Washington, DC | www.adc.org | October 27th, 2015 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomes the decision by Walmart to pull the “Israeli Soldier Kids Costume” and “Sheik Fagin Nose” from their store shelves and website. Earlier today ADC, joined by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), called on Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Sears Marketplace to remove the offensive and racist costumes.
ADC President Samer Khalaf explained, “The costumes are very problematic, and offensive to many people. The Israeli forces are responsible for the continued death and occupation of the Palestinian people. Such a symbol of fear, violence and a long history of dispossession should not be used for entertainment purposes.” About the “Arab” costumes, Khalaf explained, “Selling merchandise which mocks Arabs, or any other race or ethnicity, must not be tolerated. These images do nothing but perpetuate racist tropes that have long been used to demonize, otherize and alienate Arab communities throughout history.”
As of this evening the items are still available on Amazon, eBay and the Sears Marketplace. ADC will continue pressuring the retailers to remove the items immediately.
