A US retailer in Wisconsin is pulling a fireworks product off its shelves after Muslim activists condemned it as “derogatory”.
According to this report, a “local shopper” from nearby Minnesota found the “Run, Hadji, Run” product on the shelves of fireworks store – Fireworks City – in Baldwin, Wisconsin, and contacted the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The packaging of “Run Hadji Run” – an aerial strobe firework produced in China and imported by Red Rhino Fireworks – depicts a group of Arabs on camelback, overshadowed by an overhead stealth bomber.
On another side of the wrapper, an angry Uncle Sam yanks the beard of a dark man in flowing attire bearing a strong resemblance to Osama bin Laden.
“Hadji” is an Arabic term for someone who has made the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, but CAIR says it also “has often been used as a derogatory term by US soldiers during the Iraq War”.
When CAIR contacted the retailer and asked that they pull the product from the shelves, the store management consented.
CAIR has also asked Red Rhino Fireworks to take similar action. They have also demanded that Red Rhino apologise to the Muslim and Arab community.
Red Rhino’s president, Steve Hauser, says the company hasn’t offered that firework for sale in years.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 7th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Silly infidels! Don't you know that fireworks are supposed to be strapped to you?
July 7th, 2009 at 9:30 am
"Shoots Flaming Balls and Reports"
Sounds like Jeremy Paxman to me.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Muslims go 'ballistic'? Is this a terrorist related pun?
July 7th, 2009 at 10:52 am
to be fair, this is pretty racist lol. looks like american propaganda to me.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Just part of the post 9/11 hysteria. Should have been taken off the market anyway. It is insulting and obviouslty intended to be so. But did you read the instructions? This firework is incredibly dangerous…..how come Ralph Nader wasn't on to it?
July 7th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
"Just part of the post 9/11 hysteria" … The Koranimals destroy people and property and we retaliate with a rather lame firework. Hysteria? In your dreams, mate.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Hi Barry, the response to 9/11 was a war in Afghanistan and Iraq and removal of the governing bodies there. This product is just encouraging kids to shoot fireworks at people, it's dangerous and stupid. So is calling muslims 'koranimals' – you're not acting differently from any other 'religious' person who devalues others because they do not share the same beliefs.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Don't accuse me of something I did not say. I did not apply the word 'Koranimals' to Muslims in general; I used it to describe the murderous imbeciles who carried out 9/11, 7/7 and other atrocities in the name of Islam, and to those who rejoice in such tactics.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Products like these and name calling can be used as an excuse for a moderate to become militant. It can also be used as tool for militants to convert moderates. I'd just like to see us taking the higher ground so that this nonsense can stop one day.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
When you are in a hole, Moni, it's wise to stop digging. Your assertion that "Products like these and name calling can be used as an excuse for a moderate to become militant" suggests that all Muslims are fanatics at heart, and only need a small nudge to become murderous militants. If that is indeed true, we should be much more fearful of the "Religion of Peace" than we already are.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
LOL nice one George. You beat me to it! I came across a cracker on a website about muslims schools where a muslim mother said she would love to send her children to the local muslim school but couldn't because "it costs a bomb"! She didn't make it clear if she meant that she had to provide one which she couldn't afford, or if it was some sort of aptitude test which her children were not up to.
Godless not gormless
July 7th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I guess it's fine is if "products like these and name calling" make you feel more secure in your position. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that I was suggesting that all muslims are fanatics. I would suggest that all religious people are dogmatic to a certain degree and that islamic militancy requires recruitment for it to continue. Dogmatic people feel threatened whenever their world view is challenged in any way and might react by attacking people without trying to understand whatever it is that is challenging their way of thinking.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Barry is right here. If these people were truly peaceful at heart, no amount of insults would persuade them to become terrorists. The real problem here is that it's islam that converts people to terrorism because it tells them that non believers are the vilest of men and that muslims should be killing them.
Taking the high ground with muslims will make no difference whatsoever because they don't give a shit what we think. Recognising that islam is the problem will.
In any case, as far as I am aware, this blog is about having some fun. It's not all about serious debate though we will do that when it's felt necessary. So can we lighten up a bit please with the derision of attitudes on here and let us all get on with the work of deriding religion!!!
Godless not gormless
July 7th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
You're right GNC, though I think dogmatism in general is the real problem. I really enjoy this blog as it is as funny as it is sad. It is a great watchdog service outlining many of the ridiculous things fanatics say and do. I guess I was just reacting to a product that I felt was not doing a real service to any cause.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
'…it's dangerous and stupid.'
Islam in a nutshell!
July 8th, 2009 at 12:04 am
I agree with you that the product packaging is quite over the top, there's no doubt about it, but muslims are offended by almost anything. To be fair, most religiots over react but muslims definitely take gold prize for this.
Let's face it though, we have every right to ask for the koran to be banned because of it's offensive nature. Things like "non believers are the vilest of men" are offensive to everyone who is not muslim, and there are plenty more examples like that to be found in that vilest of books. Would muslims ever consider striking out those parts to appease their neighbours or for the sake of peace and harmony? I don't think so!
I actually think we should use the recent Defamation of Religion resolution forced through the at the UN by the OIC, against islam. Give them a taste of their own medicine!! islam defames every other religion, (in fact it's probably fair to say that every religion defames every other religion) so let it be the first victim of it's own stupidity and disrespect!!!
Anyone up for it???
Godless not gormless
July 8th, 2009 at 7:40 am
What about the its attitudes to women and homosexuals? It has no place in a progressive, tolerant society.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Correct Barrie!!! The atitude to homosexuality is strange though, given that there is so much homosexual activity amongst muslim males. As far as I am aware, Arabs of mo's time were VERY fond of pretty boys and most muslim males have their first sexual experience with another male or an animal ( I was told this by a pakistani muslim woman BTW), at least those not brought up in the west that is.
This is apparently true of many Indian men too. I watched a program on TV once about this and recently, a muslim woman outraged muslim men (that doesn't happen often does it!!!!) by writing a book about how muslim men need to stop sodomising their wives. Apparently they are so used to anal sex with other men that by time they are married, it is perfectly natural for them to go for the brown rather than the pink.
Most muslim countries seem to have a long standing reputation for openly accepted and frequently practiced homosexual activity. Strange, since it's so unlike the religious to be hypocritical!
As for women, as you probably know, mo said that when he travelled to heaven on the flying donkey (the most obvious mode of travel to heaven of course) ,he witnessed souls decending into hell and the majority of them bay far were women. Those women who did get into heaven hadn't acheived this by praying properly and worshiping allah. No, they got to heaven because they had obeyed their husbands! Even though there is much more material like this to show the true islamic attitude towards women, this says more than enough already. And let's not forget he's actually referring to muslim women here! Can you imagine their attitude to non muslim women?
Godless not gormless