Whole Foods: "We Should Not Highlight Ramadan"

[meegbear]

Under pressure from right-wing bloggers who blindly associate Ramadan and Muslims with terrorism and burqas, Whole Foods has sent an email to its stores across the United States in which it specifically tells stores not to promote Ramadan this year.

Just last week, Whole Foods began its promotion of Saffron Road's line of halal products throughout the holiday, which ends on August 29, via writer Yvonne Maffei's blog, My Halal Kitchen. That promotion was waylaid by what seems like a very small amount of criticism, according to an internal email that the Houston Press obtained recently.

"It is probably best that we don't specifically call out or 'promote' Ramadan," reads a portion of that email. "We should not highlight Ramadan in signage in our stores as that could be considered 'Celebrating or promoting' Ramadan."

This is a significant departure from years past, when Whole Foods has promoted its halal items during Ramadan with small signs that displayed a crescent moon, the symbol of Islam. It's also a striking difference from the way that the famously tolerant grocery chain promotes other holidays, including signage and in-store promotions for Passover, Easter and Christmas.

"We recently introduced a line of frozen products in Grocery that are Halal certified (meet Muslim dietary laws) called Saffron Road," continues the email. "With the introduction of this line company wide, and the beginning of Ramadan last week, we posted a product giveaway on the Whole Story blog (on July 31) to generate awareness and interest in the products. Some people have misinterpreted the blog post to mean we are celebrating or promoting Ramadan in our stores. The misinterpretation has generated some negative feedback from a small segment of vocal and angry consumers and bloggers."

<snip>

Despite a statement from the Anti-Defamation League that Whole Foods and its Ramadan promotion aren't vaguely anti-Semitic, the association between a holiday that represents a time of patience, humility and charity for Muslims across the world and Jihadist terrorism is apparently so strong with a small, vocal minority that Whole Foods has capitulated to these people -- who surely can't represent the chain's larger demographic -- and buried its former Ramadan promotions as if they were a dirty secret.

<snip>

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/08/whole_foods_we_should_not_high.php

[KamaAina]

1. And the War on Ramadan begins

To the barricades, Bill-O!! :P

[gratuitous]

2. It is probably best that we capitulate to bigotry and xenophobia

Whole Foods, bucking to be excluded from the next edition of Profiles in Courage.

[ixion]

3. *sigh*

So a bunch of RW knucle-draggers who have probably NEVER BEEN in a Whole Foods, now dictate store policy.

:wtf:

[LLStarks]

4. Another reason to prefer Trader Joe's

[kestrel91316]

5. Anti-muslim hatemonger Debbie Schlussel's blog seems to be behind

Whole Foods' decision. NO, I won't link to her.

[meegbear]

6. You are CORRECT, oh great one!

The "right-wing bloggers" link above goes to her site.

[aquart]

7. Well, then they lose that market they were obviously hoping to get.

[Wilms]

8. Whole Paycheck. n/t

[cascadiance]

9. I noticed that New Seasons just added some Halal certified frozen meals last week...

Saffron Road food now at Cedar Hills store a least. Nice timing New Seasons! Normally I have to go to the near by middle eastern stores here in Beaverton to get good middle eastern food.



Uh oh... I see that Whole Foods has been selling them too. I wonder if they are now getting pulled off the shelves, or if Debbie Schussel's group will be protesting WF to take these off the shelves if they haven't yet...

http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2010/08/halal-at-whole-foods-saffron-r.html

And also note that one of New Seasons' owners is running for Portland mayor here in 2012 too.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2011/05/eileen_brady_announces_2012_bi.html

Quite a bit different from Whole Food's CEO who has quite a bit of baggage associated with him. I wonder how much of the Ramadan thing was his own doing.

[Recursion]

10. Oh good Lord. I was assuming "as a grocery store we don't like fasting" or something (nt)

[qb]

11. The damn place is way over-priced anyway. One more reason to stay away.

[War Horse]

12. Madness

"There are Muslims under my bed"