Discriminating Cabbies

Here's an interesting story from Minneapolis-St. Paul. They're having problems with their cabbies because many of them are Muslim and are refusing to serve customers who are carrying alcohol:

Minneapolis-St. Paul is concerned that its taxi service is deteriorating. Citing their religious beliefs, some Muslim taxi drivers from Somalia are refusing to transport customers carrying or suspected of carrying alcohol. It started with one driver a few years ago, but the average number of fare refusals has grown to about three a day, says airport spokesman Patrick Hogan. "Travelers often feel surprised and insulted," he says. "Sometimes, several drivers in a row refuse carriage."

Taxi drivers and officials from the airport, taxi companies and the Muslim American Society are discussing how to address the issue. Partly out of concern that taxi drivers might be citing religion to avoid short-distance fares, the airport is now forcing drivers who refuse a fare to go to the end of the line for waiting taxis. It is not a popular decision among drivers, Hogan says.

And here's one suggestion:

The airport is expected to propose today that drivers who wish to avoid alcohol-toting passengers change the light on their car roofs, possibly to a different color. Hogan says the move will help let airport employees and customers know which taxis serve alcohol-carrying passengers. Drivers refusing a fare won't have to go to the end of the line. "Airport authorities are not in the business of interpreting sacred texts or dictating anyone's religious choices. ... Our goal is simply to ensure travelers at (the airport) are well served."

My question is, what's next? If a customer has a girly magazine, will the driver refuse to take him? How about if his wife/girlfriend has dared to go out in public without the appropriate Muslim attire? What if the passenger appears to be gay? What if the driver doesn't like the color of the guy's dress?

They're going to run out of different colored lights by the time they figure out all the types of passengers that the Muslims won't drive.

There's an obvious way to solve this. Whoever is running the cab operation sits all the Muslims down and and has a "come to Jesus meeting" (so to speak) that goes something like this: "Your job is to pick up and transport passengers, not to make religious judgments about them. Either pick up every fare, every time, or find another line of work."

Of course, that would be insensitive.