Amazon Halts Sale of 'Allah' Doormats Amid Complaints From Muslims, but Still Selling Jesus Mats
The web commerce giant Amazon.com has removed Allah-themed doormats and dog mats from its website after Muslims complained that the products were offensive. But at the same time, the website hasn't removed doormats featuring the face of Jesus.
Until recently, patrons of Amazon.com could have bought doormats or dog mats that featured designs that purported to be the Arabic spelling of "Allah" for $17.44. The mats being sold by independent Amazon sellers named "Dragon One," "Trendy Mats" and "Gear One."
Considering that Arab cultures view feet and shoes as unclean, Muslims in Britain took offense to the doormats on the grounds that the product insinuates that people are welcome to wipe their muddy feet or shoes on the name of Allah.
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On Nov. 28, Mariam Khan, a Labour Party councillor from Birmingham, took to Twitter to call on Amazon to remove the "offensive" product.
"These mats are extremely offensive to Muslims [and] out of order," Khan wrote on the social media platform. "@amazon @AmazonHelp please remove these from your site immediately."
These mats are extremely offensive to Muslims & out of order. @amazon@AmazonHelp please remove these from your site immediately. pic.twitter.com/b1syDWPDVC
— Mariam Khan (@mariamkhan29) November 28, 2016
Anam Hoque, a professional trainer in London, took to his Twitter account to claim that the doormats promote "Islamophobia."
"Disgusting to see@AmazonUK @amazon @AmazonHelp selling Allah doormats," he wrote. "Its irresponsible, promoting hatred and promoting islamophobia."
Khan did more than just tweet his frustration. He also connected with an Amazon representative over the phone to express his concern directly.
"I have just got off the phone to Amazon registering my complaint and disgust at the disrespectful items," Khan wrote on Facebook on Nov. 28.
"The conversation initially started off confusing as they kept asking for my Amazon account details (which I don't have as not a customer) but eventually, I explained the situation [and] asked them to check the items themselves [and] the representative I spoke to said they are really sorry about having these items for sale [and for] offending their fellow Muslim brothers [and] sisters [and] will remove the items as they don't want to disrespect any religion."
"That's the response I had [and] I asked her to escalate it higher up so they are removed with immediate effect," Khan added.
While the Allah-themed doormats have seemingly been removed from Amazon.com, TheBlaze reports that doormats featuring the Christian Savior Jesus Christ are still available for sale on the website.
One doormat available on Amazon features a portrait of the virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. Those particular doormats sell for $13.98 plus shipping.
Amazon.com also sells another doormat that features the name of Jesus and lists a number of his his titles, such as the "Prince of Peace," "Savior," "The Good Shepherd." That doormat is available for $8 plus shipping.
Another doormat sold on Amazon features the words of Psalm 23 organized in a cross design.
One of the more unique Jesus doormats available on the website is the "Jedi Jesus" doormat, which features Christ holding a cross like a lightsaber, as if He were the character Luke Skywalker in the film series "Star Wars." That doormat is available for $21.23 plus shipping.
HeatStreet.com reports that outrage over the Allah-themed doormats is not the first time Amazon has faced backlash over doormats sold on its website. Earlier this year, Amazon removed doormats featuring Hindu gods and goddesses from its website after the hashtag #BoycottAmazon was trending in India.
