London: British Pakistani taxi driver Abid Mustafa, who has been subjected to racist abuse by one of his passengers, thanked the international community for his support and appreciation for his calm response.
The video of the racist attack on Twitter has so far been viewed more than a million times. This appears to the white passenger saying, “This is England, we’ll take your breath away [obscene] … Do you think you’re something special, Pakistan? No wonder the Indians are bombing you”
The 52-year-old passenger, who was now arrested, cast Islamophobia and racism on Abed Mustafa, who calmly handled the situation and warned him against uploading the video to social media.
It was clear from the video of the attack that the passenger correctly recognized Ubaid Mustafa as a Pakistani and a Muslim and then launched the verbal attack.
Mustafa spoke to the news, describing the whole incident. “I asked the passenger to sit in the back seat because of the social dimension, but the passenger said that he would not do so because he does not have a protective screen,” he said.
He stressed that it is not necessary to have a protective screen according to the UK guidelines. The passenger was allowed to sit in the front seat, but he was verbally attacked because of his nationality and religion.
He explained that in the middle of the trip, he stopped until his taxi and offered to request another taxi for the passenger, but the latter continued his abusive speech. Even after being told that the camera was facing him, he didn’t stop.
The driver said: “I told him over and over again that I would upload the video to Facebook and that the world would see your face, but he said he did not care if the world mistreated him racistly.”
“Not all passengers are wrong and not all drivers are perfect. Anyone can make a mistake. I advise all UK councils to make the camera mandatory for drivers.”
Mustafa asked the councils to secure cameras on taxis to protect drivers and passengers alike. “I thank all the journalists in the UK, especially Jimma Khan, who praised me in my Urdu.
“I am proud to be a Pakistani. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to represent my community in a positive way.”
If Mustafa had responded aggressively to the passenger, his license would have been revoked and people may have thought he was the instigator.
“I have to go to court to test my evidence. Patience pays off, and through this patience God Almighty helped me. The whole world praised my patience, and I am very grateful for the support I received.”
Mustafa promised to best serve his passengers and play his role in bridging the gap between the various ethnic groups in the UK. He expressed gratitude to people of all nationalities and religions who raised their voices against the racist violations they faced.
“My message to other taxi drivers is that they have to do their job according to our professional standards. God willing, we will succeed if we remain calm amid chaos.”
Previously, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan Jemima Goldsmith praised the driver for his commitment to calm during the accident.
