Malaysia Airlines: ‘Islamic Customs’ On Flights Would Stop MH370 And MH17 Tragedies, Says Columnist


Malaysia Airlines must adopt stricter “Islamic customs” if it wants to avoid further disasters such as the Flight MH370 disappearance and the Flight MH17 shootdown that together cost 537 lives this year, a prominent — but controversial — Malaysian newspaper columnist warned in an article published on Monday.

Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, writing for the Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian, said that the two Malaysia Airlines disasters could indeed have been “punishment” for “adultery, gambling, homosexuality, sex, corruption and so on.”

But if the national flagship airline began flights with Muslim prayers, required female flight attendants to wear traditional garments that cover their heads and entire bodies, and stopped serving alcohol on board, future air disasters could be prevented, Tee wrote in his column — as part of a broader call for Malaysia to implement religious Islamic practices nationwide.

Islamic practices on Malaysia Airlines must be put in place “before Allah’s wrath strikes” again, Tee declared.

Tee’s connection of the two disasters to a lack of Islamic religious adherence and what he describes as immoral behavior is reminiscent of American evangelical Christian leaders such as Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell, who said that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were God’s punishment on America for its tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.

Sunni Islam is the official national religion of Malaysia, but the country’s constitution protects the freedom of worship for all religions. About 61 percent of Malaysia’s 33 million inhabitants are Muslims, with Buddhism the second most widely-practiced Malaysian religion at 19 percent.

About nine percent of Malaysians are Christian, with the remainder practicing Hinduism or traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism.

Tee noted that serving alcohol on Malaysia Airlines is not even necessary to attract foreign customers, because most of them have been “bathed in wine in their own country” before reaching Malaysia, he wrote.

“What’s more, our alcohol is not as good as theirs,” Tee added, though he did not explain how, if he followed the Muslim tradition of abstaining from alcohol, he was able to compare the quality of alcoholic beverages made abroad, and Malaysian spirits.

“Are the lessons of MH17 and MH370 not yet enough?” asked the commentator. “My advice is, before Allah’s wrath strikes, to begin implementing these noble religious values. Heed not those who do not wish to enter heaven. They are sponsored by the West to destroy Muslims in our country.”

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished without a trace while on what appeared to be a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur — the Malaysian capital — to Beijing, China, on March 8. A massive search effort is currently underway in the remote Indian Ocean where investigators believe the plane ended its journey after mysteriously flying thousands of miles and seven hours off course.

Flight MH17 was a Malaysia Airlines plane en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, Holland, that flew over Ukraine and was shot down on July 17 — apparently by pro-Russian rebels. Russia disputes that belief.

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