The idea that religious belief should be grounds for special treatment under, or exemptions from the law, is one that obviously has to be handled with great care (ideally, legislation would be religion-blind, but in the land of the First Amendment, that’s not going to happen) and, preferably, be defined as narrowly as possible. Minnesota’s Metropolitan Airports Commission is, therefore, making a useful point here:

On an 11-0 vote Monday, Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) members voted to crack down on drivers refusing service, making Minnesota the first place in the country to decide how to treat Muslim cabbies who decline to transport alcohol-toting riders on religious grounds. Starting May 11, any airport taxi drivers who refuse riders will face 30-day suspensions. Drivers will have their licenses revoked two years for a second offense. “We’re just sending a message that if you want to drive here at this airport, you have to take all our customers,” said Steve Wareham, director of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Fair enough, I reckon.