anyone? So presumeably he doesn't pick up people from clubs or bars then?

You come to the UK and work- hat off to you.
You are welcomed with open arms by the natives.
You whinge all the time about discrimination and suppression of your religion yet you refuse to integrate within society.
If it is that bad why do you stay?

This is the UK people!

Why can't these people just embrace OUR culture, after all they have chosen to live in OUR country.

reply to post by KingDoey


Y'know, I admit I'm not familiar with how it works in the UK. But here in the United States, a person is free to refuse to service a customer or potential customer at their own discretion. That is, if I walk into a store, I am not entitled to make a purchase there, and the owner or any of the owner's employees are completely within their rights to refuse me service, for whatever reason they like. It may strike me as unfair, but it's completely their right.

This dude refused service to a potential customer. End result, he loses a fare to the competition. Big whup. If that "enrages" you, then I suppose that it's more 'cause the guy is a Muslim than anything else.

By the by? When you let people immigrate into your country, you give license for their culture to come with them. You can't have both immigration and "cultural purity." You open the doors to people from other lands, then they're going to have an impact on your culture. Get over it, and join the rest of us in the real world.

First off, what kind of horrific, prejudiced rag is the daily star? they went and capitalized the word Muslim? Fear monger much?

Since he is the driver, he has the right ot refuse a passenger, plain and simple. if his beliefs are such that he cannot be around alcohol, so be it. I don't agree with his decision to not drive the woman but that's his perogative. One can only hope that there will come a time when someone refuses to do something for him based on a set of beliefs contrary to his own and then he will see the light.

or not.

until then, he might want to stick a sign on his cab that says "no alcohol in the cab"

reply to post by KingDoey


UK media loves to demonize the Muslims, they had to make this a race and or religion issue. The driver could have been a white recovering alcoholic who did not want to be around beer and the media would not be making a splash about this.

You see a lot of anti everything on ATS, sometimes UK vs Muslim, I usually ignore those threads. But I think this guy should be sent back to his country for doing this. You make a good point OP. He should not discriminate, especially if he expects the same treatment in your country.

This guy just proves you get idiots of every race, religion, age, or gender.

Believe it or not, but the Daily Star could possibly be classed as a down-market version of the Sun !

The headers at the top say a lot about the paper: ''NEWS SPORT BABES CELEBRITY''.

So the story has to be taken with a pinch of salt.


As for the story, well I think it depends on whether he's a private taxi driver, or, more likely, working for a private firm.

If he's working for a private company, he will probably get disciplined, as I imagine refusing someone service on these grounds would go against the company's policy.

Take out the word muslim and this story is nothing.Create fear and paranoia and everyone jumps in for the ride.
New headline 'Taxi driver refuses woman with unopened alcohol' .No one is going to read that garbage,This story degrades this site.

Originally posted by Crakeur
First off, what kind of horrific, prejudiced rag is the daily star? they went and capitalized the word Muslim? Fear monger much?

Since he is the driver, he has the right ot refuse a passenger, plain and simple. if his beliefs are such that he cannot be around alcohol, so be it. I don't agree with his decision to not drive the woman but that's his perogative. One can only hope that there will come a time when someone refuses to do something for him based on a set of beliefs contrary to his own and then he will see the light.

or not.

until then, he might want to stick a sign on his cab that says "no alcohol in the cab"

Although I lean towards agreeing with the idea about signs saying what/who is and is not acceptable in your cab.. the more important issue is where do you draw the line?

And in the wider context of the UK, if a Christian owner of the guest house can be taken to court for refusing to serve a openly gay couple as that goes against their belief, then the same rule surely must apply here.

A single rule must be applied consistently to ensure one segment of society is not perceived as receiving preferential treatment as in the end it will only end in tears.

Linky 21 jan 2011

ETA: Sometimes I really do feel that some really want this to end in tears...

reply to post by thoughtsfull


there's a big difference between who and what on a sign.

no alcohol permitted is tame.

no blacks/jews/muslims/gays etc is offensive.

not allowing alcohol in your home or car, based on your faith is understandable. telling two people they can't come in because they're gay is hateful.

the folks who refused the gay couple were probably afraid that the gayness would be on their sheets and that they would now run the risk of catching gay and we all know, once you catch gay, you burn in hell.

while I don't believe in an afterlife, I do believe that nothing would be funnier than an afterlife where you found out that everything you ignorantly hated in life, everyone and everything you were bigotted against, is the norm in the afterlife so, when the folks refusing the gay couple die, they go to heaven and it's owned and operated by a gay couple and everyone there is gay. except them.

nazis working a kibbutz.

and so on

reply to post by KingDoey


Muslim taxi driver refuses woman with unopened alcohol





And so it begins...


Actually, that's all I have to say, as every time something of this nature pops up, someone says, "And so it begins...".


So, once again:

And so it begins...

reply to post by TheWalkingFox

Would it still be a "big whop" if you were blind and they refused your service dog for the same reason as refusing the alcohol ? Even though is illegal.

My intent was to include a link or two, but there are too many instances to choose from, and in multiple countries. So if you wish google 'muslim cab driver refuses guide dog', and enjoy.

reply to post by nocents


Perhaps getting a cab is different than it is in the US. Here, the driver has to pull over to pick you up. If a driver sees someone they don't want to pick up, they just keep driving. They don't have to stop and give a reason.

I'm assuming it's different in the various places you say this happens in.

I would only refuse one type of person.. stinky smelly nasty people. Id have a sign that said .. "if you stink dont even THINK about hailing this taxi." Otherwise I would be glad to take the boozers money.

reply to post by Crakeur


There have been several cases taken to court and cabbies fined in the UK for the very same reason. and according to this article cabbies can loose their license for refusing a guide dog. www.dailymail.co.uk...

I've been refused a cab because the driver did not want to load my wheelchair into his trunk in -30 Celsius weather. Far worse than this story, but I didn't whine and complain, just called aother cab. The driver doesn't want my money, hey I'm sure someone else will be happy to take it. Instead of crying to the media, the woman needs to suck it up.

reply to post by TheWalkingFox


I agree with you, especially if it is his own cab. However if he is driving a cab owned by a company that is a different story and a potential issue between the two.

In the mid-80s I hopped in a cab in NYC with a bottle of wine, taking it to a BYOB restaurant. The cab driver saw the bottle in the mirror and several blocks later gently pulled over and asked me to leave the cab because he did not believe in the consumption of alcohol and it was obvious that I was going somewhere to consume it - he felt that taking me was facilitating the consumption of alcohol. He was very nice and respectful.

I got out and grabbed another cab. No problem

Originally posted by Crakeur
First off, what kind of horrific, prejudiced rag is the daily star? they went and capitalized the word Muslim? Fear monger much?

Literally the worst kind in the UK.


I wouldn't even line a bird cage with it...

reply to post by InvisibleAlbatross


to me, that's downright wrong.


reply to post by nocents


I didn't say that I thought you were lying about the cases, I asked how it works elsewhere. In NYC there aren't cab lines where people wait their turn for a car to pull up, except outside of Penn Station. It's every man for himself so a cabbie can simply drive right by, never giving a reason why.

reply to post by Crakeur


While I agree with you to a point, this is all about perception, and the perception is that a certain segment of society (at the moment it is Islam) can get away with things based on their faith, while the perception is others can not.. this is repeated in the media and while it might seem tame to allow one segment to get away with it, it is deeply divisive, and part of the reason I feel our society is as divided as it is.

From my own perspective if their is a god I certainly am going to have a few strong words in his/her/its ear when I get there, and I do like your idea.. sounds really good.. what goes around and all that.

Originally posted by Crakeur
First off, what kind of horrific, prejudiced rag is the daily star? they went and capitalized the word Muslim? Fear monger much?

Since he is the driver, he has the right ot refuse a passenger, plain and simple. if his beliefs are such that he cannot be around alcohol, so be it. I don't agree with his decision to not drive the woman but that's his perogative. One can only hope that there will come a time when someone refuses to do something for him based on a set of beliefs contrary to his own and then he will see the light.

or not.

until then, he might want to stick a sign on his cab that says "no alcohol in the cab"

Yes i completely agree that the Daily Star is horrendous, however my foreman was reading it in the cafe earlier and pointed it out. Its still a story?

That is fair enough mate, that a driver has the right to refuse passengers if he deems necessary. Staying with that context then, say a muslim gets into a cab carrying halal meat. If a taxi driver refused him on the grounds that he does not agree with halal produce there would be an uproar!

If it had been the other way around people would be going mad and the cabbie would probably lose his job/be prosecuted for some 'religous discrimination crime'. Don't try and say this wouldn't be the case because here in the UK it 100% would be.

I am all for multi cultural society but every other culture seems to embrace us. Islam is the only one that doesn't?

reply to post by KingDoey


The point you make about Halal is absolutely 100% correct.
Similar points others have made:
Muslims refuse guide dogs on buses

Muslim taxi drive refuses guide dog
Here is a snippet from the above link - even after being found guilty by the court he states this which is disgraceful. Next time this ignorant muslim should have his licence revoked and therefore lose his livelihood - maybe that will show him his precious religion does not overide the needs of disabled people as enshrined in UK law.

After the case Mr Majekodunmi remained defiant and insisted that he would continue refusing passengers accompanied by guide dogs

The main issue I have with this is that this cab driver is almost undoubtedly a hypocrite of the highest order. He refuses a fare because she has sealed alcohol in a bag that offends his religious beliefs. (not that she was drinking it at the time)

Yet I find it almost impossible that this man does not ever go into almost any shop in the UK from Tesco/Morrisons/Asda supermarkets to local stores like Spar/Onestop etc on principal because all of them have unopened (the horror) - yes unopened alcohol on their shelves.
No that does not happen I almost guarantee it.

It is disgraceful behaviour and despite what people say its just another case or Muslims feeling they can behave however they like according to their culture in this country. In the UK it is not illegal to carry unopened alcohol around, and he therefore has no grounds to impose his beliefs on this woman, who is perfectly entitled to be walking around in such a manner, and perfectly entitled to expect to get into a taxi in the UK and be taken home.

If she was roaring drunk, then invariably most taxi drivers justifiably refuse you. But this is clearly not the case here.