CAIR Welcomes Amazon's Removal of Offensive Items

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the US' largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomed online retailer Amazon's removal of a number of doormats, bath mats and other items imprinted with Islamic calligraphy, references to the Prophet Muhammad and verses from the Quran.

On Thursday, CAIR said it received many complaints about the items, which are offensive to Muslims because the Quranic verses and other Islamic references would be stepped-on or otherwise disrespected by customers.

A spokesperson for Amazon told CAIR that that all the offensive data-x-items referenced in CAIR's alert have been removed as a violation of the retailer's policy and that an audit is being conducted for similarly offensive offerings.

"We thank Amazon for its swift action on this issue and hope it sends a message to manufacturers of such inappropriate and offensive data-x-items that they will not profit from Islamophobia or any other form of bigotry," said Masih Fouladi, executive director of CAIR's Washington state chapter. Amazon is based in Washington.

"CAIR will continue to work with Amazon and other retailers and manufacturers to ensure that products are not exploiting or promoting bigotry for commercial gain," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "We thank all those who reported these offensive data-x-items to CAIR and contacted Amazon."

The Washington-based civil rights organization has in the past urged recalls of similarly offensive items, the most famous of which was a Nike shoe with a logo that resembled the Arabic word for "God."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

Source: PRNewswire