I am sure we will get a flood of "the poor guy was just practicing his religion". Obviously the action was taken with the intent provoke a reaction.
I'm sure you would not see the same on EL-AL. After all, a plane full of devotees would not have the space to allow this sort of behavior even if they wanted to.
Where is judge Judy when we need her?
Regardless of your religion, failure to follow flight crew instructions is a problem.
Had the plane taken off with him in this position, and he flew into the wall, I'm sure you would have seen a hefty lawsuit.
For a change, it would be nice to see a Judge throw the book at him and fine him for causing a disturbance.
I wonder why the "friends" did not advise him that this was going to be a problem.