Rachael Ray ad pulled over 'jihad scarf'
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/433937
Dunkin' Donuts bows to outrage over choice of kaffiyeh-like garment
May 30, 2008 04:30 AM
Paola Loriggio
Staff Reporter
A fashion faux pas by Rachael Ray led the Dunkin' Donuts chain to pull an online ad starring the celebrity chef, and sparked a debate about the subtext of accessories.
The domestic diva's black and white scarf has drawn cries of outrage from some observers, who say it looks like the traditional garb worn by Arab men.
Critics say the accessory looks like a kaffiyeh, a type of scarf that they say now represents Muslim extremism.
"The kaffiyeh ... has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," conservative commentator Michelle Malkin said in her Fox News column.
"Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons.''
The company's reply: Sometimes a scarf is just a scarf.
But as debate raged over the blogosphere, it became clear this was a fight Dunkin' Donuts couldn't win.
The ad was pulled over the weekend. The company says it wanted to avoid any "misperception" about the scarf and its cultural meaning.
In the spot, Ray holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees.
The chain says the scarf had a paisley design and was selected by a stylist for the ad shoot and no symbolism was intended.
It's not the first time a celebrity's garb has triggered a cultural uproar.
Last summer, movie star Cameron Diaz inadvertently offended Peruvians by wearing a bag emblazoned with some of Mao Zedong's favourite slogans while touring the Inca city of Machu Picchu.
Nearly 70,000 people were killed in Peru during a Maoist guerrilla insurgency that spanned decades.
The bags are sold as trendy accessories in other parts of the world.
Amahl Bishara, a University of Chicago anthropology lecturer who specializes in media matters relating to the Middle East, said complaints about the scarf's use demonstrate misunderstandings of Arab culture and the multiple meanings symbols can take on depending on someone's perspective.
"I think that a right-wing blogger making an association between a kaffiyeh and terrorism is just an example of how so much of the complexity of Arab culture has been reduced to a very narrow vision of the Arab world on the part of some people in the U.S.,'' Bishara said.
"Kaffiyehs are worn every day on the street by Palestinians and other people in the Middle East – by people going to work, going to school, taking care of their families, and just trying to keep warm.
"To reduce their meaning to support for terrorism has a tacit racist tone to it," Bishara said.
With files from Associated Press
the media in the world today...its ALL stupidly biased towards whatever side they are on and what they want you to believe and think.
I DO however, like the idea of all terrorists in Armani suits..
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
lol Whoami, now thats a great idea...make sure they are Aramani suits too...
it's just a pain to even be informed by anything from the American media.
I mean, it's cultural clothes, yet because some terrorists wear it, anybody who wears it is a terrorist (or at least thats what they're saying).
I say we get all the terrorists to wear suits. Then they'll start pulling of ads with anyone wearing that.
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this article is too funny...who cares if the add is taken off..your right happy, things have reached to a very petty and stupid level..
and who do you need to check with, before publishing insulting cartoons of sacred figures of a religion?
things have reached a stupid level!
its not that easy to make an ad.. you need to check with the ___ (???) countries of the world and their cultures and see to that you dont send a wrong signal to any of those..
_ but isn't it very clear in Qur'an that everyone is responsible for his/her own actions. The father should not be held into account for his son's crime and vice versa. If someone kills our family members, yes it is very painful but only that person/army is responsible, and not their families or countrymen.
Besides, the common people in western countries are absolutely no different than us, they want a nice job, spend good time with family, and don't inflict pain on anyone, etc. But these are the games of the higher-level people who want to dominate the world, capture most of its resources and stay in power, and for that, they have to walk over thousands of corps of innocent people. I hate their armies and those politicians (who support these wars), but not their common people. They don't hate us or anybody, see even the donations and organizations working for saving animals on earth are coming from these countries. How can they be happy over human mass murders while contributing to many good causes? You must differentiate the ruling and fighting bodies with the ordinary masses.
I think the main losses in the history of Arabs/Muslims were due to their committment to the (mercyful) ethics of Islam, which is translated as 'weakness'.
The best way to fight hateful nations is by double-hating them. If they kill a member of your family, it is wise to kill at least 2 of theirs. Why should I promote love & peace with ppl who have nothing but hate to us?
No _ I don't agree with you. Prophet (peace be upon him) has clearly forbidden to fight anyone who is not fighting against us. Therefore, civilians of any nation, whether that nation has attacked Muslim lands or not, is not justified and hence you should not support the killing of hostages. But yes, killing the members of the biggest terrorist organization on the planet, i.e., the US army, is highly recommended, but that too should not be in an inhumane way. I know these foreign invaders have killed and destroyed the likes of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan, etc., but we as Muslims should not fall to their abysmal level.
They should take their ad and keep showing it in Denmark because it is the land of "freedom of expression"!!!
For clarification: there is no shame at all in beheading or taking some hostages from the terrorist armies/forces who come to invade a country. It is 100% justified. This is why the Koufiyah, and the Palestinean Jihad, are 2 things to be proud of, in this case.
May be .......