An Open Letter to a Taxi Company

In recent weeks, the adult entertainment industry has leaped into a propagation campaign to promote itself via taxi cab advertisements.
This effort is sadly being peddled by many of our Muslim brothers who have little choice but to leave their jobs or serve as the cogs in this machine. Furthermore, I have been informed that the drivers are not receiving compensation for the ads nor are they consulted as to which ads appear atop their cabs. Whether or not we are in a position of condemnation toward the drivers is not issue- each will have their day of questioning before their Lord. What is pertinent is that these ads are distasteful to the extreme and are helping to spread a great fitna in our region with provocative images under the banner of Little Darlings and DreamGirls [sic].

What can you do? I implore you, for the sake of Allah, to write a letter or send an email of disapproval to the cab companies participating in this campaign. Please note: it matters little if you do business with these companies or not. In the event that you required cab service for your parents or children, how would you feel about a taxi pulling up to your home to pick them up with such an advertisement on its rooftop? If we are to understand the tradition of “forbidding the wrong” through actions such as these, we serve only gain from voicing our objections.



OPEN LETTER TO A TAXI COMPANY

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to voice my displeasure over Yellow Cab’s* recent choice to participate in the adult entertainment advertising campaign, specifically the newly opened Little Darlings and DreamGirls [sic] strip clubs. As you may be aware, the latter club generated significant disapproval for it’s decision to open its doors a short distance from Safeco Field. The neighboring businesses objected, families who enjoy outings to the ball fields were outraged, and the Mariners franchise attempted to ban the club from opening its doors on the grounds that that it violated a city ordinance aimed at protecting children. Yellow Cab’s agreement to advertise for such a business is abhorrent.

The DreamGirls strip club is a blight on an area that has slowly been improving its reputation and appearance. Clearly, the presence of a strip club serves only to undermine this progress. Your support (and indeed promotion) of an industry frequently associated with illegal activity and the degradation of women is absolutely disgusting. The women who work in this industry overwhelmingly experienced sexual abuse as children− a sad irony, considering the name of one of the clubs.

Until the current campaign is ceased and a letter of regret is issued by your company, I will refuse to patronize or consider placing an advertisement with Yellow Cab.

Salutations.

*While this letter is addressed to Yellow Cab of Seattle, I also drafted a similar letter to the Orange Cab company, who despite its self-designation as "Seattle's Finest Cab" has chosen to join Yellow Cab in the advertising campaign for so-called "adult entertainment."