HALLOWEEN ANTI-MUSLIM COSTUME DROPPED
New York, 16 Muharram 1437/29 October 2015 (MINA) – Facing fierce criticism, America’s largest supermarket chain has reportedly bowed to calls by Arab and Muslim rights groups and dropped Halloween costume that includes a large prosthetic Fagin nose, described in its online store as “perfect for an Arab Sheik.”
“The last thing that we’re looking to do is to offend anybody,” Michael Stein, the chief executive of Cinema Secrets, the Burbank, Calif., company that makes the nose said, On Islam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
The Halloween “Sheik Fagin Nose” has sparked outrage on social media and drew fierce criticism from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
Describing it as “a stereotypically long Semitic nose”, ADC said the product is “perpetuating racist tropes that have long been used to demonize, etherize and alienate Arab communities throughout history.”
Another offensive Halloween outfit, Israeli Soldier Kids Costume, has been reportedly stopped too.
“Defend your Jewish heritage proudly by wearing the Israeli Soldier Boy’s Costume!” says Wholesale Halloween Costume.
“The Israeli Defense Forces have a mission to protect the land and the people of Israel from outside threats with low casualties, and to avoid waging war if at all possible.”
Rejecting the Israeli costume, ADC said, “A symbol of fear, violence and a long history of dispossession should not be used for entertainment purposes.”
“An Israeli soldier costume is highly offensive to Arab-Americans, particularly those who have had family members, including children, killed by Israeli soldiers.”
Earlier this month, a Halloween retailer company has released a costume that depicts American Muslim student Ahmed Mohammad, who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, sparking mixed reactions among social media users.
More recently, Ebay auction site has come under fire for offending Muslims by offering burkas as Halloween fancy dress costumes.
Halloween is an annual Western celebration based on Celtic pagan doctrines and traditionally applied to the evening of October 31st.
Celtics were a group occupying the area known now as Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France about 2,000 years ago.
Halloween has clear connections with the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter as well as the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles (2nd century BC).
On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together and that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken.
They believed that spirits from other worlds, such as the souls of the dead were able to visit earth during this time and roam about.
When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day.
The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods.
These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. (T/P006/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
