GARWOOD

— The man who

tweeted a photo of a Garwood home flying what he believed was an ISIS flag

has apologized to the flag-owner, saying he now understands it is a symbol of the man's Islamic faith, although it has been misappropriated by the Iraq jihadist organization.

Marc Leibowitz tweeted the photo of the flag flying outside Mark Dunaway's Winslow Place home on Tuesday and the tweet went viral. It has been retweeted more than 600 times as of Thursday afternoon, and has sparked outrage and even threats directed at Dunaway.

After learning of the viral tweet Tuesday evening, Dunaway voluntarily removed the flag and explained he flies it as a symbol of his Muslim faith and not an endorsement of ISIS.

"I understand now that people turn on CNN and see the flag associated with jihad, but that's not the intention of that flag at all," Dunaway said. "It says 'There is only one god, Allah, and the prophet Muhammad is his messenger.' It's not meant to be a symbol of hate. Islam is all about unity and peace. I am not a part of any group like that, and I'm not anti-American. I love my country, but I am a Muslim."

Leibowitz said he regretted invading Dunaway's privacy if the flag was hung with innocent intentions and called him on Wednesday evening to apologize.

"Our chat was really lovely," Leibowitz said. "I said I'm so sorry and I feel responsible for what had to have been a rough day for him. Seeing all the hateful comments people were directing at him made me worried about what someone might do because of this."

Dunaway said he accepted Leibowitz's apology.

"I explained to him that I understand it was just a misunderstanding," Dunaway said. "I have no ill will toward him. I really appreciate that he called."

Leibowitz said he was interested by all he found in common with Dunaway – besides a first name, both men are 44 and live just a few miles from one another in Union County.

Leibowitz said he has been closely following the ISIS atrocities in Iraq. He said a friend of his took the photo and sent it to him but didn't want to be involved in the issue. Leibowitz then posted it on Twitter and reported it to Homeland Security because "watching the brutality of ISIS in the Middle East and seeing what appears to me to be an ISIS flag flying in a community not far from my home, it seemed prudent and appropriate to notify the authorities."

As to the ISIS associations, Dunaway said he was unaware of just how often the flag is shown in connection with the jihadist group.

"I had no idea, as crazy as it sounds," Dunaway said. "I was using that flag forever to show I'm a Muslim."

Dunaway took the flag down and replaced it with a San Diego Chargers flag. He said he doesn't know if he'll fly it again. Dunaway said he has flown the flag for at least 10 years during Ramadan and on Fridays when he goes to worship without issue.

Khurrum Ali, civil rights director for the NJ Council on American-Islamic Relations, told NJ.com he was initially concerned Dunaway had been forced to take down the flag, but later learned from Garwood Police Chief Bruce Underhill that Dunaway had removed it voluntarily for his own safety.

"This is not an ISIS flag," said Ali. "It has been misappropriated by ISIS. Many Muslims display this flag in their homes, and it's not meant to be protesting anything. I think this provides an opportunity to clarify and educate about the flag's meaning."

Ali added that on one hand the controversy over Dunaway's flag proves many people are aware of the issues going on in Iraq.

"That's a good thing," said Ali. "People should know about the injustices happening to Iraqis and not want to support ISIS or want anyone in America to support ISIS."

On the other hand, though, Ali said non-Muslims can't be expected to know the history and precise meaning of the flag.

"I would never tell anyone to remove the flag, but instead would advocate for education on the issue," Ali said. "Dunaway seems to be one of the nicest guys and he is now getting harassed. I hope that he would never be intimidated about his flag. I don’t want him ever to be afraid of being a proud Muslim in America. I hope he always feels safe and welcome here."

Dunaway said he has never had any of his Garwood neighbors question the flag previously.

"They see me in my kufi," Dunaway said. "They know me. Garwood is a very quiet, safe town."

"He's totally harmless," said Dunaway's neighbor Diane Figueiredo. "He goes to work every day. He never bothers anyone. He keeps to himself."

Figueiredo said the flag has never given her cause for concern.

"He's absolutely flown it many times before," Figueiredo said. "I'm more concerned about the crazy people saying they're going to retaliate and set his house on fire. They're the extremists."

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Jessica Remo may be reached at jremo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaRemoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Stay up-to-the-minute with the latest Union County news by bookmarking nj.com/union.