By Chris King • Published: 18 Feb 2021 • 3:16
Muslim Minicab Drivers At Heathrow Airport Forced To Pray In A Bus Stop. image: james farrar
Muslim Minicab Drivers At Heathrow Airport Forced To Pray In A Bus Stop as the terminal’s prayer rooms are closed
There is a growing feeling of resentment among Muslim minicab drivers working at Heathrow Airport, as the prayer rooms inside the airport terminal are off-limits due to coronavirus restrictions, and they are being forced to pray in a bus stop car park each day.
Zamir Dreni, a private hire driver working at the airport, described the situation as being “inhumane and degrading. Recently, conditions have deteriorated to the point that I believe they are dangerous,” he said to the BBC.
Mr Dreni, aged 40, added, “I feel that the airport authorities treat us with complete contempt. We have tried talking to them, we even prepared a petition, but they have refused to listen to us or to take responsibility for the problems here”.
This has come about as a result of the prayer rooms inside the airport terminal being off-limits due to coronavirus restrictions, which has resulted in the drivers praying on the kerb of the road for more than a year, but conditions have worsened recently.
James Farrar, the general secretary of the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) said the Muslim minicab drivers felt “upset, humiliated and angry after conditions came to a disgusting crescendo. People are praying in close proximity to moving traffic, it becomes a real risk for them”.
Mr Farrar added, “If you are a devout Muslim, you must pray and too often it is inside that car park. What can we do?”, adding that the union was “calling for safe, sanitary and dignified working conditions”, after recent complaints from drivers that there was no hot water and soap in the toilet facilities.
A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport said, “The airport’s cleaning contractors regularly inspect and clean the facilities during peak periods, but we also expect the drivers using the site to keep the facilities in good condition”, adding they were not able to provide facilities in the car park due to “health and safety concerns”.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
Surely if you are genuinely “praying” it doesn’t matter where you are!?!
Thats right, dont see how this can be news. surely there more exciting and interesting news out there.
Nobody is forcing them to pray except their religion. In Saudi Arabia people will stop their cars and pray at the side of the road if it is prayer time. They can easily take water in their cabs to perform their ablutions [although I see a number still wearing their shoes]. All they need is to know the direction of Makkah [or Mecca] and their prayer time.
They are taking the proverbial!
This seems to be a ‘poor us, we are victims’ story when the answer is in their own hands. Praying is a choice. Religion is a choice – that is why there are 100s of them. Just come up with a covid-safe solution like anyone else would. There are far bigger issues to worry about.
This is just another example of the muslims pushing their agenda. They know the time to pray so how difficult can it be to organize their schedule so they are free and in a safe place when it’s time to pray? What a coincidence that so many end up at the same time at Heathrow, but then I don’t believe in coincidences!
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