A group of commuters over the weekend claimed that some taxi drivers in Metro are refusing to take on passenger who appeared to be Muslims.

Elvira Medina, president of the National Council for Commuters’ Protection (NCCP), said their Muslim members have complained of being snubbed by taxi drivers particularly when they wear their headgear.

“We’ve been getting lots of complaints. Taxi drivers say they are afraid because the Muslim passengers could be holdupmen or hijackers. We’re really sad that the discrimination for Muslims also happens on public transportation,” Medina said.

NCPP vice president for Mindanao, Shariff Ibrahim Albani, said he has been getting complaints from Muslims almost every day about unsympathetic taxi drivers.

“When they see Muslims especially those wearing headgear, ayaw nilang isakay kasi baka holdaper, kidnapper, o terorista. This saddens me because a true Muslim is helpful, merciful and loving,” said Albani in a telephone interview.

He said Muslims implicated in terrorists activities and massacre incidents are not real Muslims because “a true Muslim is against abuses, against kidnapping, against terrorism and other crimes.”

“I’ve been in Malaysia, Singapore, China where there are many Muslims but there is no discrimination happening. In the Philippines, there is really a barrier of indifference between Muslims and Christians,” he said.

Albani said he brought the issue to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which in turn suggested that Muslims should show their identification cards to avoid discrimination from taxi drivers.

“Showing your ID would only prove that discrimination exists,” Albani said.