Americans mistake Malaysian flag for US flag ‘desecrated’ with IS symbols

KANSAS CITY – A Malaysian flag used at a party in the American state of Kansas was mistaken by locals as an American flag that had been "desecrated by IS (Islamic State) insignia", reported Malaysia's The Star on Tuesday (Mar 20).

The daily said that the incident prompted the Kansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file a lawsuit on Sunday against Spirit Boeing Employees' Association (SBEA), the owners of the property where the party was held.

The ACLU said that Malaysian citizen Zanial Munir, an employee of Spirit Aerosystems, was celebrating Eid-al Adha or Hari Raya Haji and Malaysia's National Day on Sept 2, 2017, at a recreational lake in the city of Wichita when Malaysia's national flag was displayed.

"Following the party, SBEA reported Mr Zanial to the Spirit Aerosystems security team based on a concern that Mr Zanial was affiliated with radical Islamic terrorism and alleged that he had used the SBEA lake to hold an IS meeting," read the lawsuit.

According to the ACLU, SBEA had alleged that Mr Zanial and his guests had displayed an American flag that had been "desecrated by IS insignia" and were wearing "Muslim garb".

The Star reported that, of the 45 people attending Mr Zanial's party, several of his female guests – including his wife – were wearing hijabs.

Following the complaint from SBEA, Spirit Aerosystems escalated the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Star said while the FBI had cleared Mr Zanial in October last year, his employers continued to look into the incident by hiring a private investigator, and terminated his rental benefits.

"At no point in time did the SBEA personally discuss the allegations with Mr Zanial before terminating those benefits, and he was not notified of the termination until he again tried to reserve the recreational facilities at a later date," said the ACLU.

The civil advocacy organisation said that Mr Zanial was experiencing a "great deal of stress and anxiety" over the ordeal and was worried that it would "affect his lawful permanent resident status" in the United States.

The ALCU described the ordeal as "an act of egregious racial profiling and blatant religious discrimination".

According to the report from The Star, Mr Zanial earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State University and completed a work study programme at the National Institute for Aviation Research.

Mr Zanial has lived in Wichita, Kansas, with his wife and two young children since 2011. AGENCIES