Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link

Wed May 28, 2008 3:48 PM EDT

Dunkin’ Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism.

The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because “the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee.”

In the spot, Ray holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees with pink blossoms.

Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.

The kaffiyeh, Malkin wrote in a column posted online last Friday, “has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons.”

Malkin noted that it could appear at times that actor Colin Farrell, rapper Kanye West and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have been photographed in similar scarves that were "distinctive hate couture."

A statement issued Wednesday by Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands Inc., however, said the scarf had a paisley design, and was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot.

“Absolutely no symbolism was intended,” the company said.

Dunkin’ spokeswoman Michelle King said the ad appeared on the chain’s Web site, as well as other commercial sites.

Amahl Bishara, an anthropology lecturer at the University of Chicago who specializes in media matters relating to the Middle East, said complaints about the scarf’s use in the ad demonstrate misunderstandings of Arab culture and the multiple meanings that symbols can take on depending on someone’s perspective.

“I think that a right-wing blogger making an association between a kaffiyeh and terrorism is just an example of how so much of the complexity of Arab culture has been reduced to a very narrow vision of the Arab world on the part of some people in the U.S.,” Bishara said in a phone interview. “Kaffiyehs are worn every day on the street by Palestinians and other people in the Middle East — by people going to work, going to school, taking care of their families, and just trying to keep warm.”

While some extremists and terrorists may wear kaffiyehs, “To reduce their meaning to support for terrorism has a tacit racist tone to it,” Bishara said.

Malkin, in a posting following up on last week’s column, said of Dunkin’s decision to pull the ad, “It’s refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists.”

Ray, host of the Food Network television program “30 Minute Meals” as well as a syndicated daytime talk show, began appearing in ads for Dunkin’ Donuts in March 2007. When Dunkin’ announced the partnership, it said Ray would be featured in TV, print, radio and online spots in a campaign running through 2010.

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{"commentId":1852012,"authorDomain":"ariel-113"}

Debbie-290975

When and where do we draw the line on such stupidty as using a scarf as a symbol. Should we pull all the table cloths off the tables and shelves that are in the same pattern as the scarf Rachel Ray wore. How about dish towels, bath towels, and rugs they need to be pulled as well. We are suppose to teach our kids not to hate, to be united as Americans. The person who had a problem with the "scarf" was able to impose their fears and point of view in such a way that the power of suggestion was allowed to run away like a freight train on a track. The ad should not have been pulled. This was a personal problem for one American. The rest of us watch the commerical and get hungry for dounuts. Personaly I like checkers. Dont be a checker hater.

{"commentId":1852012,"threadId":"271106","contentId":"1517956","authorDomain":"ariel-113"}

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#1 - Wed May 28, 2008 10:41 PM EDT

{"commentId":1852446,"authorDomain":"MouseHeart"}

Mouse Heart

I can't believe a Scarf can cause people to link this to terrorism? I saw the picture first, then read the article... under no circumstances did I think that Dunkin Donuts was a part of a terrorist act in any way by looking at that picture of a pretty lady with a pretty scarf around her neck holding a cup of iced coffee. Geesh people! What they gonna do next? BAN scarfs with dangly things on them? I thought this was a free country for all people of all Nationality? Isn't that what we've got our young men and women over seas for? To help those countries find Peace so they can have the freedom of wearing a pretty scarf around their neck? And to keep REAL terrorists away?
I'm an American Gal, born and bread here. I fly my American Flag every day. I stand still when the anthem is played with my hand over my heart. I stop my car on the road when I see her in a funeral procession driving by. I honor her and what she stands for. That's what we should be focusing on instead of nit-picking an ad for iced coffee from a nationally known donut maker! Sounds to me like someone has lost their donut holes!

{"commentId":1852446,"threadId":"271106","contentId":"1517956","authorDomain":"MouseHeart"}

#2 - Thu May 29, 2008 12:41 AM EDT

{"commentId":1853550,"authorDomain":"lambarker"}

Lucile Barker

Remind me to forego shopping with Michelle Malkin, who was the one who saw the "similarity" in the scarves. She needs an eye examination to start, and to apologize to Ray and Dunkin' Donuts as well. Malkin, who is a member of a minority group, should be aware of the dangers of stereo-typing. Perhaps it was a slow news day and she could find nothing else to comment upon. I am so glad that I am a Canadian and don't have to live in the same country with "pundits" like Malkin and advertisers who would bend to pressure from an ill-informed commentator who obviously should find something better to do with her time and her pen.

{"commentId":1853550,"threadId":"271106","contentId":"1517956","authorDomain":"lambarker"}

#3 - Thu May 29, 2008 8:54 AM EDT

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Dunkin' Donuts pulls Rachael Ray ad after complaints	Associated Press	Thu May 29	1
Dunkin' Donuts pulls Rachael Ray ad after complaints	CNN	Thu May 29	10
Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link	msnbc.com	Wed May 28	1364
Celebrity chef under fire for 'jihadi chic' - web - Technology - smh.com.au	The Sydney Morning Herald	Thu May 29	2
The blogger, the chef and the terrorist	Chicago Tribune	Sat May 31	0

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Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link

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