Taxi Driver Online

Woman of Pakistani descent guilty of racist attack on taxi driver also of Pakistani heritage

A woman of Pakistani heritage used racist language towards a taxi driver who criticised her for drinking alcohol.

Blackburn magistrates heard the criticism sparked a furious row between Ushba Awan and taxi driver Junaid Ejaz who then started filming the female on his mobile phone.

She lashed out at the phone and hit him on the back of the head.

Awan was charged with racially aggravated assault and Neil White, prosecuting, said it was the correct charge despite them sharing the same ethnicity.

“She says her ethnicity is Pakistani which is the same as the aggrieved,” said Mr White.

“Her offence targeted his ethnicity, regardless of the fact it is the same as hers.”

Awan, 29, of Worcester Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated assault and possession of cannabis. She was fined £150 and ordered to pay £100 compensation to Mr Ejaz and £22 victim surcharge.

Mr White said Awan and a friend had been picked up by Mr Ejaz at 4 am and it was clear they had both been drinking.

“The driver began to criticise her for drinking because she is a Muslim,” said Mr White.

“This led to an argument which he then started to video. She called him a “P*** c*** and then struck him on the back of the head.

"It appears she has lashed out at him because he is holding the phone towards her.”

Mr White said Awan had no previous convictions.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said his client had to pay £5 before the taxi driver would start the journey and when they arrived at her address he demanded another £5.

“They became embroiled in an argument about payment and he made some comments about her lifestyle,” said Mr Taylor.

“The taxi driver made it clear he didn’t approve of her drinking because she is a Muslim and she took exception to what was being said. They became embroiled in a row which got worse and worse and she said a hurtful thing.”

Mr Taylor said his client was of Pakistani descent and it was an unusual thing for her to say.

“She was angry that he was videoing her and swung at the phone to knock it away,” said Mr Taylor. “She caught his head in that action and accepts she was reckless.”

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IDFIMH

oh for crying out load many "Muslim" Asians round these parts drink alcohol.



Besides which she might not have been a Muslim. They do have Christians,Buddhists,Seikhs and many more religions on the Indian subcontinent how did he know ?

Taxi drivers have no right to criticize or pass judgement on their passengers! She shouldn't have retaliated with abuse though.

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Vast majority are Hindus.

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IDFIMH

in Pakistan and Bangladesh which is the origin states of most British Muslims ?

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

So how would he have known she was from Pakistan or Bangladesh?

In fact how would he have known she was even from the Indian subcontinent?

Suspect the answer to that is that he *did* know that she was a Muslim before things got out of hand. Maybe they knew each other, or maybe she told him, either when the conversation was more civil, or when things got a bit heated.

The comments on the paper's website make it seem like she just got into the car, and the driver then just said that she shouldn't have been drinking because she was a Muslim. Suspect it was a bit more involved than that, and what he said has to be seen in the context of the incident as a whole. Imagine a dispute you've been involved in, and how that might be reported in a brief press summary. A lot of the detail and nuance would be missed out.

I mean, I doubt he asked her for money up front, and towards the end of the trip started filming the incident, just for the sake of it. And obviously her state of intoxication was relevant to the whole dispute, so hardly a surprise he would mention that, although maybe linking that to her religion was a bit over the top.

You are correct, getting my countries mixed up.

Very very few Hindus in Pakistan.

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IDFIMH