Islamic flags, cultural symbols, and why the swastika will never be brought back to its “peaceful” meaning

Earlier this week someone tweeted out a picture of what appeared to be a the “Black Standard” Islamic flag being displayed in a New Jersey neighborhood. Conservatives freaked out: “Islamic terrorism is here on our shores“!

Turns out the man is not an ISIS supporter, but is (from everything we can tell) a law-abiding American who loves the San Diego Chargers and happens to be Muslim. Marc Leibowitz, the man who tweeted out the picture, apologized profusely for bringing unwarranted negative attention to Mark Dunaway, the owner of the flag, who clarified it was his Ramadan tradition. He claimed he didn’t know ISIS was using the flag in their brutal campaign across the Middle East and would be happy to take it down so as not to cause offense.

Yay! A heartwarming story about tolerance and conflict resolution through very basic yet incredibly meaningful interactions.

But this…