This morning we saw yet another example of the paranoia which grips the USA today [wouldn't that be a great name for a newspaper? ed.] because a barking mad Nigerian supposedly tried to ignite suspicious substances in his underpants. [No jokes about flamers, please. It's not funny! ed.]
US Airways flight 3079, en route from New York to Louisville, was landed in haste at Philthydelphia when a teenage passenger was seen with strange objects strapped to his arm and forehead.
Little did those responsible know that the mysterious objects were tefillin, a set of small boxes used by orthodox Jews when saying their prayers! The little boxes contain passages from the Bible. When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head.
Even though the USAir Express flight originated in New York, home to 1000s of the Jewish persuasion, it seems not one of the crew or passengers had ever seen an orthodox Jew praying before, hence the panic call to the bomb squad.
“It’s something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever,” said FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver. I guess I'm not average then, for I've seen it many times, especially when flying commuter aircraft such as those used by USscair. Some of my best friends, and all that.
It shows you the depth of knowledge of the FBI agents and others charged with protecting us from the evil Muslim terrorists. The tears must be rolling down Rick Shenkman's legs!
The best comment on the whole...er...schemozzle came from Rabbi Benjamin Blech, an assistant professor at New York's Yeshiva University. He called the incident “both humorous and outlandish” and a “wake-up call” for religious sensitivity.
But his best line was this: “We should be aware of ignorance just as much as we should be aware of terrorism.” Amin.
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