The Western media is at it again. This time it�s a story of
suicide. It�s a story of a 59-year-old Muslim and father of five who�after
38 years of meritorious service in which he trained many other pilots
and nearing retirement�allegedly decides to end his life and that of
227 others. Reason: extreme financial difficulties and a daughter�s
failing health.
In a country like the United States, where suicide is customary for
failed material acquisition, such story is believable. But for a
country like Egypt, with the lowest suicide rate in the world, such
story calls for very close scrutiny.
Suicide in Egypt, in line with Islamic doctrine, is widely regarded
as a sin. In 105 countries whose suicide rate was examined by the
Geneva-based World Heath Organization�s Mental and Behavior
Disorders department, Egypt scored the lowest. Out of a 64 million
population, the number of suicide cases rose from 41 in 1992 to 75 in
1995. The belief that only non-believers commit suicide is very strong
in this Islamic-influenced society.
But an apparent prayer uttered just before EgyptAir flight 990
fatally plunged from 33,000 feet is being translated by the U.S. media
as an indication of suicide.
While officials searched for answers to why the Boeing 767 jet
suddenly crashed into the ocean with no apparent mechanical problem
and no distress call made, they are believed to have concluded that
co-pilot Gameel El-Batouty deliberately crashed the Cairo-bound plane
Oct. 31 in a suicidal act.
Mr. El-Batouty was earlier widely quoted in the Western media as
saying, just before the fatal dive, "I made my decision now. I
put my faith in God�s hands." The first sentence was later
discovered not to exist on the flight tape recorder. The question then
is, Whose concoction was that statement?
While the answer to this question may never be found, it is another
display of the Western media�s zeal to seize upon every opportunity
to launch its vitriolic attack on Islam and Muslims. It is another
example that when and where Muslims are concerned, media
responsibility and ethics are thrown out of the window.
The second sentence, "Tawakaltu ala Allah," a common
statement of conscious Muslims in times of crisis, uttered as
testament of faith in Allah�s (God) ability to control the
emergency, was translated to be a signal of a sadistic mind. While on
one hand Muslims who read such preposterous claim in the media laugh
at their blatant ignorance, on the other they realize the media�s
attempt to exploit a tragedy and to besmear the more than 1.5 billion
Muslims worldwide and the Egyptian people in particular.
In the final analysis, one must wonder if the rush to take a
criminal approach to this tragic incident has to do with protection of
corporate greed; an attempt by an American institution to protect the
bottom ine of a giant American company�Boeing�from any
responsibility. After all, shortly before it was announced that the
F.B.I. might be called in to take over the criminal investigation of
the crash, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board met
with Boeing officials.
While the focus now is on Mr. El-Batouty, investigators must not
neglect or refuse to acknowledge all other possibilities.