After it received complaints from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Amazon removed a series of items that offended the Muslim community in the US. These products featured the word Allah and verses from the Quran. Bathroom and outdoor mats featuring verses from the Quran and the word Allah have been removed from Amazon, an e-commerce company, after it received complaints from the Muslim community, reports the New York Post. The decision was taken after the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in the US, notified the online giant, January 3rd, about the «offensive» items. Guys I need your help. A seller in Amazon is selling shower curtains with Allah, Prophet Mohammed and other wording on it. I've reported the product to Amazon but no action was taken. Plz help report and RT this so it will removed.https://t.co/bSfm2oyIiq pic.twitter.com/hsdU7OZ3K5 — Brumblle بَرَمّبْل - حافظكا (@Mo_haf) 4 janvier 2019 CAIR has also asked the American retailer to remove the doormats from its website. In a communiqué made public Thursday, the Muslim advocacy group wrote that some of the mats in question were «imprinted with Islamic calligraphy, references to the Prophet Mohammed and verses from the Quran». CAIR said that it «received complaints about the items offered by Amazon (…) which are offensive to Muslims because the Quranic verses and other Islamic reference would be stepped-on or otherwise disrespected by customers». Amazon reacts to complaints After the items deemed «offensive» were removed, CAIR issued a second statement thanking Amazon for its decision and encouraging it to get rid of similar offensive products, says CNN. According to the same source, an Amazon spokesperson stated that, indeed, the products posted by individual sellers have been removed from the platform. «All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account», the same source told CNN on Monday, adding that the items will be removed from Amazon's store too. After CAIR notified Amazon about the «offensive» items, it received other complaints from people stating that Amazon has toilet covers with the Quran printed on them for sale, the group's spokesperson told CNN. For the record, this is not the first time that the group asks a company to ban products that are offensive to the Muslim community. CAIR warned Nike in 1997 against a pair of shoes that had a design that was similar to the word Allah. The company recalled the shoes after presenting its apologies, the same source concluded.
