Muslim cabbie and Taxi Commission at odds over his hat

ST. LOUIS • Taxi driver Nabeel Langrial was talking to another cabbie near the Lumière Place casino last summer when an enforcement agent for the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission stopped to tell him his hat did not conform to the driver dress code.

Langrial, a 23-year-old Muslim, told the officer the reddish-brown cap — called a kufi — had religious meaning. Still, the agent wrote him a ticket for the dress code violation. The agent also wrote him up for not displaying a taxi license, for refusing to cooperate and for returning a cab to service without a reinspection.

"It was not constitutional at all," said Langrial, a part-time driver for Harris Cab.

Ten months later, Langrial still views it as a violation of his religious freedom. Even though the ticket for wearing his Muslim cap ultimately was downgraded to a warning, he still served a one-day suspension earlier this year for not having his cab reinspected after an officer took it out of service that day.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_c4f31ad7-08ac-5385-aec1-2301b9f69025.html

over dress code? That should be the responsibility of the company that owns the cab.

And if the cab was, indeed, inspected on the day it was taken out of service for reasons other than problems with the cab itself, what benefit is it to have it reinspected?

I am all for senisble regulation of businesses. Requiring the taxi to be safe and requiring the taxi driver to be competent are sensible and reasonable regulations. Requiring a dress code, up to headgear is not sensible or reasonable.

dress code laws.

Does the licensing authorities in that city, county, or state, for all other businesses issue dress codes for hair salons? How 'bout retail businesses, waiters/waitresses, or real estate agents? How 'bout for tour guides?

In my community, the licensing authorities regulate safty/competency issues, not dress code. Dress code is left up to the business owner or the individual holding the license.

Why business is it of the licensing board to issue dress codes? That should be up to the business that is running the business for which they are licensed.

would have have to abide by their dress code, I would abide by it.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/proposed_rule_driver_dress_requirements.pdf

But this business about the hat is irrational and overreaching.