SABOTAGE? HEADSCARFS & ISLAMIZATION OF MAS - WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM MUSLIM NAIL IN AILING AIRLINE'S COFFIN

MAS is struggling to get back on its feet. The recent claim by a stewardess may be the last straw that will break MAS – and the final nail in the coffin – that will stop it from being one of the world's favourite airlines.

Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin claimed that a MAS stewardess had complained to him that her request to wear the tudung had been denied, and she had been forced to serve alcohol.

He said, "On a MAS flight tonight, an air stewardess complained and cried in front of me about her fate. She is tormented that she has to service alcohol and is not allowed to put on the headscarf. She is only trying to support her children and this is not the first time I hear of such complaints".

There are many unsettling things about this revelation.

If the stewardess is an established employee of MAS, she would have known that MAS is not like Rayani Air, where prayers and all things halal, are put above everything else.

If she is a new MAS recruit, she should have read about MAS and known that MAS is not like Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Most people turn religious in their middle to old age. This stewardess is still flying, so one can assume that she is younger than 47. If she is bothered by a spiritual awakening, why does she not request a transfer to the ground crew?

Is there a more sinister motive for this sudden claim. A few weeks ago, a nurse claimed that she had been sacked for refusing to wear short sleeves. Instead of going to her union, she approached the Muslim Consumer's Association, to fight on her behalf, and give her maximum publicity.

Is the stewardess part of a bigger, but subtle onslaught of the religious brigade, which is trying to undermine Malaysia's secularism?

Will Christoph Mueller, the new MAS CEO, be able to prevent the religious brigade from turning MAS into another syariah compliant airline?

Malaysians, including many Malays, are sick to death of pseudo fundamentalists crying about the loss of "their Muslim rights". It is not about protecting Muslims rights. It is about bullying others, into submission, and protecting the livelihood of Muslims in authority.

If the stewardess had complained about MAS' frequent delays, the quality of its service, the decline in the on-board food or the recent "mistake" with the flight plan, which an experienced pilot had queried, then the majority of Malaysians would have sympathy with her.

She has misplaced priorities, and should tender her resignation, before requesting a job with Rayani Air.

If she is concerned about keeping to her religious obligations, will she insist on chastity belts and chaperones in foreign hotels, to stop airline crew from hanky-panky when in transit. The chaperone will stop all opportunities for committing adultery.

Finally, is the rest of Malaysia being forced to submit to the will of the few? Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways are watching with interest to see how we commit business suicide.

We do not know if the unnamed stewardess was persuaded, by outside forces, to make a fictitious complaint. Nor do we know if Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin concocted the story.

Who would benefit from the fall of MAS? A potential buyer or a rival airlines, perhaps? - The Ant Daily