Ramadan used as defence by cabbie groper

By David Barrett

A DISGRACED Muslim taxi driver tried to use the holy time of Ramadan as his defence against allegations he repeatedly grabbed the breast of a disabled female passenger.

Abdul Majid Qazizada, 51, had argued that Ramadan was a time when Muslim men "don't even touch their wives".

He was yesterday found guilty of the aggravated indecent assault of a 23-year-old woman who suffers cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Magistrate Jennifer Betts said Qazizada claimed he was a devout Muslim who was fasting when the attack occurred in September last year.

" 'Men don't even touch their wives (during Ramadan)', were his words," Ms Betts said in Ryde Local Court.

The court heard how the woman got into Qazizada's taxi to go home after going out with friends at Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club.

During the short ride home, she felt at first "a little scared", then later "very worried", when Qazizada repeatedly told her: "You're a lovely lady." After parking in the driveway of her home, Qazizada told the woman he would help her get out of the taxi.

As she struggled to get out of his taxi, Qazizada squeezed the woman's breasts several times.

Throughout the assault, he asked the woman: "Are you all right?". Each time she replied: "No."

Qazizada eventually left, saying: "Have a good night."

The woman immediately went to her neighbour's home to report the attack.

The court heard that the woman uses a walking frame to walk short distances, a wheelchair to travel long distances and suffers weakness to the left side of her body.

Outside court his victim, who cannot be identified, told The Daily Telegraph she was happy to see her attacker brought to justice.

"It's been a tough time for me and my family. I feel good about what's happened today," she said.

Qazizada was granted bail pending sentencing on December 9.

Daily Telegraph

Cabbies banned over guide dogs

Jon Prashar and his guide dog Amber

TWO cabbies who refused to carry a blind man and his guide dog have been stripped of their licences.

Talib Hussain, 51, and Mohammed Idress, 37, left Jon Prashar and his dog Amber stranded outside Rochdale railway station.

But thanks to a colleague of Mr Prashar's, who took down their registration numbers, the pair were tracked down and fined. After a further investigation, they have now had their Hackney Cab licences revoked for two weeks.

Mr Prashar, who has been blind since birth, believes both drivers would not take him because of a religious misunderstanding over his dog.

Despite the cabbies' concerns, the Muslim Council of Britain has issued guidance saying Islamic law does allow guide dogs to be carried in taxis. They have even been allowed into mosques in the past. Read more ...

Source: Asia News

Driver claimed carrying dog was 'against his religion'

By Caroline Lowbridge

A TAXI driver who said religion forbade him from carrying a blind man and his guide dog has been fined.

Ali Reza Roshanmoniri later said he was allergic to animal hair and did not realise he needed a certificate making him exempt from carrying guide dogs.

The taxi was booked with Cable Cars, based in Beeston, for Christopher Odell, a voluntary counsellor who had been working at Sunnyside School in Chilwell.

The job was accepted by the firm, but when Roshanmoniri arrived at the school on the afternoon of August 27 he refused to take Mr Odell and his dog.

This broke the conditions of the licence he was granted by Broxtowe Borough Council, who yesterday prosecuted Roshanmoniri for failing to carry a disabled person with a dog, an offence under the Disability Discrimination Act.

John Cunliffe, representing the council, told Nottingham Magistrates Court: "Most of the operators are aware that Mr Odell is blind and accompanied by his guide dog.

"On seeing Mr Odell's guide dog he said it was against his religion to carry dogs in his vehicle. It was explained to him that the dog was a working dog and could not be refused carriage." Read more ...

Source: The Evening Standard

Muslim cabbies in Minn. lose round in court

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Muslim cabbies whose religious beliefs go against driving passengers who carry alcohol have lost another round in Minnesota courts.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday against the cabbies' latest attempt to block penalties from being imposed when they refuse to transport passengers because they're carrying alcoholic beverages.

An ordinance adopted by the Metropolitan Airports Commission last year revokes a cabbie's license for 30 days for refusing to pick up a passenger for any reason at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. A second refusal brings a two-year revocation.

A large share of the cabbies who serve the airport are Somali Muslims, and many of them believe that Islamic law prohibits them from giving rides to people carrying alcohol. Since the commission began keeping track in 2002, there have been over 5,200 recorded instances of cabbies refusing service to passengers at the airport, including a "significant percentage" of passengers carrying alcohol, the appeals court noted.

The issue had simmered for several years before the commission decided the penalties were needed to ensure that customers would get reliable taxi service at the airport, and that compromises proposed by the drivers were impractical.

The drivers, who say the airport rules infringe on their religious freedom, appealed a lower court's refusal to grant a temporary injunction blocking those penalties from taking effect. Read more ...

Source: AP