KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — Local airlines should conduct Islamic prayers prior to take-off, Federal Territories Mufti Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri suggested following debate over an AirAsia X pilot’s call for passengers to pray following engine problems.
Zulkifli said such prayers could help ensure the safety of the flights, after citing Islamic teachings on the importance and purpose of their recital.
“As such, we honestly suggest to airlines in Malaysia such as Malaysia Airlines Bhd, AirAsia, Malindo and Firefly to start their flights for Muslim travellers with organised prayers.
“This will benefit the journey and, God willing, bring safety and peace because it is understood that long journeys are part of the trials and tribulations that Muslim travellers must face,” he said in a statement.
Debate over the propriety of pilots calling for prayers during emergencies transpired after a former federal minister criticised the captain of the AirAsia X flight for doing so after the plane lost an engine while flying from Perth to Kuala Lumpur last week.
Captain Ibrahim Jalaluddin, the pilot of Flight D7 237, has since defended himself by saying he was calm throughout and saw no harm in appealing for divine intervention.
Aside from his employers, the Department of Civil Aviation has also come to the pilot's defence, insisting that there was nothing wrong with calling for prayers in emergencies.
