Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

"Sharia taxi driver told me i was disgustingly dressed" says actress.

435 replies

HelenaDove · 24/11/2015 00:56

It apparently happened after an awards ceremony.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3331164/Sharia-taxi-driver-told-disgustingly-dressed-BBC-star-Frances-Barber-tells-accosted-Uber-employee-showbusiness-awards-ceremony.html

OP posts:
ChristmasPartyDress · 24/11/2015 09:12

Yeh, I wish I'd reported the taxi driver who lectured me. He had no right, regardless of my religion/colour of my skin or his.

Also, as for politically convenient or inconvenient, there were shinners people who said when Gerry Adams was brought in for questioning, oh, it's too convenient, it's a political stunt. he was still very much guilty of exactly what he was accused of though.

ConferencePear · 24/11/2015 09:15

I have no way of knowing whether or not this woman's tweet is truthful although it's a bit disappointing when so many seem to doubt it at a time when we are being encouraged to believe our children if something like this happens.
What I do know from my own experience in another northern town is that we used to have a taxi company which did not employ muslim taxi drivers. The number was quietly passed around among women. Racist or realistic ? I don't know in the light of the current scandals.

DeoGratias · 24/11/2015 09:18

The amusing thing about this is she was covered to the neck and in a very vcery long black dress down to the ground which was not too different from some burkas!

We do have to stop muslims imposing their views on the rest of us. My son is in a class where probably most boys think women should be at home, allah is great and women are second to men. That has a huge effect on others. If you are the lone voice for women's rights and rights to wear mini skirts or sunbathe in bikinis in public parks and if other whites leave your area due to "white flight" but we tend to manage in the UK. The East End of London has had so many different groups, for example , over the decades and on the whole most people ultimately mix and blend in or live peacefully next to or near others.

I have had two issues with taxi drivers - racism usually from white working class ones - I never let them say a single racist comment so they don't get very far with those conversations. They think I will agree with their views because I'm white. The other one recently who was from Afghanistan asked if I were Jewish (I'm not) before going ahead with his diatribe against jews. Again I objected. If we tolerate too much whether it be a parent being sexist or a taxi driver being wrong, then we condone the action. I have not had one complaining against my dress although a white woman locally told me to pull my skirt further down the other week. i think she thought she was doing me a favour as it had ridden up. I had about 30 seconds to run to the post box and I couldn't care less what position my skirt was in to be honest. It wasn't showing my bottom.

bimandbam · 24/11/2015 09:30

Booyaka I think unless you lived through the years when the abuse was prolific it's difficult to comprehend. And unless you have experienced the casual racism on a day to day basis it is difficult to even recognise it. I lived in a very diverse area. But there were different streets for different races and religions. Different atmospheres.

And if you spoke up against it you were either accused of racism or were likely to invoke trouble from the BNP type nutters that wanted any excuse to cause a riot.

We had friends of the family whose two daughters were groomed and abused. Their father repeatedly went for help to police and social services. He was told that there was nothing to be done. When he threatened to take.matters into his own hands by locking his younger dd in he was told ss would remove her from them if she didn't attend school. She was repeatedly collected from school or left school to go ti her abusers.

When he said he would take matters into his own hands he was told he would be arrested and charged.

And still we are not allowed to say that the problem was caused by pakistani men who deliberately targeted white girls. We are not allowed to say that there is a massuve problem in certain parts if town. That o e culture qas responsible for sustained child abuse of 100's of girls.

I live in a different part of town now that doesn't have a high percentage of pakistani familes or even many cultures at all. And the attitude borders on racist here too. Not really how I wanted to raise my dcs but the school dd would have attended had a very high percentage of pakistani families or of pakistani origin. Just like my old school.

I don't want my dd to grow up as I did thinking that you cannot speak up against abuse for fear of being accused of being racist. That it is normal for a group of people to be untouchable because of the colour of their skin or the God they worship. It might mean she grows up less tolerant. It.might mean she grows up racist. But better than she grows up repeatedly abused and gang raped and molested or watches her friends grow up this way.

I make no apology for having my families best interests at heart. That my dd comes before political correctness. That I believe every single person who speaks out. That I mistrust authority to put a child before a race or religious belief.

This all still happens by the way. Maybe not the abuse so much but if you are not white english in Rotherham you can get away with so much more. Especially if you are 'of pakistani origin'. I won't out myself with examples but it absolutely happens.

MistressoftheYoniverse · 24/11/2015 09:30

I think it's essential for women to report and challenge harassment and bad behavior by anyone at any time but I do wonder what 'Sharia' has to do with it? Misogyny has no creed or kind although it can be encouraged or facilitated by affiliation with a belief, if the driver had been a Catholic or a C of E,Mormon,Buddhist would it have been worth mentioning his religion?...I suppose it might loose some of its kick ...'C of E taxi driver tells actress she disgustingly dressed'...just saying

DinosaursRoar · 24/11/2015 09:34

I find the tone of this thread depressing - from questioning the amount she had drunk to analysing her outfit (to decide clearing if he's "right" that her outfit is disgusting or not, suggesting that other woman at the same event showing more flesh would be more deserving of comments).

She says a taxi driver made a sexist and insulting comment to her when she was in a vunerable situation (in the cab alone). I believe her and don't think we should be making excuses for him at all.

Owllady · 24/11/2015 09:38

By Sharia, do you mean Muslim and of Pakistani heritage? As I have first hand experience of respectful taxi drivers and escorts who are Muslim and of Pakistani heritage. This thread makes me feel really uncomfortable. Making negative blanket assumptions about whole sections of society and certain ethnic groups isn't helpful and it breeds fear and ignorance.

Of course if the taxi driver made inappropriate comments he needs to be reported, but that would be the case whoever he was.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 24/11/2015 09:46

deo I thought you passionately believed in free speech no matter what people's views were?

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 09:47

As I have first hand experience of respectful taxi drivers and escorts who are Muslim and of Pakistani heritage.

Naturally you have owl. I should think most (all?) of us do.

This thread makes me feel really uncomfortable. Making negative blanket assumptions about whole sections of society and certain ethnic groups isn't helpful and it breeds fear and ignorance.

The thread is about a tweet about one driver.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 24/11/2015 09:50

It's very naïve to think that the DM story and the thread are just about ONE driver tbh.

Owllady · 24/11/2015 09:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 09:55

don't 90% of men from Pakistani heritage go on to be taxi drivers?

I very much doubt it Hmm

MrWriter · 24/11/2015 09:56

Christmas I'm from NI too and I remember the whole Gerry Adams publicity stunt debate, it didn't make him any less guilty of what he was accused.

Bimandbam your post is an awful situation to be in, but I wholly agree that your dds safety comes first no matter what.

OnlyLovers · 24/11/2015 09:59

He was a twat, not a 'Sharia' twat (whatever that's meant to mean).

She didn't need to mention the word at all –even if she hadn't used it meaninglessly.

It could have been a white bloke, a black bloke, Chinese, Chilean... Some people are bigots, that's all.

Maybe she hasn't done it deliberately, but she seems to have used a word that will fan the flames of anti-Muslim sentiment yet more. Nice one Frances. Hmm

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 09:59

don't 90% of men from Pakistani heritage go on to be taxi drivers?

Actually owl, I have to be frank, that^ is one of the most bigoted remarks on the thread.

MistressoftheYoniverse · 24/11/2015 10:01

That's exactly what I mean Owl using the word Sharia encompasses not just the man himself but a whole part of society.

Before I lived where I do now I lived in East London Stepney for the majority of my life.

For many years all of the cab drivers I had were from a different ethnic background to myself the majority were Muslims and I never had any problems....this is not to say other women had not experienced problems from the same men but was this because they were 'Sharia' or just misogynistic arseholes....Hmm

MistressoftheYoniverse · 24/11/2015 10:03

Strawberry I don't think that was a literal statement...

Preminstreltension · 24/11/2015 10:04

Agree with strawberrytealeaf and dinosaursroar.

I'm assuming this happened as she said it did. No reason not to.

It's not racist to say that some people are horrendously misogynist. That's the case for all people from any religion or none but we are bending over backwards to make sure we don't say it about a particular muslim in case we are deemed racist.

When misogyny is as unacceptable as racism I'll be happy.

LimboNovember · 24/11/2015 10:06

I have had a nasty taxi ride and in fact I am sure I had that man who was jailed for rape, I am sure I was offered some drink. ( white male)

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 10:06

Strawberry I don't think that was a literal statement...

I'm not sure it benefits in any way from a non-literal interpretation.

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 10:07

When misogyny is as unacceptable as racism I'll be happy

Yes, exactly this.

DeoGratias · 24/11/2015 10:08

"deo I thought you passionately believed in free speech no matter what people's views were?W I do. The taxi drivers can say what they like. I can also say what I like back. that is free speech. I want to be in a country where we are all happy to die to ensure others can express views with which we disagree as it were.

I have had more racist remarks from white taxi drivers (although of course not against me and here the comment is worse because it's against the passenger) than Afghan ones but that is because the Afghan ones (in our local taxi office) do not speak much English so they cannot chat in the same way as I don't speak their language.

Every time someone makes a sexist remark or says women should cover up it is very helpful if we point out we do not agree otherwise people will assume it's all fine.

I also want misogyny to be as unacceptable as racism.

BlueJug · 24/11/2015 10:08

I thought Owllady's comment was ironic?

OnlyLovers · 24/11/2015 10:09

Preminstrel, it's not that people don't want to say he was a misogynist because he was (everyone is assuming) a Muslim.

It's that Frances Barber (or the paper, who may be putting words in her mouth) told the story with particular reference to his ethnicity/cultural identity/racial identity.

They could have just said 'Bigoted cab driver told me I was disgustingly dressed.'

Using a word associated with Muslims is inflammatory and discriminatory.

StrawberryTeaLeaf · 24/11/2015 10:10

I thought Owllady's comment was ironic?

I'd have assumed so too, if it hadn't been in the context of her other remarks.