PETALING JAYA (The Star/Asia News Network) - The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) has urged Malaysians to treat the Jalur Gemilang with respect and not simply wear it in any way they fancy.

Commenting on a picture of Indian Muslim restaurant workers donning the Malaysian flag as aprons that went viral online, PPIM head Datuk Nadzim Johan said they were probably caught between patriotism and respect.

"But there is a limit, although the workers might have meant no malice in the way they wore the flag," he added.

The exact restaurant or its location could not be determined.

"If they used it as a shirt, it might still be all right. But what if they had used it as a floor mat or underwear? You can't use the flag any way you want," he said.

The government, he added, is duty-bound to educate people about the matter.

Malaysian Indian Muslim Chamber of Commerce head Datuk Jamarulkhan Kadir agreed with Datuk Nadzim that it was not right to wear the Malaysian flag as an apron.

"You can't use a country's symbol to do that," said Datuk Jamarulkhan.

He said using the flag on a cap is more acceptable as it is an act of "carrying the flag".

Mr Jamarulkhan, a former president of the Malaysian Indian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association, however, said the restaurant concerned had probably wanted to promote the flag and used the apron unwittingly.