Would Emirates hire a Jewish person?

[Koan]

I noticed on the Emirates online application in the personal details section under "Religion" they have just about every possible choice of major faith (including other) except Judaism. Or, is it a "Don't ask Don't tell" policy?

[Dumpvalve]

Yes, they defnitely hire Jewish people.

[Pnooze]

Emirates do hire jewish pilots...the only trouble was that the one and only jewish pilot that was hired was not a good advert for the faith.... as I try to convince my local colleagues to judge the person not his religion....it was very hard in his case to convince anyone here otherwise.christian budhist or otherwise...!!!;)
by the way i am an emirates pilot using a virgin friends computer

[Toolkit]

Would El-Al hire a muslim as a pilot ?

....a muslim one from Palestine ?

[Bubbette]

Most if not all El Al pilots are from Palestine, which was divided into two states, Jordan and Israel. There are employees of all faiths, minorities and nationalities at El Al. Did you have another point ToolKit? Are you suggesting El Al is racists in its hiring policies? I find that hard to believe since Israel is the only Mid-East country where those of all faiths have freedom to worship, seek employment, free speech etc.

[Bagshaw Crusher]

Bubbette

You sound like the Jewish lobby in the US State Dept.

How many Palestinian pilots fly for El Al? Thought most El AL pilots learnt the trade in the IDF.

Your interpretation of history as convenient as I have seen in a while too.

[Tayas]

Come on guys give it a break. The question Koan asked was quite straight forward, so why the under tones.

Millions of Jewish people, as well as Christains and Muslims live outside the Middle East an never been there, and some of those just happen to be pilots. One Jewish guy "Koan" asks a simple employment question and all of a sudden he has the Israeli - Palestinian thing dumped on him.:ouch:

Koan all the best with the job hunting.

Tayas

[Koan]

By the way I'm Christian. I just thought it seemed discriminatory that the application allows an applicant to profess every major and some quite minor faiths besides Judaism.

[richie-rich]

hey Bubbette
So, you saying EL-Al is an option for me when i start looking for jobs after getting my C.P.L? I am Muslim, by the way and never had problem with jews or anyone practising any other religion. I thought the political climate was just too heated up for both the Palestenians and Israelis to hire pilots of the opposite religion.

Just a question. Dont intend to spice this post up. :) I would love to work for El-Al provided they I get an opportunity and bla bla.

Richie

[boiler]

I'm sorry to be pesimistic, but I am am almost sure it will be a very cold day in Hell before El Al or even the Mosad will agree to a Muslim or even a Palestinian with an Israeli Nationality to be a pilot regardless of democracy practices. Those of you who lived here a long time will know exactly why.

By the way Bubbette, you better review your history. Jordan was never part of Palestine.

[Bubbette]

Boilermaker---you're kidding right? Take a look at some maps--or see Arafat's words themselves--he wants to liberate all of Palestine--and he's referring to Jordan also--remember in 1970 when he almost overthrew Hussein?

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/ottomap.html
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/christmap.html
http://www.passia.org/palestine_facts/MAPS/1923-1948-british-mandate.html



Richie-rich--I don't speak for El Al, but they do not discriminate on basis of religion. On the other hand, they are just being privatized, and are doing very poorly financially, so I wouldn't count on anyone getting a job there. I know in the past they only hired pilots who had served in the Israeli air force (and there definitely are Muslims in the air force, as well as women), but why don't you send them an email and ask?

[boiler]

Since long ago, Palestine was always considered to be West of the Jordan River, while Jordan itself was on the East bank. Ask any experienced historian why truly knows the area. Sorry, but I really cannot trust a website like http://www.us-israel.org for very obvious reasons (see Bagshaw Crusher's comments).

[Bubbette]

Really Boilermaker? So you don't trust any British websites because they give news about British foreign affairs? I don't think it's obvious--you don't trust a website with Israel in its name? Is that because Israel has a large Jewish population? Please explain. What's so obvious? In any case, one of those sites is a Palestinian site--do you not trust that one also? We're waiting. . . .

[boiler]

Have you been watching the news lately?? Look at what is happening in the UK and US about all the false information about the threat Iraq posed to the US and the entire world and how they justified the war based on forged info and other documents. Sorry, but I can't really say I trust any info comming from the US these days. Enough said.

[ironbutt57]

So what was the question...? would EK hire a person of the Jewish faith..suspect so, as there are many Arab Jews, would they hire an Israeli citizen?????

[Bubbette]

wow boilermaker can trust no info coming from the US. Yes, I guess that *does* say it all.

[richie-rich]

I dunno if this fight between Bubbette & boilermaker is worth it, as it inarguably is going off the topic and we have two non-middleeastern fighting to prove some geography which is irrelevant in the context of the topic. :bored:

I would rather want some facts from you guys and ask you this "biased, prejudiced" whatever you call it, question. In EK, whats the percentage of Muslim pilots? I for sure know that selection isnt based on color, ethnicity, religion etc, but when I started flying EK back in the early 90s, all I would see is white flight crews whereas I see many Arabs, Indians (!! or could be Pakistanis, Bangladeshis) .

And by the way, could someone tell me if s/he has ever come across a Bangladeshi flying for Ek or not? Thanks all. :D

Richie

[Andu]

At the incredible risk of getting the thread somewhere back near topic, (at least for the first paragraph), the short answer is “yes”, and, I believe, they have done so in more than one case. With the exception of one pilot, whose rather unambiguous name made his ethnic background virtually impossible to ignore, the earlier flight crew within EK (both tech and cabin crew) who were Jewish existed (and continue to exist) quite happily more or less like homosexuals did once did in the military – it was a matter of “if we don’t ask the question, we don’t need to hear the answer”.

Of course generalisations always contain exceptions, but the local Arabs in Dubai are incredibly tolerant in their attitudes towards people of different religions and cultures, which accounts in large part why Dubai is such a pleasant place to live. The attendance at the Christian churches in Dubai would leave most congregation-starved clerics in the West slavering in disbelief – and the land for these churches is given gratis to the churches by the Sheikh, and in some cases, he has laid the cornerstone of the buildings.) However, although expats are free to practise their religion, the locals do not take kindly to anyone trying to foist Christian (or other religious) literature to Muslims, particularly if it is in Arabic.

Admittedly, it’s not all sweetness and light. Every now and again, someone crosses the sometimes indefinable and constantly shifting line and there is a reaction by the authorities – the recent incident of the couple ‘French kissing’ in public comes to mind – and every now and again, an unwitting expat may be unfortunate to cross paths in the wrong circumstances with a local who is one of the exceptions I referred to at the start of the last paragraph. However, generally, the locals – and the local authorities – are tolerant to an extraordinary degree, in many cases, way beyond what you might expect them to be (except when they’re behind the wheel of a high-powered car – but that’s another story, which could be the subject of a separate thread).

A number of expat residents, particularly young women, regularly push way beyond the boundaries of commonsense in what they wear in shopping centres and on the street in Dubai, to the point where some long-term residents wonder if there won’t one day be a reaction enforcing women to cover, as has happened in the last year in neighbouring Sharjah. And no, they’re not always tourists, but in my experience, it is quite frequently wives of EK pilots or EK flight attendants who are among the worst offenders – and I’m not talking about the beach or in night clubs. (For those not familiar with the ‘cover’ rules in Sharjah, it is not as in wearing the full gear abeya and headscarf, just an insistence that women wear loose-fitting clothing that covers the shoulders, midriff and upper legs when in public.)

A walk through the City Centre or any other major shopping centre in Dubai can be almost surreal as you quite often see a bevy of young expat females in the latest ‘painted on’ hipster pants with bared tummies and their boobs more out than in the scraps of skin-tight cloth they’re wearing on top literally walking alongside young local women of the same age wearing the full black abeya, shalia (head scarf) and face veil with just their eyes (and in some cases, not even their eyes) on display.

[ManaAdaSystem]

Excellent post!

[Fubaar]

A walk through the City Centre or any other major shopping centre in Dubai can be almost surreal Agreed 100%, Andu. Far too many young (and not so young) Western women in Dubai seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that they're living in a Muslim country, although I think the Russian 'ladies' are the main offenders.

Regarding your comment about the driving in Dubai, maybe someone should open a thread "Would Emirates employ someone who doesn't have extensive rally driving experience?" Sheikh Z Rd scares the bejeezus out of me damn near every time I go on it.

Anyone who hasn't experienced it, if you've seen 'Scariest Police Videos', it's in the same ballpark - except there's never a police car chasing the crazies. They just weave between lanes at about Warp Factor Five, particularly in their favourite lane reserved for the really fast drivers, commonly known as the 'local lane' - the hard shoulder.

[Yarba]

Andu,
Excellent, well-balanced post which tells how it really is here in the Emirates.
Only thing we need now is enough salary to stop all the helo pilots leaving - but that a different story!:sad:

[blueside^]

Mr Koan,

Yes they will.

My advise is to go for it. You won't be alone by a LONG shot. Just don't enter your religion on the application form.

You will definitely enjoy going.

:ok:

[papyjo]

Since I have not read all the replies to this very interesting question, I might repeat what somebody has already answered, nevermind my reply consists of another question :

Would El Al hire a non jewish pilot ? :mad:

[Bubbette]

Why don't you start another thread that is on this topic, and then we'll ask whether Swiss hires non-swiss, American hires non-Americans etc? I don't represent El Al, but as far as I have read, it does not discriminate on the basis of religion.