[wvns] MUSLIM CABBIES GET TICKETS WHILE PRAYING
Drivers say police at O'Hare have fined 500 for blocking lanes
MUSLIM CABBIES GET TICKETS WHILE PRAYING
LEONARD N. FLEMING/lfleming @ suntimes.com
Chicago sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/religion/559988,CST-NWS-taxi16.article
Faisal, a taxicab driver who works at O'Hare Airport, wants to be a
good cabbie while staying true to his Muslim faith.
But Muslim cabdrivers are finding the latter difficult lately, as
they've been hit with a rash of tickets for parking in access lanes
leading to the airport terminals near where the city helped set up a
prayer trailer for them.
"For most of us who need to pray, that's part of our religious duty,"
said Faisal, a 13-year-cab veteran who declined to give his last name.
"It doesn't do us any favors if you write us a ticket and you know
this guy's going to come back in five minutes and his friend is
waiting outside to move the car in case of an emergency," the cabbie
complained.
Drivers such as Faisal say they mean no harm by parking in the lanes
leading to the prayer trailer on the grounds of O'Hare's commercial
lot -- which either have no-parking signs posted or are meant for
brief stops.
The cabbies say they are caught in a Catch-22 -- that the city
provided them the location in which to practice their faith, but
punishes them when they park and pray.
Drivers are particularly worried about receiving tickets as they
celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, a time for steadfast prayer,
fasting and spiritual reawakening.
Many American Muslims began celebrating Eid last week.
The commercial access area is the staging ground for taxis and limo
drivers who use various lanes to park their cars for shift changes or
for a brief lunch stop. It is only open to commercial vehicles that
pick up passengers at the airport and is maintained by the city's
Department of Aviation.
Wolfgang J. Weiss, one of the managing directors of the Chicago
Professional Taxicab Drivers Association, said more than 500 cabs have
been ticketed. Ultimately, drivers are responsible for paying the
tickets -- ranging from $50 to $80 -- which can cut their daily profit
in half, Weiss said.
"The financial impact, at least from a revenue standpoint, is huge,"
he said. "We just want them to back off."
But Weiss admits that authorities probably won't give them a break, so
his association is going to petition Mayor Daley and others for relief.
Aviation Department spokesman Greg Cunningham said authorities do not
want to interrupt Muslims and their prayer habits. But he contends
that cabbies must follow the rules at a facility that needs to be
clear of traffic in order for operations to run smoothly and safely.
"It's a temporary parking and holding area," Cunningham said. "If a
vehicle blocks off other vehicles from leaving the facility, it
becomes a problem."
Iqbal, another Muslim cabdriver, said the city is punishing honest
people duty-bound to their faith. "It doesn't happen every day," he
said. "We need to cover all our bases with God."
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