Doormats and rugs with the image of the Golden Temple were reportedly sold on Amazon, drawing a strong reaction from a prominent Sikh body which asked the online retail giant to prohibit the sale of culturally inappropriate and offensive merchandise.
The Sikh Coalition said in a statement on Tuesday that it was alerted to products such as doormats, rugs and toilet seat covers with the image of one of the most historically significant Sikh sites, the Golden Temple, were being sold by some sellers on Amazon.
“It has come to our attention that several sellers are posting products onto your platform that culturally appropriate the imagery of the Golden Temple and spiritual imagery of other eastern cultures,” The Sikh Coalition’s Senior Manager of Advocacy & Policy Sim Singh said in a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Senior Vice President & General Counsel David Zapolsky.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday also disapproved strongly of the doormats and rugs with the image of the Golden Temple being sold on Amazon.
Singh took to Twitter and called out the retailers, Philiphome Universal, for selling the derogatory items.
Strongly condemn use of pictures of Sri Darbar Sahib with toilet seat by Philiphome Universal. It has hurt the religious sentiments of Sikh community worldwide. Demand immediate withdrawal of the seat by the company and an apology. pic.twitter.com/LE4yKOkxjp
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) December 19, 2018
The civil and legal rights organisation said that in the hours since, through community outreach, several pages had been removed from the website. The products seem to have been removed from Amazon’s website as a message that “Sorry, we couldn’t find that page” appears when running a search for the items.
Singh said “using religious or spiritual imagery on products that come into contact with unhygienic surfaces is offensive to all faiths that originated in the East. The Golden Temple is no such exception and should never appear on rugs, bathmats, and toilet seat covers. Such items are deeply offensive to Sikhs everywhere and other followers of Eastern religions.”
The Sikh Coalition asked Amazon that the objectionable items be permanently prohibited from sale and hoped that Amazon would do more to ensure similar products did not appear on its platform.
“We request that you notify your sellers and affiliates to refrain from publishing culturally inappropriate and offensive merchandise on your platforms,” Singh said.
The group also asked individuals to send a direct message to Amazon explaining why these products are offensive to the Sikh community.
UPDATE: In response to the outpouring of community action, Amazon has removed the vast majority of offensive merchandise...
Posted by The Sikh Coalition on Wednesday, 19 December 2018