“The ability of the MTC to set standards for what people can wear in violation of their religion was taken to the Supreme Court of Missouri. The Supreme Court of Missouri said that the MTC is not allowed to do that.”
Source/Credit: CBS Radio KMOX
By KMOX/AP | June 10, 2014
ST. LOUIS — An Islamic cab driver in St. Louis is challenging the regional taxi commission’s wardrobe rules in court after receiving dozens of tickets for wearing traditional religious clothing.
Raja Naeem, 50, is a native of Pakistan who immigrated to the United States two decades ago and now lives in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester. He says his religious beliefs require him to wear a traditional head covering known as a kufi, a billowy shirt called a kurta and loose-fitting pants rather than the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission’s mandated uniform of black slacks and a white, button-down shirt.
He sued the taxi commission in St. Louis Circuit Court, alleging harassment and retaliation based on his religious views — including an arrest at Lambert-St Louis International Airport.
“I cannot pick up anybody from the airport,” Naeem says. “Two times I went there, I got arrested.”
On Monday, the two sides squared off in a case Circuit Judge Robert Dierker Jr. took under advisement without issuing a ruling.
“I want to practice my religion as well as provide for my family,” Naeem, a father of four daughters, says.
Attorney Neil Bruntrager, who represents the taxi commission, said the regulatory agency has tried to accommodate Naeem’s ideology while still enforcing its wardrobe rules, which he said were created to help passengers clearly identify approved taxi drivers.
Bruntrager noted that the commission offered a compromise that would have allowed Naeem to wear a kurta as long as it was white and didn’t extend below thigh length. The commission agreed that he could wear the kufi on his head but said his pants must be black rather than the white leg coverings Naeem favors in tribute to the prophet Muhammad.
“All the tickets had nothing to do with him wearing (religious) clothing,” Bruntrager said in court. “It was the color requirements … Inherent in all this is the idea of easy recognition.”
Drew Baebler, Naeem’s attorney, said the taxi commission overstepped its authority when it interviewed Naeem’s imam about his religious views in an effort to resolve the dispute. He also noted that the commission allows drivers to wear sports jerseys when teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues make the playoffs.
“The ability of the MTC to set standards for what people can wear in violation of their religion was taken to the Supreme Court of Missouri,” Baebler says. “The Supreme Court of Missouri said that the MTC is not allowed to do that.”
Naeem is continuing to work until Dierker makes a ruling. But Naeem tells KMOX he is prohibited from taking fares at Lambert Airport. He says without the airport, his business is cut nearly in half.
“Any customer I talk to, they say, ‘We don’t care what you wear, we are happy you are on time,’” Naeem says.
Read original post here: Muslim Cab Driver Challenge Regional Taxi Commission’s Wardrobe Rules
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.