A passenger noticed an American Airlines employee at Washington National airport offering a prayer over the PA system at one of the gates and videotaped it. They sent it to a friend who shared it to twitter with outrage. Although I don’t really see anything wrong with offering a prayer right now, it may even bring some comfort during difficult times.
Ummm excuse me, @AmericanAir? Care to explain why your agent at gate 38 at DC’s @Reagan_Airport (DCA) is reciting lengthy Christian prayers over the loudspeaker right now? So inappropriate, not okay. Insulting to ppl of other faiths/no faith at all. #shame #fail #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/kc1UpcTbhI
— (((John M. Becker))) (@freedom2marry) June 25, 2020
Naturally twitter responded like twitter to the notion.
It’s like religious terrorism.
— Michelle (mitsumeeshi) (@muppetgirl74) June 26, 2020
Now, Matthew 6:5 says that the purpose of prayer shouldn’t be to put oneself on display, but this isn’t a rejection of public prayer just the motives that some may have (condemning “the hypocrites”).
The employee’s colleagues may appreciate it and some passengers might also. There’s really no reason to be offended. There’s nothing exclusionary about what I saw on the video.
Now, I’m Jewish and I have memories as a child feeling strange walking into a church, like I was doing something wrong. I’m not sure where that feeling came from, though I outgrew it, and I’ve been a part of Catholic weddings. When other groomsman took communion, I simply crossed my arms to indicate to the priest that I wouldn’t take part, but that’s only because I didn’t want to disrespect the ritual as a non-believer. Others taking communion wasn’t a threat to me.
Airports Aren’t Prayer-Free Zones
The first airport chapels in the US were Catholic. They began to take off in the 1950s. The very first in the U.S. was at Boston Logan named “Our Lady of the Airways.” The second was at then-Idlewild (now JFK) in New York, “Our Lady of the Skies.” I often think of airport chapels serving mostly transient passengers but they serve airline and airport employees.
Religious services in airports aren’t limited to chapels. Chaplains pay a role when dead bodies are moved through airports. (People also die at airports, too.) Chaplains are often the ones to notify family members when someone dies inflight. This can happen with some frequency at the biggest hubs.
Airport police will also sometimes refer problems to the airport chaplain as an alternative to arrest. People behave better around religious figures.
Interestingly there’s no chapel in my home airport of Austin. There’s also no designated chapel space at Las Vegas (where they might need one most!), Los Angeles, or Philadelphia. Dallas Fort-Worth has five.
Alaska used to pass out prayer cards with meal trays. After 30 years Alaska Airlines ended the practice in 2012 (they started offering it only in first class in 2006, when they stopped providing meals in coach). The idea originally came from a marketing executive who brought the practice to Alaska from Continental.
But Doesn’t Christian Prayer Exclude Others?
Perhaps the strongest way this was put out on twitter was as follows:
Man, if a Muslim even ATTEMPTED this…
— Lurking in America (@LurkerinAmerica) June 25, 2020
Traveling while Muslim is a challenge in this country and we need to do something about that. I’m also not sure why that means Christian prayer shouldn’t be permitted.
The idea that a prayer from the Quran is foreign to aviation seems odd, every time I departed Etihad from the United States this is what played on the ground:
And more broadly the idea seems to be, why privilege Christianity? In fact, American Airlines has a Jewish employee group – Bridget Blaise-Shamai, who headed the AAdvantage program has served as its sponsor. (Her husband is Jewish, by the way several AAdvantage Presidents have been Jewish including Suzanne Rubin, Maya Leibman the airline’s current CIO, and Rob Friedman the current Chief Commercial Officer at Greyhound).
Airline chapels are interfaith, and some in the U.S. even do have Muslim prayer rooms, here’s one in an Etihad lounge.
Someone, Somewhere Finding Comfort Doesn’t Take Anything Away From You
I guess I have a hard time seeing the harm in an employee taking a moment to offer a prayer. And by the way I’m Jewish, this isn’t defending my own religion.
Half a million people at least have died from Covid, treatments remain limited, maybe we can give people a little bit of extra space right now to find comfort and try to be a little bit less offended that they’re able to.
Very well written, Gary.
Gary, that you are Jewish (as am I) and not offended should have nothing to do with this. Allowing prayers in a public place like an airport is a slippery slope if you are not going to all religions (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Scientology, et al) to do the same.
@Michael F – what evidence do you have that anyone of another religion has been barred from doing the same?
The gate agent isn’t a government employee so there doesn’t seem to be an establishment of religion issue here.
I’m highly offended by this. I shouldn’t have to be subjected to prayer when I’m in a public place, especially a public place that is designed for public transport. Typical AA junk. They let their employees do whatever they want, with zero consequences.
And my point about being Jewish is this isn’t self-serving. I guess my question is why does someone praying publicly offend you?
Well written Gary. We need to be inclusive not offended
Gary, you miss the point completely. No one should be allowed to be allowed to broadcast prayers in a public place, regardless of whether they are a private or government employee. There are places for that, namely churches, mosques, synagogues and the privacy of your own home.
Sorry Gary I think you are mistaken here. I, another member of the tribe, find this offensive. Passenger want to pray in a normal talking tone to themselves, or even if the pilot wants to say a prayer, in normal talking voice, in the cockpit to himself with the door open. No problem. They are doing it for themselves and actively making me listen to them. But to use the loudspeaker to broadcast it across the terminal or throughout the plane, unacceptable behavior. Really no different than doing the same with political speech.
Praying in public is fine. Broadcasting your political and religious views to a large audience who aren’t there for that purpose is inconsiderate and offensive to those who may have different religion or views than you. The purpose of broadcasting is to amplify and bring your views and thoughts to others. When I’m in an airport I’m there because I want to fly, or because I want to be subjected to someone broadcasting their worldview to me. Highly offensive and the employee should be reprimanded.
Being inclusive means the AA employee should also offer prayers from all religions, or better yet, just wish everyone a safe flight. Not highlight a singular religion that may or may not be applicable to others.
It may seem fine for the people aligned to this belief, but what would be the outrage if someone who is atheist went on the PA and denounced religion and told everyone within earshot there is no God and they need to believe in the pilot for their safety? Or a Hindu who told everyone that they should thank Vishnu or Brahma for their safety and well-being?
99 times out of 100 people are offended only because they WANT to be offended.
It is a Company policy Issue rather than a taking offense one. Like there’s somewhere in the policy manual that talks about political and/or religious opinion.
Following through- imagine if an employee of BH Photo in Manhattan (orthodox Jewish owned) got on PA and did the same with Christian hymns- the owners/management would have a problem. If at Chick-Fil-A someone got up and started reciting Torah on their PA- slight problem….
The fact that AA might NOT have a problem with this is the problem – if the next employee gets up and does something from Scientology, Islam, Back Lives Matter, etc/ and the airline tris to stop it- they will be able to rightfully claim the airline discriminated against them based on their religion or political opinion.
If the airlines doesn’t try to stop it to avoid discriminatory practices- then the PA airwaves could be overrun once employees realize it’s an unregulated free for all.
I expect American’s response will be to let the employee know that there is a time and place for everything, including protected speech. The departure gate PA system is not it.
Adhan from the control tower next?
I think the issue is once you allow one employee to express their religious beliefs in public you need to do the same for all employees….and not all prayer is created equal. Lets assume this agent’s intentions were to provide comfort to those who heard her prayer. Now what happens at a different gate where there is a large group going to a pro-choice rally. The agent working that gate recites a prayer that condemns abortion and angers everyone at the gate, while practicing her religious freedom. There are 1000 examples you could use where it would offend someone. But if you let one employee pray you have to let all pray.
Now I’m an atheist and really don’t care who people want to pray to. God, Jesus, Allah, or Santa Claus….all the same to me. But I think from a purely business stand point AA, or any business, should not allow their employees to openly broadcast their religious beliefs. I don’t see any upside for AA and only downside.
Don’t you know? Everyone must be loudly and publicly offended at everything, all the time, 24/7/365.
Except me; I am the exception. I don’t get to be offended, ever.
It’s the new rules.
I’d like to also point out that access to the PA system is restricted. So not only is the employee pushing their religious perspective onto the public, but they are limiting it only to those that are allowed to use the PA. It is also being utilized and broadcasted in a government funded place. That type of speech already has a designated space, usually in a non-denominational chapel at the airport. It shouldn’t be forced upon the general public as a broadcast.
American Airlines expresses political opinions all the time. Mask usage has become politicized. They allow active duty military to preboard (and announce this). The political/nonpolitical distinction does not hold even if you grant religious prayer is political.
@toomanybooks – nailed it!
What’s next protests on megaphones at the gate for freedom of speech?
While I’m sure the agent means well and comes from a well intended place it simply isn’t the time or place to publicly preach religion to the traveling public
It’s no different than being on a train or subway like Marta in Atlanta and get someone someone entering the train preaching to passengers loudly and awkwardly as I’ve seen in the past.The next step the collection plate in the name of religion Unacceptable
Not to mention those it may offend who don’t follow the same faith
Mazel Tov to the gate agent attempting to help calm the fear of flying on American Airlines by offering a pre-boarding prayer to help diminish passenger angst of not receiving the amenity of the discontinued pre-departure beverage. In these turbulent times, passengers who can’t get their anti-anxiety medication like Xanax are under the impression they will get infected during their flight, develop a COVID-19 illness, and be dead in two weeks.
Mask usage, while obviously a politicized issue, also has a public health concern. Whether it actually provides the medical benefit is still unclear, it’s implantation is not politically motivated but medically motivated.
American’s stances, on things like military on first or actively supporting pride month/BLM or other social causes, are usually trying to promote inclusion. The problem with religion or politics is they can just as easily alienate someone as they can include them. I again don’t see the upside for AA or any business to allow it.
@Gary Leff, how do you equate the politicization of mask usage with the public broadcasting of religious prayers in an airport? Further, how does honoring the troops by letting them board first cause any offense (versus making non-Christians listen to Christian prayers over the PA system)?
If this goes to court, this gate agent doesn’t have a prayer.
I’m a non-christian and I would find this uncomfortable – though maybe it’s not egregious enough to be offensive. There are already enough reminders that this country prioritizes one religion above all others, I don’t need another in a public space that’s traditionally been secular in this country. A hidden chapel for prayer that one voluntarily enters is very different than a public announcement in a space that I’m obligated to wait in.
Let’s take your “it’s harmless” argument to its logical conclusion. What if there were bibles in every seat on an AA flight? What if their were mid-flight pilot-led prayer circles? What if there were bible verses printed directly onto boarding passes? These actions certainly might bring comfort to some and yes, they could be ignored by non-christians, but I think we can all agree they would be highly inappropriate.
Frankly the other reason I’d be peeved is that airport announcements are annoying enough as they are and the less of them the better, no matter what the content.
@toomanybooks, I have to agree with you. I don’t much like the term “cancel culture”, but it’s true these days that to express any opinion, idea – or even a question that seeks information – that goes against the woke religion’s dogma will ruin you. The FA is a private individual working for a private company. I don’t know what company policy is, but she is no way a government establishing religion.
I think this blog post is very well written.
I fail to see the problem here. This was not a state sanctioned religious mandate. Who can rationally feel threatened by this? Who was hurt by this?
So many people today in our country have no tolerance for those who do not share their beliefs or opinions despite preaching the virtues of diversity. I fear where we are headed as a pluralistic society.
To be clear, I don’t think the gate agent did anything illegal. He may or may not have violated AA rules. I think what he did was inappropriate – and probably, frankly, not great for the AA brand. Then again, it is Texas, so who knows.
IMO employees praying in the gate area is weird but okay I guess. But doing over the loudspeaker is really beyond the pale. C’mon people!
@Ron, that you fail to see this as a problem is a problem in itself. It is not necessarily a question of having to tolerate the person who decided to broadcast a religious prayer but rather that that person should have had consideration for those who do not share their belief. After all, where do we draw the line (ie, should anyone be allowed to broadcast their religious beliefs in a public place and should we all have to tolerate it)?
guarantee that most of the folks who have no problem with this being broadcast over the loudspeaker would have a problem if it was a religious muslim employee doing the call to prayer. i don’t like the uniformed employees of the airline i’m about to fly acting like preachers.
A true Christian prayers for everyone’s well being, safety and happiness. Right now, we could use a LOT of that. Thanks Gary.
This guy should be advised to keep his prayers to himself. There are a number of facilities available to those who wish to engage in prayer. It’s a private matter, not a broadcast.
Again, I question whether all these people who have no problem with a Christian prayer have any concerns if it was a Muslim, Hindu, or other religious prayer being broadcasted for everyone to hear.
Nothing wrong with a prayer; plenty wrong broadcasting that when it’s in a venue that should be non-denominational. A simple wish or hope for a safe flight is enough to cover the intention without bringing in a singular religion into the fold.
Those who complain about loss of Christian values (or the muzzling of Christian speech) should remind themselves that the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance, as well as “In God We Trust” on our money, were all added in the 1950’s; during the height of anti-Communism hysteria that forced Christian association to the country as a way to be patriotic. It was never originally intended as such. The acceptance of a Christian prayer is just an extension of the conservative majority’s hold in the public psyche (similar to how they are against the burning of the US flag or kneeling during the anthem in protest).
keep your prayers to yourself and don’t burden us who don’t believe in sky gods the noise pollution. I would expect no less in tRumps America but when does it end? I’d prefer hearing that Black Lives Matter but the racists on this site will object. Sky god zealots praying before a flight takes off is inappropriate and frightening.
People are entitled to believe what they wish, however the moment it spills over into the real world and causes actions that impact others entirely due to their faith it’s a problem.
There is zero evidence for any deity existing – the fact that people continue to promote their particular brand of indoctrination or surrender of critical thinking is not justifiable.
If people are nervous about flying in the present strange times (or any time), having someone pray at the gate may comfort some but it would make me feel there may be more than the usual risks to worry about. Does the agent know something I don’t???
Gary,
Great reminder that the first amendment was never intended as freedom FROM religion.
I’ve traveled on Saudi airlines many times, and very much appreciate the flights start with a prayer. It cause no offense as we all believe in the same God. (Christians, Jews, Muslims)
No, no, NO! No public prayers of any sort! It’s inappropriate to the max. If you want to pray, go find a chapel or a hidden nook you can occupy with your words of comfort.
I’m Jewish but I get uncomfortable when I see frum Jews praying in the boarding area.
I’m in no way afraid to fly, but I have to admit to a bit of nervousness on a flight from Colorado Springs to Dallas about 20 years ago. I looked in the flight deck when I was boarding and noticed the pilot was wearing a lanyard which said, “WWJD”. I sure hoped Jesus really was not flying the plane!
@Gary —>. CLEARLY by the number of responses you have received, this is a highly sensitive topic. As a Jew myself — albeit a non-religious one — I know all too well the feeling you described of feeling strange walking into a church as a child. And yes, I grew out of it, but even though I am secular, I *still* feel somewhat “odd” being in a church.
Religion itself doesn’t bother me, or offend me. People *practicing* their religion doesn’t bother me. HOWEVER, just as “your right to flail and swing your fists around stops at my nose,” I do not want to be *assaulted* by a Christian prayer (or any other kind) over a loud speaker in an airport. If someone wants to pray, let them! But their right to pray does not include a right to bombard my ears with their religion.
I was not in the airport. But the AA employee has access to a public address system that other individuals do not. That makes his prayers PUBLIC and that is what offends so many. I have a choice to turn on the TV and watch the Pope’s Easter address, or to turn on to a television evangelist, or to enter some mega-church…whatever. But I also have the choice to turn OFF the television or walk out of the church.
I CANNOT WALK OUT OF THE AIRPORT UNLESS I WANT TO MISS MY FLIGHT!
Thus, listening to this prayer is *not* an option, and THAT is what offends me.
@Gary
100% wrong on this one.
Pray if you feel the need but do it on your own time and in your own space.
Religion is like sex, it should be practiced in private and only by consenting adults.
This is so reminiscent of growing up where christianity was forced down my throat. If I want to hear a prayer, I will go to a church – not an airport. Just a thought – wasn’t public school prayer banned by the Supreme Court in 1962?
So I want to know if the AA employee was a member of the Church of Satan who prayed to Lucifer, how that would have gone over???
@ Gary – you missed the boat on this one. Time and place for everything.
Gary,
Thanks for the article.
I came as an immigrant to this country with an advance eng’g degree. I am retired from tech after working for 40 years.. I appreciate the goodness of this country and i do not find nothing wrong with saying prayers – I am not sure why people are offended if the prayer wishes you no harm! They can just cover their ears! I understand those people that complain has not traveled to Muslim countries where you usually hear their daily morning,noon, and evening calls. I suggest those people.that complain travel often so they have a wider perspective of the world.
A question: Where do you draw the line at what a gate agent can or cannot broadcast over the PA system? Isn’t one of the issues here how you stop others from broadcasting whatever it is they feel like sharing at a particular moment in time? Who gets to decide..and when?
Gary, I disagree. It is being broadcast over a public address system in a public building. The employee has every right to pray, but I do not believe others should be forced to listen to her prayer. Unfortunately, you often need to be in the gate area and announcements are often heard at other gates as well. Hence, others cannot avoid being subjected to the prayer.
I’d be offended at a moron broadcasting his mythology and expecting it to (1) work and (2) be welcome by me.
Good heavens. If the gate agent had told a joke, would that be offensive? If the gate agent had an accent, is that offensive? Why get so wound up about this? Who decided your right to not be offended takes precedence over the gate agent’s right to free speech? Why do we have to be offended at everything in this country?
Totally inappropriate. If the employee wanted to offer prayer, they could have done so on the side and not on the PA. Playing that over the PA is one person pushing their religion on another. Think of how people would have been screaming if that was a prayer in Arabic. Hell even tweetytrump himself would be yelling about this.
We should all have the freedom of religion of course and I will fight for that right with anyone, but forcing it on someone else is over the line.
Countries that have mandatory official religions do things like that as you stated. And good for them. Here, we are ‘supposed’ to have freedom of and FROM religion as we choose.
Was perhaps a kind gesture (I’m sure it was genuine), but really should have been done off to the side and that I think would have been such a nice thing to do. That could have been one of those ‘feel good’ stories.
Not compliant with AA Code of Conduct
https://www.aa.com/content/images/customer-service/about-us/corporate-governance/work-environment-policy-overview.pdf
Bad judgement by crew member – why entrust my safety to a religious nut job?
Gary- I’m an atheist, and with all due respect, here’s why you’re wrong:
In every example you give, the individual chooses to be there. At a church, come on. Airports have chapels, I’ve seen them. I don’t go in. They don’t make me. I could go on with every example.
I listened to this, and it made me cringe. I would be so uncomfortable. If I flew a Middle East airline known for having prayer before a flight, I chose to fly them. And, I respect foreign cultures. But this is not okay for an atheist.
Let’s turn the conversation sideways.
Hypothetically, again, with all respect, if I was Black, and was uncomfortable with a airline sponsored pre-flight ritual that was offensive to my culture, would you have a different opinion?