Heroes and Terrorists: The Courage to Fight Islamist Terrorism

As more information comes out about the attempted hijacking and crashing of Flydubai flight FZ1073, we have to have a real conversation about heroes and terrorists. It was awe-inspiring heroism and courage that were displayed during the attempt to hijack flight FZ1073 traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel. We should celebrate the courage of those who fought to save that plane and demand that leaders of nations and Muslim communities show the courage to condemn and confront Islamist terrorism and the radicalization that encourages it.

The entire nation of India and the entire world should be proud of Captain Smit Machchhar. He is a hero. The pilot and Indian national Smit Machchhar was attacked with a knife or axe by his Omani co-pilot. Lying in a pool of his own blood and still fighting, he was able to allow access to the cockpit while the plane was taking a violent nosedive, losing thousands of feet in less than a minute. He fought like a lion and deserves a nation’s a world’s respect and honor.

Captain Machchhar selfless actions allowed for other heroes to act. He had the courage and the clear thinking to unlock what would have been an impenetrable cockpit to allow others to enter and stop his attacker. One of the passengers that ran towards the danger of the cockpit, Israeli plumber Yaniv Hayun described putting the attacker in a chokehold and pulling him out of the cockpit.

Yaniv is a hero. He and a few other ordinary Israeli citizens did not hesitate a second, jumping to assist the crew in fighting their way into the cockpit and subduing the co-pilot. This level of heroism and courage cannot be dismissed. People often miss that Israel has a citizen defense force made up of doctors, artists, college students, grandparents, and business owners who all serve to defend their homes and nation against attacks by other nations, terrorist armies, and decentralized terror campaigns.

Even more heroes showed up in the flight crew who joined the passengers to get into the cockpit, subdue the attacker, and manage the passengers and chaos throughout the cabin. As well as the off-duty pilots on board who were able to get the plane under control and safely land it in Saudi Arabia.

It takes a community to keep each other safe, with people willing to fight evil when it comes to their doorstep. I have huge respect for all involved in this event.

There were 174 passengers aboard that flight, the majority of them Israelis. These heroes saved the passengers on that flight and potentially prevented an untold number of other casualties had that plane crashed into a populated area. The prime minister of Israel believed it was a potential 9/11-style event.

As an American, I know full well what terrorists in a plane can do. Despite all of the protocols after 9/11, terrorists still seek ways to use those protocols against the world. The protocol to reinforce and redesign cockpit doors for every commercial aircraft in the world were implemented to keep attackers out. But a threat already inside the cockpit presents a threat. In this case, the Captain Machchhar ability to open the door gave others the opportunity to intervene.

But it raises a much larger conversation that we need to have on Islamic radicalization and its continuing threat to the world. Isarel’s Prime Minister said the co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination, while Flydubai said the underlying reasons and motives remained subject to a formal investigation. Reports say passengers hearing “Allahu Akbar” shouted from the cockpit. The investigation must establish the facts, including whether anyone encouraged or helped prepare the attacker.

The number of instances of Muslim radical leaders propagating extremist views and radicalizing their societies is unacceptable. We need wider Muslim communities to come out and condemn attacks committed in the name of Islam, whether attempted or executed. We all must call out these Islamist terrorist campaigns that target civilians in the pursuit of their warped ideology.

Whether it’s 9/11, Pahalgam, or Mumbai, enough is enough. The same demand for condemnation applies to attacks on Jewish communities in Canada, in the United States, and in Britain. In Boulder, Colorado, people taking part in a walk calling attention to the Israeli hostages in Gaza were attacked with Molotov cocktails. People should be able to board an airplane, practice their faith, or walk through their own community without becoming targets.

That’s why we celebrate the heroism and courage of Captain Smit Machchhar. He is the best of us. He’s the best of humanity, as are the other Israeli citizens, like Yaniv and the others, who got into the cockpit and subdued the attacker, and the pilots who were passengers and safely landed the plane.

We also have to have the hard conversations. Leaders of nations and leaders of Muslim communities need to call out and condemn this and every attempted terrorist act in the name of Islam and the Islamic radicalization that encourages it.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.