Amazon Removes Products Offensive to Muslims After Complaints

Amazon has pulled nearly one dozen products from its website after receiving complaints that the items were offensive to Muslim people.

The U.S.’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), asked the online retail giant to remove the products from its site. The offending items included doormats, bath mats and other items imprinted with Islamic calligraphy, references to the Prophet Muhammad and scripture, CNN reported.

CAIR said the products are offensive because they “would be stepped-on or otherwise disrespected by customers.”

The group issued another statement a day later praising Amazon for its decision to pull the items and also to conduct an audit to purge similarly offensive products.

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

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the items in question were being removed and doubled down on the company’s policy about offensive products. “All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account,” the spokesperson said Monday. “The products in question are being removed from our store.”