Ignorance isn’t always bliss because sometimes it can lead to a series of misunderstandings, which in turn results in many problems. Like this lady who complained against a Malaysian to the FBI for partying with his mates whilst holding up the Jalur Gemilang and for his guests turning up in tudungs, reported The Wichita Eagle.
Munir Zainal, a senior engineer at Spirit, decided to throw a party last year for Hari Merdeka (national day) and the end of Ramadan. So, he rented a space at Spirit Boeing Employees’ Association’s recreational lake for his party.
All was good until the next day, when he learnt that he was being investigated by the FBI after a Spirit Boeing Employees’ Association (SBEA) employee complained about a “group dressed in Muslim garb” and “an American flag desecrated with ISIS symbols”.
Bruh, it’s called the Jalur Gemilang.
Source: FMT
FYI, the ISIS flag is black with the Arabic words “There is no God but God” written across the top in white, followed by a white circle with the words “God Messenger Mohammed” written inside. Just like this:
Source: Daily Star
However, the FBI investigation ceased in October (2017) but in January (2018), Munir discovered that his membership in the SBEA had been restricted. Munir, a Malaysian Indian Muslim, had lived in Wichita since 2011 and has been a member of the association since 2016. This means he had been living there for almost seven years!
Following this matter, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a complaint against the association for discriminating Munir for his race, ethnicity and religion.
Lauren Bonds, the ACLU’s legal director, and Munir hope others will not experience similar reactions during a gathering or celebration. Well, we hope so too.
Source: ACLU of Kansas
“He was in a situation where he was celebrating the end of Ramadan and the 60th anniversary of Malaysian independence, there was absolutely no basis for assuming anything negative was going on in broad daylight at the SBEA’s lake,” said Lauren.
She further explained that it is very illogical how something as trivial as this could turn into something so big and the only explanation for this absurdity is prejudice and discrimination.
Meanwhile, Munir is concerned that this could affect his permanent resident status in the US, as stated in his lawsuit.
“He also feels distress and humiliation based on this experience of being singled-out because of his ethnicity, race and religion,” it further said.
With that said, being open to other cultures is very important; we cannot dismiss not knowing them just because it doesn’t concern us. Being ignorant may cause others a lot of trouble, just like it did to Munir.
We hope that Munir will be out of this problem quickly so he can live a normal life, again.
Also read: Mandarin-Speaking Indian Man Calls Out Companies for Racist Job Requirements in Viral Rant
