Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Praying passenger removed from SF-bound flight

We read:
""A passenger who left his seat to pray in the back of a plane before it took off, ignoring flight attendants' orders to return, was removed by an airport security guard, a witness and the airline said. The Orthodox Jewish man, who wore a full beard, a black hat and a long black coat, stood near the lavatories and began saying his prayers while the United Airlines jet was being boarded at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday night, fellow passenger Ori Brafman said.

When flight attendants urged the man, who was carrying a religious book, to take his seat, he ignored them, Brafman said. Two friends, who were seated, tried to tell the attendants that the man couldn't stop until his prayers were over in about 2 minutes, he said. 'He doesn't respond to them, but his friends explain that once you start praying you can't stop,' said Brafman, who was seated three rows away."

Source

Sounds like a bit of religious intolerance there. Even 2 minutes was too much to ask? I'm betting that it delayed the flight a hell of a lot longer than 2 minutes to take him off it. No brains at all. But brains seem to have flown out the window where air travel is concerned these days.

If he had been a Muslim he would have been treated with much more respect. But he clearly wasn't, of course. If you can't tell an Orthodox Jew in full garb, you don't know anything. And if you can tell one, you know he is harmless.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a bit of religious intolerance there.

Sounds like a man who refused to listen to the crew of the aircraft and was removed for good cause.

Your assertion that it was "religious intolerance" is not supported by the facts.

Anonymous said...

If the man knows that once he starts to pray he must continue to the end then why did he chose that moment to start a prayer?

Knowing that others wouldn't understand why didn't he take the time to inform an attendant before he started?

This is definitely a case of religious intolerance but it's also clear the intolerance cut both ways.

Longview

Anonymous said...

I'm all for people who practice their religion in a peaceful, law abiding way, no matter what religion it is. This guy was not right, though, to cause disruption. Ferndale Fanny

Anonymous said...

The New Testament says that you shouldn't draw attention to yourself when you pray. The flowery words and attention is the only reward you will receive-an earthy "look how righteous". I thank God that I can pray anytime and anywhere, without anyone being inconvenienced or even knowing. I could have sat in my seat on the airplane and prayed for the entire flight. Being considerate of others is an important part of what I believe God wants me to do.

Anonymous said...

Thanks John. I'm now done with this site. You are a full-fledged hypocrite when it comes to anything Jewish. If the roles were reversed and this guy were a Muslim, you'd say it was absurd that they didn't shoot this guy. I agree with you in support of Israel, but I don't blindly agree with anything a Jewish person does.

C'mon, this site is better than that.

Anonymous said...

you have to be kidding me if you think this is "religious intolerance." the guy disrupts a flight by standing in the back of the plane and refusing to take his seat for takeoff? it doesn't matter what the guy is doing, he's breaking federal law - remember all those warnings you hear/read on an airplane about how "federal regulations require you to comply with all instructions given by the flight crew?"
You seem to be blindly supporting this guy because he's jewish; if he were muslim i doubt you'd have given the same "religious intolerance" message.

Anonymous said...

As would be the case with any other passenger, he should have been removed from the flight, as per TSA regulations. Then let him sue all he wants! The "chosen people" (their illusion) "are not" above all others! (except in NYC)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an attention seeking idiot to me!

I'm sure God would allow you skip prayers for the duration of the flight or pray silently in your seat.

Outward shows of religious devotion and flying do not mix these day!

Anonymous said...

According to the Talmud, you cannot allow jewish law to put anyone in danger. That means you can drive on saturday, you can eat pork if it will save your life, and if a flight attendant tells you to sit your ass down, you can do that as well.

There's nothing wrong with praying quitely in your seat, why the hell do religious people feel the need to make a show? It's really embarassing.

Anonymous said...

The Prayer chose an unfortunate time and place to pray. Are prayers more effective near the lavatories when it is time to leave the gate? He should have followed the orders of the cabin attendant and taken his seat. He was incredibly rude to an entire aircraft full of people that do not share his beliefs.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I am not clear why the guy didn't wait until he got back to his seat to pray rather then by the lavs. I am all for Isreal and am 100% behind the Jews but this guy was wrong.

Anonymous said...

The guy was no doubt praying that his flight wouldn't be cancelled due to FAA inspections of the wiring harness or was praying that the pilot wasn't in the airport bar getting drunk.

jonjayray said...

Well. That got the comments going!

Anonymous said...

...or in the men's room tapping his foot against the shoe of an undercover cop.

Anonymous said...

He was wrong to wait until he was on the plane to start praying and draw attention to himself. But the media and airline would have treated this totally differently if it were a muslim involved rather than a jew. This is the only website that I've seen mention of this incident on. Had it been an muslim passenger that was offended by being removed from this flight every media outlet would have carried the story and told of how the evil airline offended him by not allowing him to practice his religion anytime and anyplace he wanted.

Anonymous said...

Well. That got the comments going!

And you're proud of that?

The comments got going because of your decision to label this as something that it is clearly not.

So either you screwed the pooch on the label of "religious intolerance," or you screwed the pooch by making the false charge deliberately, in which case this blog has lost all sense of direction and honesty.