The Muslim News reports on the phenomenom of “flirtatious taxi drivers [who] get on women’s nerves.”
And with pick-up lines like this, it’s no wonder why.
More often than not women find that the driver wants to flirt and sometimes makes disgusting advances.
Sana M, a mother of a teenage girl, recounts experience once when she was traveling with her daughter in a taxi.
“We got into this cab and we were heading home, but I needed to make a few stops, so I asked the driver to wait for me and I told him that I would pay him the extra for the stops,” she said.
“I asked him to stop near a pharmacy; my daughter wasn’t well so she waited in the cab while I got the medicines. When I was gone this driver started asking her questions, he asked her how old she was? And which school she studied in? And what was her name? When my daughter refused to give him this information, he told her that there was no need to be frightened of him, because he is friends with many girls and they all like him. He told her ‘if you become friends with me you will like me too, I can take you in my car for outings to amusement parks and the beach.’”
Sana said that unfortunately her daughter didn’t tell her about the taxi driver’s questions until they got home. “I would have turned him to the police,” said Sana. “I’m terrified each time I think what would have happened if my daughter had been fooled by that pervert and given him her details.”
Taxi drivers that are corrupt and out to find someone to prey on rather than to make a decent buck often do the good-guy act; they are very cunning and often seem to know the kind of conversation that appeals to their particular passenger.
Um Khalid, a Yemeni, doesn’t own a car and so depends on taxis. “I needed to go to a clinic and I got into a cab,” she said.
“As I was in the taxi I received a call from a relative and in the conversation I confirmed an appointment I had the next day. After I ended the call the driver started up a conversation even though I showed no interest. At first I didn’t think anything of it — he started to talk about how expensive things had become and how poor families are suffering, then he started to talk about how people should be good to each other and take care of each other and the world could be a better place. I thought this is a good person. I was surprised and thought it a coincidence when I saw his taxi come up to me the next day. This time he started to ask questions, he asked how large is my family and how many family members lived with me?”
Um Khalid said this was when she felt suspicious of the driver’s intentions. “The whole time that I was in the car he wouldn’t stop asking questions. He asked if I had shares in a company or if I wanted to start any business. Then he told me that he was married to an elderly woman, but has divorced her now. Then he said he wants to buy me dinner. I told him, ‘no thanks’! Then he had the nerve to ask me to visit his home. He said his sisters would like to get to know me.”
Smooth.
I’m guessing that even if these men had martyred themselves, the 72 virgins would refuse to sleep with them.
Note: Even though this report is from April 1st, I’m guessing it is no prank.
