Article in a a Canadian newspaper
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 pilots lauded for strong ties to the community | National Post
On the face of it, none of this would seem to indicate deranged or potentially terrorist pilots.
From the article above:
Fariq was a “good boy, a good Muslim, humble and quiet,” said Ahmad Sarafi Ali Asrah, the head of a mosque near Fariq’s two-story home in a middle-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Similarly, first officer Gamil al Batouti was praised after the Egyptair 990 crash:
An observant Muslim, Mr. Batouti prayed five times a day, in accordance with Islamic teachings, his relatives said. He made a pilgrimage last winter to Mecca, accompanied by his wife, Umayma Dahi, whom he had married in 1965 and is the mother of the couple's five children.
Only occasionally did he return to his home village, but he usually did so during Ramadan, when he would distribute cash to the poor in accordance with Islamic tradition.
EgyptAir Pilot, From Privileged Background to a Terrible Prominence - New York Times
However, Gamil al Batouti was facing a possible termination hearing after exposing himself to underage girls at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan.
See:
FBI Exposes EgyptAir Pilot | The Smoking Gun
Oddly enough, the NTSB archive seems to be missing the 70 plus page FBI report on al Batouti that was originally posted and discussed here on PPRuNe.
The argument against suicide was made here in the pre-911 SU 990 mishap since 'Muslims don't commit suicide'. Similarly, on this thread the possibility of terrorism was dismissed in early posts 'because Malaysia is a Muslim country'.
I was initially skeptical but given what we now know, I believe a closer look at the crew would certainly be warranted.
If it was me, I'm sure they would check even if the preacher said I sang in the choir at Beulah Baptist.
"You know, now that I think about it, Airbubba did always seem a little strange..."