Muslim Cabbies Seek Airport Prayer Area
Muslim cabdrivers have asked for an outdoor shelter at Denver International Airport where they can say their five daily prayers.
Zahir Din said fellow cabdrivers and shuttle bus drivers “freeze in the winter and roast in the summer” because going to the mosque inside the huge terminal is too time-consuming and cabbies lose their place in the pickup lines.
Spokesman Chuck Cannon says the city “can’t favor Muslims over Jewish or Christian drivers.”
The Muslims counter by saying that most other religions don’t require members to stop and pray at sunrise, midday, late afternoon, sunset and after dark.
Mohamad Jodeh, spokesman for the Colorado Muslim Society, wants to move a small glass hut from the old Stapleton Airport. Other Muslims would be happy with a trailer.
In the meantime, they place their prayer rugs in the ground transportation holding area.
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