airbus320

"Some fellow passengers are questioning why an Orthodox Jewish man was removed from an Air Canada Jazz flight in Montreal last week for praying.

The man was a passenger on a Sept. 1 flight from Montreal to New York City when the incident happened.

The airplane was heading towards the runway at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport when eyewitnesses said the Orthodox man began to pray.

"He was clearly a Hasidic Jew," said Yves Faguy, a passenger seated nearby. "He had some sort of cover over his head. He was reading from a book.

"He wasn't exactly praying out loud but he was lurching back and forth," Faguy added.

The action didn't seem to bother anyone, Faguy said, but a flight attendant approached the man and told him his praying was making other passengers nervous.

"The attendant actually recognized out loud that he wasn't a Muslim and that she was sorry for the situation but they had to ask him to leave," Faguy said.

The man, who spoke neither English nor French, was escorted off the airplane." CBC

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/st...eronplane.html

YYZC2

I would not think this would be a rare occurence on a flight between two cities with big orthodox communities. As for the "Muslim" comment:

fromYYZ_flyer

I've never heard of "lurching" but rather back and forth bowing towards the book. The orthodox appearance of Hasidic Jews in Montreal is slightly different from those in Toronto. I could see how it might make passengers nervous if they are not familiar with their appearance (which is rare). The fact that he couldn't speak English or French leads me to believe he is probably from Israel and possibly connecting at JFK for LY.

luv2flyJ

Before everyone starts the AC bashing and being over critical about the FA's and PAX reactions to what happened just think for a moment whether this really would have happened pre-9/11. Can we really blame people for being paranoid these days after all the religious extremists' attacks of transportation the past 5 years? If our governments can jump to the paranoid levels of not allowing an infant's spill-proof bottle full of water through security why should we expect anything but fear from a man praying on a plane? Don't blame society, blame the religious crazies who have put us in this state.

fly-yul

If he had looked like everyone else and had a cross around his neck nothing would have happened.

fromYYZ_flyer

The reason he was removed is because he was making another passenger nervous. He was allowed on the next flight because they found out that Hasidic Jewish people pray like that and that he is not a terrorist. If I was walking around the plane shaking and yelling "bloody murder" I would be removed too, not because I am a terrorist but because other pax would feel uncomfortable.

Sebring

True enough. People have to use some common sense. If a man is praying, I don't see how that constitutes a threat unless he is kneeling in the aisle, and that is a safety issue, not a security issue. Having flown El Al across the Atlantic, I know that ultra-Orthodox Jews will tend to pray during the flight. Big deal. Some of us watch the movie, some eat our meal, we don't disturb each other. Babies cause more of a disturbance on my flights than any adult. Should we ban babies for crying? People need to get a life. If there are evil-doers on a flight, they are the ones least likely to bring attention to themselves.

Sebring

When was the last time you heard somebody walking around the plane shaking and yelling "bloody murder"?

If you ever saw an Orthodox Jew pray, you would know that he will rock back and forth very gently, and mumble the prayers in an undertone that is barely audible. Sure, in a synagogue on Saturday or standing in front of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, he might show a bit more fervor, but not so in other public situations.

fromYYZ_flyer

Most gently rock back and forth (the slang term is "shuckle") but some get more into it and do it more "violently"

fly-yul

With all the money that has been spent on security I would hope that we would have something better to guide airline staff then how a group of passengers "feel" about something. Truthiness is not a viable way to run airline security.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness
Truthiness: the quality by which a person claims to know something intuitively, instinctively, or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or actual facts.

djjaguar64

So if it was a Moslem or a Sikh, I would guess the 3rd degree would have been dished out ?

P.S. I feel that this thread is poised for OMNI.

Ken hAAmer

If you mean the imbeciles responsible for so-called security policy and activities, I agree.

closecover

They do not do it more "violently" but they may do it more fervently. The revelation that someone was uncomfortable that an Orthodox Jew was praying in his seat is a sad reflection of the fact that a few people do not wish to give Orthodox Jews the benefit of living in a tolerant and culturally diverse society.

antirealist

I really think it's more a manifestation of ignorance and stupidity than anti-semitism. What do you make of this story?

fly-yul

The metric to decide if you fly or stay on the ground can not be if others "feel" safe. If it is, you are giving the racists out there too much power to abuse the system.