Online retail giant Amazon has been urged by the civil rights organisation American-Arab Anti-Discrimination (ADC) to stop marketing Arab costumes as “terrorist costumes” on its website.
The move came soon after the organisation expressed concern over another Halloween costume carried by US retailer Walmart. The retailer described the costume, which was of a ‘Sheikh’ with a large prosthetic nose as “perfect for an Arab Sheikh”.
One of the terrorist costumes sold on the website included a white turban and a full grey beard with elastic. While the other was called a “Terrorist Osama bin Laden(OBL) mask for party video chat Halloween by Maskshow.”
The online retailer seemed to showcase a variety of masks of OBL, including a “latex mask for a dance party.”
Meanwhile, among other items, Amazon also put up‘fake dynamite’ and a variety of beards under the description of “terrorist costumes”.
While the price of the white turban and beard varied from $12.82 – $24.38, Osama bin Laden’s costumes went up to as much as $69.20.
Soon after ADC issued a press release regarding Walmart’s controversial costumes, the retailer took down the offensive items from its website. But it was rather late as the it came under heavy criticism on social media for carrying the controversial costumes:
