Religious Pluralism, My Sick Dog and the Muslim Cabdriver

[mondo joe]

Yesterday I got a phone call from doggy daycare saying my boy Sirius was very sick and I should come get him. I called the vet to schedule him for an urgent care visit.

Problem is my partner is out of town and so is the car, so I had to call a cab to get me and the dog to get to the veterinarian. And I was warned that it could be a LONG wait because a lot of drivers are Muslims and don't want dogs in their cars.

I knew this was the case since I'd done it before. I still always tell dispatch I have a dog, because I'd rather get a driver who doesn't mind.

We had to wait half an hour - about 6 times longer than it normally takes to get a cab. I was surprised when the driver showed up because - and I admit I was stereotyping - he LOOKED like he could easily be Muslim. And as it turns out, he was.

"You will hold the dog?" he asked.

I was confused by his question.

"I don't mind him in the cab," he said, nodding to Sirius. "But I can't touch him. You have to hold him."

The whole ride I was struck by the situation, and what I considered to be a very decent man, at least in this situation. I thought he demonstrated great boundaries by maintaining what he needed for his own peace of mind, but leaving me the space for my interests.

It seemed like a great model for how very different people can live together peacefully and respectfully in a pluralistic society.


(And for the dog lovers: Sirius had pneumonia and spent the night at the vet's but is doing well now.)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. That cabbie seemed okay...

But those who refuse to carry dogs are in the wrong line of work.

EDIT: Glad your dog is doing better.

[mondo joe]

5. I agree. The thing is - as I understand it - the cabs are SUPPOSED to accept dogs.

I always alert the dispatcher, even though it makes my life harder because of a longer wait.

I don't know if I'm in the wrong for being so yielding, or if they are for making it an issue, or if we're all just okay.

But at least this time, that's why I was so appreciative of the driver - he managed it so we all got what we needed.

[sailor65]

10. Don't give the guy too much credit

YOU have the right to carry your beloved dog without commentary from a cab driver. In this country, if he doesn't like carrying dogs he can find a new line of work or go drive a cab in Saudi. You would have been totally in the right to tell him to keep his opinions to himself and do his job. :mad:

But I'm sure glad your dog is better.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. yes because ofcourse all muslims are saudi.

:eyes:

[sailor65]

14. Actually,

I needed to select a country where that behavior is commonplace. Saudi was the most obvious. And it seemed counterproductive to list every single country where this treatment of our friend and (His/Her?) dog would be acceptable. The point was that here, it is not acceptable.

But thanks for totally distracting from the point.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. stereotyping people is annoying to me. sorry for ruining your 'point'

[hfojvt]

17. we have no muslim cab drivers in this town

but they still don't like dogs in their cabs. Why? Because dogs shed, and slobber and cabbies are required to clean up their own cabs, and if the dog pukes or poops or pees, then it will be even worse. I am not sure why a dog would do any of those three, but drivers are paranoid. My six month old puppy still gets car-sick sometimes too.

Just saying, it is not all about Saudi Arabia.

[mondo joe]

37. That's why I telll dispatch I have a dog. I'd rather get a driver who doesn't mind

having a dog in the cab, for whatever reason.

(Also: I know he doesn't shed or slobber or any of those other things, but I know THEY don't know that.)

[hfojvt]

39. my dog does shed and slobber

so I always told dispatch too, and she was in really bad shape when she came home from the vet. I still ended up with cabbies who grumbled about it.

[mondo joe]

36. Well, when I think of all the drivers over the 1/2 hour who DIDN'T pick us up, I

do feel very grateful for him, and for his willingness to accommodate both our needs.

I gave him a pretty huge tip too.

[porphyrian]

44. I'm guessing they appreciate your having the respect to alert them ahead of time.

I'm sure they constantly get rude people with dogs who don't say anything ahead of time and end up arguing with them about it. If you've done it a lot, they may even know you by your address by now. I tip pizza delivery people well, and almost always get it before the time they tell me on the phone. Not exactly a good metaphor for showing respect for someone's core beliefs, but you get what I'm saying.

[Ron Green]

2. Perhaps his children will touch the dog, and his grandchildren will

actually have a dog in their family. There's hope for improvement in this crazy world.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. there is nothing particularly improved by having an animal in the house.

[Ron Green]

18. You'd have to talk to my dog about that.

:-)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. i have a dog and a cat.

[hfojvt]

19. yes there is

It gives kids a wonderful, loving playmate, and teaches them to care for another since the dog requires exercise, feeding, grooming, and waste removal.

Plus, it gives everybody in the family somebody to blame when they fart in the car.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. yes but my having one it doesnt make you any 'better' than your ancestors who believe they are dirty

which they are. cats/dogs dont bathe regularly and certainly dont brush their teeth as often i would like them to, if i ask them they say 'we have no opposable thumbs', its their excuse for everything.

[hfojvt]

28. If you go back 150 years

my ancestors were probably at least as dirty as other animals.

As far as 'better', it seems to remove a layer of prejudice, and that seems like an improvement.

[Flatulo]

23. I believe it has been documented that elderly folks who own pets

are in general, happier and healthier.

Our dog rescued my wife from a bout of depression and alcoholism after we found out she could not bear any more children.

She has brought much joy into our lives.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

25. wouldnt this be culture specific research? because extended familes do not have the same bonds

in individualistic cultures vs collective cultures?

[Flatulo]

27. I believe you're right. Americans no longer live in multi-generational households. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

42. and therefore a pet can help with loneliness.

[hlthe2b]

3. Good on Sirius...

Glad everything worked out. :toast:

[Iris]

4. Nice story.

Thanks for sharing. And I'm glad Sirius is doing better.

[Terran]

6. But but but...

What if your dog is routinely perceived as menacing to half the people in your neighborhood??! What then????

Just kidding. Good post, and very appropos.

[Flatulo]

7. Here's to Sirius, and also to a reasonable cabbie.

Maybe this is a bad analogy, but I've always felt that pharmacists who refuse to dispense birth control should lose thier license.

If you choose to work in any given profession, you had better be emotionally prepared to support the policies of the employer while also following the law.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. its a good analogy though medicine is more of a critical issue than cab rides

otherwise its a good point.

[shimmergal]

35. A cab ride was crucial in this case,

since the OP had no other way to get his sick dog to the vet.

[aquart]

8. It is 'haraam' if the saliva of the dog touches him and he would have to wash.

<http://www.islamicconcern.com/dogs.asp>

"In the Holy Qur’aan (S4:36) we are advised to do good to “… what your right hands own …” According to the commentator Imaam Faghruddin al-Rhazi, this refers to all those who have no civil rights, including animals. Thus, the verse lays down the duty of being good toward animals.

All things “…have been created for you ...” for our benefit (S2:29). It thus becomes our duty to protect, employ with dignity, and promote the well-being of any animal in our care. In this way, we are expressing our thankfulness to Allah (swt) for His blessings in a practical manner. (Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society, Mawlana F.R. Ansari, vol. 2, pp. 125-126)

Every animal has been created for a purpose. It is a duty upon every human being to respect Allah’s creation. If we ill treat any of His creation, we will be questioned about it on the Day of Judgment. Sayyidina ’Umar (ra) was very concerned about the animals during his rule as Amir or head of the Islamic empire.

Let me clarify a few myths and make a few points:

1. It is NOT haraam to own a dog, though it is not hygienic to keep a dog in the house.

2. It is NOT haraam to touch a dog or any other animal. If the saliva of a dog touches you or any part of your clothing, then it is required of you to wash the body part touched and the item of clothing touched by the dog’s mouth or snout.

3. It is incumbent upon all Muslims who own animals, whether for farming or work purposes or as pets, to provide adequate shelter, food, water, and, when needed, veterinary care for their animals. Arrangements must be made, if one is going to be away from home, to have one’s animals taken care of as well.

4. It is haraam to keep a dog or any other animal on a short lead for long periods without food, water, and shelter. Dogs need exercise and are social creatures who form organized “family” structures in nature. Dog owners therefore need to spend time daily with their dogs.

5. It is cruel, and therefore haraam, to keep any animal in a cage so small that it cannot behave in a natural way.

6. Fireworks cause untold suffering to most domestic animals because of their acute sense of hearing.

7. It is haraam to participate in any blood “sport,” like dog fighting and trophy hunting.

No animal has been cursed in any way. Animals are referred to in many instances in the Qu’ran. In Surah Kahf, mention is made of the companions of the Cave and their dog. (S18: 18-22)

We would love for Allah to bestow His mercy upon us, so let’s show mercy and compassion to all His creation. This will also give non-Muslims a true reflection of Islam, aiding da’wah.

There are many Muslims who care well for their animals, and this article is aimed at those who are misinformed.

The appeal goes out to those Muslims: Please do not abuse or neglect any animal. This gives a distorted picture to others who are not Muslim.

May Allah be pleased with our efforts."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Good article

the cabbie was doing a good deed in helping you get your ailing dog to the vet. And washing after a dog (especially a strange one) gets saliva on you is a good idea anyway.

I've known many Sufis who have dogs.

[Flatulo]

29. Believe it or not, I never knew this until a few years ago when an

Egyptian engineer friend of mine stopped over the house. I was curious as to why he wouldn't pet my dog, since she is so lovable and friendly.

I asked if he was afraid of dogs, and then he explained to me the religious restrictions.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. Idiocy

Like all religious restrictions.

[Flatulo]

22. Most religious restrictions came about to encourage healthy

behavior - for example, avoid pork before the advent of refrigeration would be a pretty good idea.

Dogs are wonderful animals (we have a beautiful chocolate lab) but I don't let her lick my face. Their mouths are only as clean as the last thing they've licked, which is usually their asses.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

24. my dog eats my cats poop!

its really delightful :puke:

[Flatulo]

26. Oh, cat poop is quite the delicacy. We have to keep the litter

box behind a dog-proof barrier or she would snack all day long.

It's always amazed me how nothing smells bad to a dog. It's all just data. :)

[mondo joe]

50. Also: cats have a rapid elimination process, so they actually end up passing a good

deal of their meat (or "food") in their poop. So for dogs it's just a free meal!

[Liberal_in_LA]

59. ewwwww.

[alphafemale]

30. So that's one less chore for you a day...right?

:D

[DavidDvorkin]

40. Bullshit

They came about to separate the members of the ingroup from everyone else. The idea that they had health reasons is a modern attempt to make them sound rational. It has no historical basis at all.

[Flatulo]

41. Do you mean, for example, not banging your sister?

[Nevernose]

45. Trichinosis? Food preservation techniques? Wiping one's ass?

Many of the rules laid forth by early Judeo-Christian religions obviously had something to do with an ignorance of bacteria and disease, and the Ignorants' attempts to explain them and protect against them with supernatural causation.

Maybe the reason that it's been a "modern attempt" is that it's been only in modern times that we understand disease at all (and STILL only imperfectly!). Perhaps, with the subsequent knowledge gained, we can understand them in some ways better than they understood themselves.

I'm an atheist, so I don't really have anything to gain from this argument. There's also no way to prove either of our hypotheses, other than to say, "mine sounds good to me." And, in many cases, I think our hypotheses aren't mutually exclusive -- for instance, the Levitical anti-homosexuality rule was clearly an attempt at excluding someone less powerful -- not to mention the rampant misogyny and xenophobia against essentially everyone who wasn't the author or in the author's immediate circle.

[BlooInBloo]

31. God squad bible thumping jesus freak fuckwad pharmacists could take note....

... Just sayin'.

[Flatulo]

34. Yeah, I mentioned that upthread.

If pharmacists don't want to dispense legal prescriptions because of religious beliefs, they should really look for another profession. The law is the law. Check your biases at the door.

[alphafemale]

32. So he did his job. I don't understand the problem.

I don't own a dog at the moment but I would never let any of them jump all over people.

It's a given that not all people like dogs or want to be greeted by them.

It's really not a hard thing to train dogs to not approach people unless they are invited.

[mondo joe]

33. There was no problem. The OP was about a success - not a problem.

[alphafemale]

38. OK. I guess I got that impression from some of the other posts in the thread.

:hi:

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

47. yes because ofcourse there have NEVER been any wars in the name of religion before islam

:eyes:

i hate idiots.

[Wcross]

48. Tell it to Daniel Pearl...n/t

[La Lioness Priyanka]

51. tell christianity is such a wonderful religion to the large number of muslims we bomb daily

:puke:

[Wcross]

52. As an agnostic I agree that religion has caused much suffering.

I don't much care for Christians either if it makes you feel any better. I can even get past the beheading of your perceived enemies. When your religion says dogs are bad then we start to have "issues".



How can they say these things are bad?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

53. its not my religion. i was born hindu and am currently an atheist. i just dont like bigots.

[mondo joe]

54. Although if you look up above at the Haraam post, I think you'd see it also

calls for very humane treatment of dogs. More humane than a lot of dog owners actually are.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

55. also any pet owner should be able to own up to the fact that our pets are dirty

its just a fact. i love my cat and my dog but i would hardly lick them.

[mitchtv]

46. I am a heathen who used to drive a cab

the only rides I didn't like (which I took anyway) were calls to the Safeway to carry groceries home. usually a very short ride and negligable tip. Dogs , i love so even if I had to clean up, i didn't mind. Glad Sirius is ok ,give him a kiss for me

[mondo joe]

49. The poor pooch is home, with pneumonia, hacking and coughing up gross stuff.

I'm just glad he didn't cough any of it up in the cab!

I have to say, if I ever drove a cab I think I'd be glad to take dogs - especially if their people are as grateful as I was.

[Wcross]

56. Poor pup.

How did he get the pneumonia? I hope he recovers quickly joe. He sure is a nice lookin fella!

[mondo joe]

57. He got Bordatella (or Kennel Cough) even though he was vaccinated against it.

Typically the cough is the worst of it. Sirius somehow developed pneumonia with it.

[Wcross]

58. My old guy "Buddy" had that a while ago- he was vaccinated too.

It sounded like he was a three pack a day smoker. It didn't progress to pneumonia though.
I hope Sirius gets over it quickly, I know how it is when you have a sick animal friend.

[Withywindle]

60. I'm glad Sirius is OK!

What a sweetie.

And I'm glad you found a cab driver who would take him. Sounds like a stand-up guy.

BUT...what about all the other ones?

We had to wait half an hour - about 6 times longer than it normally takes to get a cab.

What if your dog's case was critical, if it was an urgent emergency, and what if, gods forbid, someone's dog DIED because of the delay?

Then what?

Would you just have to accept that in the name of religious diversity?

No, I think it IS like fundie pharmacists. If you don't want to do the job, don't take the job. It's discrimination and it's wrong to not hire someone just because they're Muslim (or any religion), but IMO it's perfectly fine to fire somebody who won't perform all the tasks they're expected to do (within safety limits of course), for any reason!

[undeterred]

61. The Muslim Cabdriver who prayed to Allah and found me another cab

I guess this story is along the same lines except I didn't have my dog with me. I am a white female and I used to live on the south side of Chicago. For the record, let me say that I have had dozens of cabs pass up a black man to offer me a ride when I was downtown Chicago. And then they were bummed to find out that I lived on the South Side in Hyde Park, like Mr. Obama. Don't be a cab driver in Chicago if you're scared of black people or black neighborhoods.

Anyway, I was on the north side one night and I hailed a taxi and got a Muslim cab driver. When I told him that I wanted to go to the south side of Chicago he got a terrible look of fear on his face. I told him it was Hyde Park, and it was close to Lake Shore Drive, and that I could show him apartment buildings where he could easily get a fare back downtown. But he said he wanted to pray to Allah about it. So without the meter running, he prayed to Allah, and Allah gave him the thumns down. Apparently Allah wanted me to ride home with a black (or non Muslim) taxi driver that night. So he found me another taxi driver who would take me to the south side.

I asked my new taxi driver if he had ever had this happen before, and he said, "happens all the time".

:shrug: