Diplomat Claims Racism at Cab Firm
Jim McElhatton
The Washington Times
02/01/2006
Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States
wants the Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority to investigate
complaints from Washington Flyer cabdrivers about what he called
"racial and Muslim profiling."
Some Afghan-American drivers are upset about "having
been discriminated against" in dealings with the Washington
Dulles International Airport taxi concessions operator, Ambassador
Said Tayeb Jawad wrote in a letter Monday to airport officials
The ambassador's letter comes as officials decide
whether to award the operator, Dulles Taxi Systems, a new five-year
concessions deal. A vote is expected on the contract today.
Two people said a manager at the company made
a derogatory comment about Afghans belonging at the U.S. Naval
Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with other detainees in the war on
terror, the ambassador wrote.
Mr. Jawad, who also sent a copy of his letter
to the Department of State, said he was "personally shocked"
by the comment. The letter says such discrimination is "absolutely
unacceptable and illegal under the U.S. Constitution."
Charles O. King, president of Dulles Taxi Systems,
yesterday said he had not seen the ambassador's letter. However,
he said he had "heard references" about drivers complaining
to the embassy.
"When I discussed the matter with my staff,
I found no credibility to it," Mr. King said. "We
don't practice discrimination of any kind."
Ashraf Haidari, an embassy spokesman, said yesterday
that Washington Flyer drivers "are just normal, hardworking
citizens," many of whom became U.S. citizens after leaving
Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
Mr. Haidari said the embassy sent the letter after
numerous complaints from drivers.
"These were problems that were supposed to
be addressed, but nothing has been solved," he said.
Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the airports authority, yesterday
said officials would look into the ambassador's letter, just
as they would follow up anytime "a customer complains about
cab service."
There are more than 100 Afghan-born Washington
Flyer drivers in the 650-driver fleet, according to the Dulles
Airport Taxi Drivers Association. The group says it represents
620 of the drivers.
"If we were trying to discriminate, it seems
unlikely that we would contract with more than 100 Afghan drivers,"
Mr. King said yesterday.
Drivers, who have staged eight strikes in the
past eight months, have asked the airports authority to delay
awarding the deal because of concerns about Dulles Taxi System's
management practices.
Dulles Taxi Systems has held the contract
since 2000. The contract gives exclusive rights to operate the
authority's Washington Flyer taxi service, overseeing hundreds
of vehicles that provide transportation to and from Dulles,
which has no rail service.
