While Americans argue about which religious minorities belong in our national life, a Hindu of Indian origin captain and Jewish Israeli passengers offered a more consequential answer: They helped keep everyone on board Flydubai Flight FZ1073 alive.

On Sept. 30, Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv became the scene of an apparent attempt to crash a passenger aircraft. Capt. Smit Machchhar was stabbed by his co-pilot, an Omani national, whose name has not been publicly released. Despite his injuries, he opened the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to intervene. Additional pilots subsequently landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.