Muslim Pilot ‘Tried to Do 9/11’ and Kill a Planeload of Israelis

He didn’t reckon, however, on the indomitable spirit of the passengers.

By now, the whole world knows, as the New York Post reported Wednesday, that “an Israel-bound passenger plane pilot was reportedly stabbed several times by the jet’s co-pilot in the cockpit — and the terrifying scenes caused the aircraft to plunge almost 20,000 feet in minutes, sparking fears of a ‘terrorist attack in mid-air.’”

The passenger plane pilot who was stabbed was an Indian national, Captain Smit Machchhar; his co-pilot was an Omani Muslim who had evidently decided that a plane full of Israelis gave him a marvelous opportunity to wage jihad for the sake of Allah.

“The jet,” says the Post, “which departed Dubai for Tel Aviv just before 7 a.m., was cruising at around 34,000 feet before violence broke out in the cockpit around two-and-a-half hours into the flight.” At that point, “the co-pilot tried to take control of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which was carrying 174 passengers including 27 children, and attacked the pilot several times.”

One passenger recounted : “We were either going to crash or be murdered. It was like a terrorist attack in mid-air.” Very like. An official explained: “One pilot stabbed the other and tried to do 9/11.”

This sort of thing was bound to happen sooner or later, and will almost certainly happen again. After all, the Qur’an repeatedly directs Muslims to “kill them wherever you find them.” (2:191, 4:89, 4:91, cf. 9:5) Regarding the Jews, it says: “You will find the Jews and the idolaters the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe” (5:82), and demonizes them relentlessly in numerous other passages.

Add to all that the fact that the Islamic jihad against Israel is worldwide. Numerous Islamic jihad groups have called for the murder of Jews all over the world. It’s noteworthy that the pilot who attempted this aerial jihad was Omani. Oman is not often heard from in connection with jihad, and many assume that the Muslims there are “moderates.” The jihad, however, is universal. In fact, when a Muslim land is attacked, Islamic theology holds that defensive jihad is obligatory upon every Muslim worldwide. And many Muslim authorities consider the very existence of Israel to constitute the attack of a Muslim land.

The unnamed official whom the  Post quoted also said: “A very serious disaster was averted.” Indeed. And according to C14News, “witnesses report that the pilot initiated a steep, dangerous dive with the intent to crash the plane; only the extraordinary quick thinking of Israeli passengers—who joined forces with another crew member to physically subdue the suspect—managed to halt the descent at the last moment, saving the lives of approximately 180 Israeli citizens and the other passengers.”

While virtually the entire world was reporting this as an attempted hijacking, the BBC, sticking firmly to its well-established editorial policies, instead characterized it this way “Israel’s far-right minister Ben Gvir SAYS it was a terrorist that wanted to crash the plane to kill Israelis.” An onscreen caption read “Flight ‘fight,’” as if the whole thing was nothing more than a scuffle between a couple of drunk passengers.

This reflects routine practice in establishment media reporting on all things Israeli. When Israel takes out a “Palestinian” jihadi or uncovers a Hamas tunnel, or generally accomplishes anything, the establishment media presents it as “The Israeli government claims…” or at best “The Israeli government says…” But if the governments of Qatar or Pakistan or even the Islamic Republic of Iran say they’ve done something, the establishment media presents it as established fact. This is a subtle and constant undermining of Israel that accompanies the frankly hostile reporting about the Jewish state across the board.

Another ugly reality about this entire incident is the fact that if the jihadi co-pilot had succeeded in murdering 180 Israelis, “Palestinians” and their supporters around the world would be celebrating today. Their bloodlust and inhumanity is naked, open, and unhidden, and yet the global political and media establishment still accords them the moral high ground. One might almost get the impression that the definers of acceptable opinion throughout the world have lost their moral compass and are suffering from a deep spiritual malady. And that is only because they are.