Mark Dunaway is the New Jersey Muslim who was flying a flag bearing the shahadah, the Islamic profession of faith, outside his home, as I posted about here several days ago. When it was noted that the Islamic State uses exactly the same flag, police visited his home and he took the flag down. Now, to defuse the controversy, he is claiming that the flag is simply a profession of his Islamic faith, and that he has no allegiance to any jihad terror group. And that may be true — certainly the flag doesn’t say anything beyond the Islamic profession of faith, and so it has no intrinsic connection to any particular jihad terror group.
As I said here, in connection with the banning of the same flag in the Netherlands: “That is the shahadah, the Islamic profession of faith. Every Muslim believes in it, or he or she is not a Muslim. It is not the property of the Islamic State — and in fact, last March in Britain it caused consternation as the ‘al-Qaeda flag.’ Both the Islamic State and al-Qaeda use it, of course, because of a fact that Dutch and British authorities determinedly ignore, deny, and downplay: they use it because they are Muslims fighting for Islam and because of Islam, energized and motivated by Islamic teachings and principles.”
The Islamic State does use it, in any case, and so whatever Mark Dunaway’s true intentions may have been, it is an accurate statement to say that he was flying the Islamic State flag. And that’s where Hamas-linked CAIR comes in. Its slick and vicious spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, says in this ABC piece: “Every Muslim in America has this phrase somewhere in their home. This man just chose to put it on a flag.” But Dunaway did not design this flag, as Hooper implies here. He actually chose to use a flag design that has been used by al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, the Islamic State and other jihad terrorists since at least 2006. But Hooper plows on, adding another lie: “‘This is not the ISIS flag,’ said Hooper, noting that the ISIS flag has an additional phrase on the bottom that makes reference to the ‘Islamic State.’”
In the photo here (click on the photo to enlarge), I have placed the photo of Dunaway holding his flag next to a photo of an Islamic State jihadist holding his flag. Do you see “an additional phrase on the bottom that makes reference to the ‘Islamic State’”? Neither do I. Search for images of “ISIS flag,” “ISIL flag,” “Islamic State flag,” and you will see Islamic State jihadis again and again waving exactly the same flag that Dunaway had flying in front of his house, without any “additional phrase on the bottom.”
Hooper lied outright. Sara Figalora of ABC News, as is typical of mainstream media “journalists,” did not call him on it or check his claim.
“New Jersey Man Taken Aback by ISIS Flag Flap, Says He Was ‘Expressing My Religion,'” by Sarah Figalora, ABC News, August 14, 2014:
A photo of a New Jersey home flying a flag that resembled the flag of ISIS, the militant group being bombed by U.S. planes in Iraq, sparked alarm and a complaint to the Department of Homeland Security — but the home’s occupant said he meant no offense and was just expressing his religion.
Mark Dunaway told ABC News that he’s flown that black flag for the 10 years he’s lived in Garwood, New Jersey.
“I’m Muslim, and I fly a flag in front of my home that says I’m a Muslim,” he said.
Dunaway has flown the black flag — which bears the Arabic inscription familiar to Muslims, “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God” — every year during Ramadan, and every single Friday, he said. Having already had the flag up during Ramadan, he originally planned to keep it up until Friday.
However, after the Garwood Police Department received a complaint about the flag, officers visited Dunaway’s home on Tuesday.
“The Garwood Police follow up with any complaint received,” Police Chief Bruce Underhill said in a statement to ABC News.
“Police came by that day on a matter of safety,” Dunaway said, “I had no idea until they pointed it out to me. My reaction was, ‘Are you serious?’”
“Mr. Dunaway was very receptive when we approached him with our concerns and he voluntarily took the flag down,” said Chief Underhill.
Dunaway, surprised at the complaint, realized the extent of the controversy when he saw the photo of his home posted on Twitter.
“It totally caught me off guard that someone was offended to that extent,” Dunaway said.
Marc Leibowitz, who posted the photo to Twitter, told ABC News that he was sent the photo by a friend and alerted Homeland Security.
Leibowitz said he doubted a member of ISIS would openly fly the flag, but that the situation was “disturbing and worth looking into,” and that he “thought Homeland Security and any relevant authorities should probably be notified.”
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told ABC News the flag is different from the ISIS flag and its message is something most Muslims are familiar with.
“The flag is a profession of Muslim faith,” Hooper said.
“Every Muslim in America has this phrase somewhere in their home,” Hopper added. “This man just chose to put it on a flag.”
“This is not the ISIS flag,” said Hooper, noting that the ISIS flag has an additional phrase on the bottom that makes reference to the “Islamic State.”
Hooper added that ISIS is a relatively new organization and Dunaway’s flag flying predates it.“It got totally taken out of context,” said Dunaway, “I am not affiliated with any type of militant group. It was just my way of expressing my religion.”
After hearing Dunaway’s explanation, Leibowitz acknowledged Dunaway’s First Amendment right, saying, “I don’t think he should be restricted from flying the flag, but I think it is a breach of good taste.”
Some residents continue to harbor negative feelings.
“There have been a few threats to damage Mr. Dunaway’s residence on various social media outlets,” said Chief Underhill. “This is unacceptable.”
Dunaway said he is Muslim, but also “American-born and -raised” and did not mean to offend anyone.
He has since replaced the black flag with a San Diego Chargers flag, saying, “I just want this situation to go away.”
John C. Barile says
This is a flag of jihad and of a terrorist state. Period. End of story.
Michael Copeland says
Alas, Islamic State’s victims cannot simply say:
“I just want this situation to go away.”
jihad3tracker says
Ah, yes, “Honest Ibe” [as Robert Spencer calls him] Hooper with more taqiyya.
HELLO IBE — YOU AND ALL OF CAIR’S STAFF READ EVERY POST HERE ON JIHADWATCH, SO I GOTTA GIVE A SATURDAY SHOUT OUT .
By the way, you are going to be my prom date for the coming ISIS dance here in the United States. Seriously.
Deep crushes like the one I have for you just don’t lend themselves to rational analysis. Maybe those penetrating eyes of yours — or the charming smile — or the way you wear your hair.
I will even by you a corsage to pin in whatever special party dress you wear. A few hours of CQB with me — howzabout it ? ? ? Ask some of the ISIS jihadists here in America when they want to start the music.
Then tell me — by messenger pigeon, of course, because private drones already fly over all the places CAIR operatives stay in — where to go. Geez, I will even polish my boots. Lookin’ forward to it, Dude ! ! !
Wetwork56 says
CAIR= Continuing Americas Islamic Reform
Biff H says
https://flic.kr/p/oLuEkB
jihad3tracker says
Hello Biff —
Thanks for the time and effort it took to put “Honest Ibe” Hooper in a patriotic setting.
Put the phone number of a good spirit medium on speed dial, because when the ghost of President Lincoln discovers your illustration, he will take time off from haunting the White House and head directly over to your bungalow for a bit of — uh — what’s a polite word — “conversation’.
Biff H says
https://flic.kr/p/oKez2C
Angemon says
*facepalm*
Does Hopper know every muslim home in America?
That doesn’t mean the flag can’t be associated with any other islamic terror group or that “Mark Dunway” (I wonder what’s his islamic name?) didn’t knew that.
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/from-the-arab-world/tawriya-lying/
Yep, let’s not forget that the guy who flew a flag linked with anti-US terrorist groups is the “real” victim here… Threats on social media outlets? Uh-oh, someone better call Fiyaz Mughal…
blitz2b says
Islam is a scourge and a curse on humanity… Anyone wanting to associate with it, by flying the evil shahadah flag, needs to have their head examined…. Period. I wonder if Muslims are willfully blind or just plain ignorant when they read, see and hear atrocities committed in the name of Islam? Yet the west remains complacent, appeasing Muslims every single time……What is happening to the world? Have we all resigned to self destruction of our civilization when we surrender to Islam’s brute force?
CogitoErgoSum says
So this Muslim named Mark switched to flying a San Diego Chargers flag. Why not fly the New Jersey state flag or the flag of the United States of America? Does he not care to show his love for his home state or to proclaim his allegiance to the country in which he resides?
fm says
The Swastika is a Hindu religious symbol. If someone of the hindu faith flew a flag with a black swastika, in a white circle and on a red background, would that be ok?
blitz2b says
fm, That is a lamest cover up analogy if ever there was one… Everyone knows the difference between a Nazi swastika and the Hindu religious symbol…. Even so I don’t believe any Hindu in his right mind would provoke the situation by flying a swastika flag in Europe during the holocaust and claim it to be a religious symbol. The problem is that Muslims think they own the damn earth so they can brazenly defy all laws of the land by playing their sick religion’s trump card, and expect everyone in the west to kow down to their whining. It has worked so far, but slowly but surely the west is awakening to the fact that Islam is a danger to all of humanity and eventually it needs to be dealt with, with severity…. So go play your games elsewhere…. Anyone displaying the dammed shahadah flag in any of it’s sick forms is a terrorist by nature because they adhere to islam’s brute ideology of eventual world domination…
jihad3tracker says
Hello fm —
Is it really necessary for me to observe that Hindus do not seem to be engaging in mass slaughter, rape, kidnapping, starving-of-humans, beheading, slavery — as Muslims and particularly ISIS right now ?
Also, if Mark Dunaway is not a COMPLETE idiot he is aware of what ISIS does to “Infidels”. So we can thereby conclude that continuing to display that flag tells much about his undisclosed mindset as a faithful Muslim.
Wetwork56 says
jihad3tracker,
Mark Dunaway will NOT be attending any MENSA conventions anytime soon.
He may as well have pulled a Charles Manson and had a Nazi tattoo on his forehead for flying this terrorist flag. At least now his neighbors know where his allegiance lies.
Know Thy Enemy
paddy says
Agreed, misappropriating the originally Hindu swastika symbol to represent totalitarian national socialism isn’t quite the same as the psychotic proclamation on this islamic flag. But the inference is that it would offend ordinary, reasonably sane people nonetheless.
The Vilest Of Creatures says
Glad to see CAIR is busying itself with such important issues as usual. No time to waste on trivial stuff like their co-religionists slaughtering infidels by the thousands in Iraq and Syria.
Jay Boo says
So these defective loser converts are attracted to the bloodbath side of Islam rather than the (make believe Islam is peace) ‘moderates’.
Who would have guessed?
Kathy Brown says
Now now folks. If Ibby didn’t lie, he’d never speak.
Beagle says
“It got totally taken out of context,” said Dunaway, “I am not affiliated with any type of militant group. It was just my way of expressing my religion.”
Riiiight. This is why flying a swastika as part of your “German heritage” or the Stars and Bars is so uncontroversial
Blangwort says
I’m disgusted. But that said, he has a right to fly any God Damn flag he wants.
However, like membership in many other ugly organizations, don’t be surprised with people react poorly to it.
abad says
Make it illegal to convert to Islam – anyone who does, deserves to be deported to Riyadh. I don’t care if they have lily-white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, 6’1″ tall. Joining Islam means you have forfeited not only your rights as an American born but also as a member of the human race, Bye Bye.
Bezelel says
“Dunaway said he is Muslim, but also “American-born and -raised” and did not mean to offend anyone.”
What he meant to say was he didn’t think anyone would dare to call him out. Hooper, you are a damned satanic liar.
dumbledoresarmy says
It’s the black flag of jihad, period.
Imagine what would have happened in the UK in 1942 if someone, having decided to back the Third Reich, had insisted on flying a Swastika flag in their front yard.
Because that’s the closest analogy to what this guy has done.
It’s an open threat to – indeed, a declaration of war upon – all his non-Muslim neighbours.
I’d like to know exactly where and when and at whose invitation he joined the Allah Gang, the mohammedan Mob. I’d like to know what mosque he attends, and who “preaches” there, and how big it is. And if it, and he, are not now already under investigation, they ought to be.
Jack says
Max Publius says
Might have got the flag on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=islamic+flag&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xislamic+state+flag&_nkw=islamic+state+flag&_sacat=0
paddy says
Was this Dunaway chap born dumb or has he merely developed this singular character trait? Still…all this remonstrating will simply encourage the sad little fuck.
HarveyMushman says
David Cameron said recently that the flag is banned in Britain… Too bad we don’t have any leaders willing to take a stand…
Kathy Brown says
IF the flag is banned in Britain, it’s the only Mu-Slime thing that is!
Dear God: Cameron permits Sharia courts, Sharia neighborhoods, and to say he’s an accommodationist is to pay him a compliment.
Cameron stands for NOTHING. He knows only 2 positions: Supine, or bending over.
Mirren10 says
“Cameron stands for NOTHING. He knows only 2 positions;Supine, or bending over.”
Absolutely true, Kathy. He likes presenting his belly, to be rubbed, as well.
Kathy Brown says
Ah yes Mirren! I can see that.
And his a_s to be kicked. And his neck to the sword!
I mean that’s really the only way he can REALLY show he’s not islamophobic.
GP says
“An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile hoping it will eat him last.”
“There is no greater mistake than to suppose that platitudes, smooth words, and timid policies offer a path to safety.”
“How many wars have been averted by patience and good will?”
-Sir Winston Churchill
GP says
The problem is not only ISIS and ISIL, the problem is IS LAM!
Wake up and smell the peace people.