We Almost Lost Our Green Grand Mufti?

butterfly woman flying
Trying to “talk to God” a passenger tried to open plane’s emergency door mid-flight.

The Grand Mufti of Egypt is considered “very green” according to our analyst Moshe Terdiman. But a mishap aboard a flight to Cairo last week could have cost him his life. Our friend Jon Jenson at the Global Post picked up a local item from the press in Cairo: A passenger on board an EgyptAir flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo, carrying the Grand Mufti, averted sabotage.

It is reported that at about 8,000 feet, the passenger Abdallah Sayyed Ahmed tried to open the emergency door. He told officials that he wanted to “talk to God”. Security tackled him and brought him back to his seat.

The flight contained 144 people, including the highest-ranking spiritual guide for Sunni Islam, Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt.

Please don’t report me to airport security, but standing by the security door in the back of the plane while sipping on coffee on a long boring flight, I’ve thought too – what would happen if I pulled the handle? Curious I’ve asked the in-flight attendants and they said nothing. That the pressure in the cabin would prevent the door from opening.

Oh, and when I want to talk to God, I just do it directly wherever I am. I don’t think he/she cares if you are flying through the sky at 8,000 feet or a mile underwater.

::Global Post

Image via IPOX Studios

Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloostermanhttp://www.greenprophet.com
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]

TRENDING

Jujube, the sidr tree of medicine and magic

A magic holy sidr bath to deflect the evil eye? It needs 7 powdered sidr leaves stirred into a bucket of warm water. The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad allows to repeat healing prayers and verses from the Koran to increase the water’s potency. 5 grams, or 1 tablespoon of sidr powder equals 7 leaves.

The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine

Christ’s thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) also known as the sidr tree is a real, identifiable tree native to the Middle East, and it appears—directly or indirectly—in Islam, Judaism, and later Christian tradition. The connections between the three faiths are not theological agreements but overlapping uses, names, and symbolic associations rooted in the same landscape.

The Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, explained

Knowing about the concept of the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary helps explain a core idea in Islam.

Female Genital Mutilation still happens — quietly, at home, and across borders in Canada

A service provider explains that women may choose midwives from within their community to keep their status private. Another line cuts to the core: “There’s a lack of understanding… especially psychologically.”

Ethiopians are Looking to Somaliland for Red Sea Access as Global Powers Move In

Somaliland, for its part, has operated as a de facto independent state since 1991. It has its own government, elections, currency, and security forces. It’s often described as one of the more stable and democratic political systems in the region, despite never being formally recognized internationally. 

Turning Your Energy Consultancy into an LLC: 4 Legal Steps for Founders in Texas

If you are starting a renewable energy business in Texas, learn how to start an LLC by the books.

Tracking the Impacts of a Hydroelectric Dam Along the Tigris River

For the next two months, I'll be taking a break from my usual Green Prophet posts to report on a transnational environmental issue: the Ilısu Dam currently under construction in Turkey, and the ways it will transform life along the Tigris River.

6 Payment Processors With the Fastest Onboarding for SMBs

Get your SMB up and running fast with these 6 payment processors. Compare the quickest onboarding options to start accepting customer payments without delay.

Qatar’s climate hypocrisy rides the London Underground

Qatar remains a master of doublethink—burning gas by the megaton while selling “sustainability” to a world desperate for clean air. Wake up from your slumber people.

How Quality of Hire Shapes Modern Recruitment

A 2024 survey by Deloitte found that 76% of talent leaders now consider long-term retention and workforce contribution among their most important hiring success metrics—far surpassing time-to-fill or cost-per-hire. As the expectations for new hires deepen, companies must also confront the inherent challenges in redefining and accurately measuring hiring quality.

8 Team-Building Exercises to Start the Week Off 

Team building to change the world! The best renewable energy companies are ones that function.

Thank you, LinkedIn — and what your Jobs on the Rise report means for sustainable careers

While “green jobs” aren’t always labeled as such, many of the fastest-growing roles are directly enabling the energy transition, climate resilience, and lower-carbon systems: Number one on their list is Artificial Intelligence engineers. But what does that mean? Vibe coding Claude? 

Somali pirates steal oil tankers

The pirates often stage their heists out of Somalia, a lawless country, with a weak central government that is grappling with a violent Islamist insurgency. Using speedboats that swarm the targets, the machine-gun-toting pirates take control of merchant ships and then hold the vessels, crew and cargo for ransom.

Related Articles

Popular Categories