We know that many devout Muslims have a dog complex but to his consternation this particular Muslim found that the Disability Discrimination act has a bigger bite than any guide dog he is ever likely to encounter.
Great many muslims see dogs as unclean and therefore they think they should be avoided at all costs but on the other side of the coin there are many muslim dog owners who think exactly the opposite.
The bottom line is DDA 1 Religion 0.
DAILY MAIL (London)
HEADLINE: WHY MUSLIM CABBIE REFUSED TO TAKE A BLIND WOMAN'S DOG
BYLINE: BY CHRIS BROOKE
A MUSLIM cab driver who refused to take a blind passenger and her guide dog has been ordered to pay £1,400 in fines and costs.
Abdul Rasheed Majekodunmi told magistrates he turned away the woman because dogs are 'unclean'.
Under the Islamic faith, the animals are seen as impure and followers are warned against most contact with them.
But the passenger he refused was a legal officer for the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
Jane Vernon knew his actions were illegal, and was determined he should be brought to court.
Yesterday, she said the problem is widespread, but local authorities rarely prosecute drivers for refusing to carry guide dogs.
Mrs Vernon, 39, of Hammer-smith, West London, said the experience was 'very upsetting' and made her feel like 'a second-class citizen'.
The incident happened last year when a cab was ordered to collect her from the BBC television studios in Wood Lane, West London.
She said two drivers arrived from the London-based taxi firm Niven Ltd, which has a contract with the BBC, but both refused to take her dog, Innis.
Majekodunmi, the first driver, was prosecuted because she should have been his customer.
Mrs Vernon said: 'I had been working 12 hours. It had been a long and stressful day and I was tired and keen to get home.'
She said neither the first or second drivers gave her any reason why they would not take Innis.
'They certainly were not polite or apologetic and did not offer to sort the situation out,' Mrs Vernon added.
'They just walked off and left me there. It was as if blind people do not matter.' Majekodunmi pleaded guilty at Marylebone Magistrates Court in London on Thursday to failing to comply with regulations in the Disability Discrimination Act, which became law three years ago. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay £1,200 costs. The maximum fine under the law is £1,000, according to the institute, and drivers can lose their licence.
Mrs Vernon said she knew of at least 20 cases where blind or partially sighted passengers had been refused cabs because of their guide dogs, mostly by Muslim drivers.
In one recent case, Basir Miah was fined £150 and ordered to pay £250 compensation by Horseferry Magistrates Court in Central London, for refusing to take a blind passenger and her guide dog.
But Bill Alker, who also works in the institute's anti-discrimination unit, said it is very rare for cases to reach court.
He added: 'The law says that drivers who refuse to take a guide dog in minicabs can lose their licence or be fined up to £1,000. But a victim needs the area licensing authority to mount a prosecution.
'Not enough of them are taking enforcement seriously and Muslim drivers are regularly flouting the law.'
Neil Gerrard, Labour MP for Walthamstow who instigated the discrimination law, said there was 'no excuse' for Muslim drivers to ignore it.
Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain's Inter-Faith Relations Committee said: 'Our message to Muslim minicab drivers is that they should be prepared to pick up any passengers who use a guide dog.
'In our religion, the transfer of saliva from a dog is regarded as unclean and impure.
'But guide dogs are highlytrained animals and so there is no problem there.'
c.brooke@dailymail.co.uk
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