Canada: Tribunal to rule on guide dog vs. religion (Muslim cabbie refused service to infidel w/ dog)

North Shore News (Vancouver B.C.) ^ | November 15, 2006 | Jane Seyd

[Stoat]

Tribunal to rule on guide dog vs. religion

Jane Seyd

jseyd@nsnews.com

A case potentially pitting rights of the disabled against religious beliefs will be heard by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal after a blind man from the North Shore who uses a guide dog to get around launched a complaint against North Shore Taxi.

Bruce Gilmour filed the complaint after a cab driver from North Shore Taxi refused to let his guide dog into the cab in January of this year. Gilmour, who says it's not the first time he's been refused service by a taxicab, is complaining that North Shore taxi discriminated against him on the basis of physical disability.

But the taxi driver, Behzad Saidy, is arguing his Muslim religious beliefs will not allow him to take dogs in his taxi, because Muslims can't associate with dogs.

According to documents filed with the Human Rights Tribunal, North Shore Taxi said about half of their drivers are "unable to take animals in their taxis due to medical or religious reasons."

The taxi company asked the human rights tribunal to toss the case against it out. But tribunal member Lindsay Lyster ruled recently it is important that the case be heard, saying the case presents "important and difficult issues" for the tribunal to resolve including both the rights of blind people to equal services and the rights of employees to have their religious beliefs accommodated.

The taxi company says another driver was sent out to get Gilmour right after the first driver refused to let the guide dog in the car.

Gilmour and the taxi driver disagree on what was said about the dog at the time.

Saidy has told the Human Rights Tribunal he told Gilmour at the time that he was refusing because of religious beliefs.

But Gilmour's lawyer Nazeer Mitha said all the driver said to Gilmour was, "No dogs, no dogs," before driving away. The first Gilmour heard about religious objections was after he filed a formal complaint, said Mitha.

Since then, the taxi driver has filed a statement from a Muslim cleric stating that Islam has some restrictions towards certain animals, including dogs.

But Mitha says Gilmour has also filed a statement from a different Muslim cleric, stating that there can be exceptions to blanket refusals to deal with dogs, especially if it means helping someone in need. Mitha said all that would be required in most circumstances would be for a Muslim person to wash their hands before eating if they have been in contact with a dog.

"That's not a terrible task to go through," he said.

Lyster said the case is made more complicated by the fact that "different Islamic people may hold different beliefs about appropriate conduct in relation to dogs."

Mitha says it's not the first time Gilmour's been refused service by taxi drivers because of his guide dog. "It happens to him very frequently," both on the North Shore and elsewhere, he said.

Mitha said the real reason this happens probably doesn't have anything to do with religion. "People don't want dogs in their cabs," he said. Under legislation, however, cab drivers must be willing to take certified assistance dogs.

North Shore taxi and company lawyer William McLachlan refused to comment further on the case.

The Human Rights Tribunal hearing is scheduled for next summer.

[Stoat]

...Muslims can't associate with dogs.

A tip of the hat to dogs everywhere! They are excellent judges of character.

Agreed, although I will bet you a hot fudge sundae that any true Viking Kitty will also be repulsed by Islamofascists   :-)

"Waiting to pounce on a Whirling Dervish"

...Muslims can't associate with dogs.

A tip of the hat to dogs everywhere! They are excellent judges of character.

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

Exactly. If it is company policy to allow guide dogs, then he is SOL. If I were his supervisor I'd tell him either make the pick up, or make plans for a new job. You sign on, you do the job, period. It doesn't matter if its fighter pilot, engineer, cab driver or garbage collector. You do the job you were hired for, or you get the hell out.

[VOA]

In Iran they hold necktie parties all the time.

True.
Something you rarely see/hear about on some documentaries.
(Thanks MSM!)

Makes modern-day Tehran look less civilized than some Wild West town.
(where most hangings included a proper trapdoor gallows!)

[Petey139]

The best solution would be to ask him to drive you to a pig related building, that would be funny to see him deny you service because it's against his religion to aide in the consumption of porc.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

This cabbie needs to be bitch-slapped around the block sixty or seventy times.

Some people are too stupid to learn even from the most direct application of educational material.

This sack of Scheiss needs to be tarred and feathered before being driven out of the country.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Muahahaha!

Great idea and a great award.

Weasel-Award ftw!

[Stoat]

This cabbie needs to be bitch-slapped around the block sixty or seventy times.

Some people are too stupid to learn even from the most direct application of educational material.

Agreed.  Socialists, Commies and Democrats (all essentially the same, really) are perfect examples of this.

This sack of Scheiss needs to be tarred and feathered before being driven out of the country.

I think that I know where I can find some feathers (Ward Churchill's office comes to mind)

[Stoat]

Muahahaha!

Great idea and a great award.

Weasel-Award ftw!

hehehe!  Thank you   :-)

FYI, ccmay is the First Ever recipient....

[metmom]

No wonder why these folks are the natural allies of the ACLU.

They're natural allies because their goals are the same; destruction of western culture and anything that even smacks of Christianity-which both hate with a passion.

The ONLY difference between the two is the method to their madness.

[Sender]

True, Viking Kitties would also prefer not to associate with them. They might allow them to remain on staff as can openers if no one else was available.

[Sender]

...but they would be watched very closely.