Does Jeff Bezos and Amazon have a Hinduphobia problem? History would suggest they do. Despite removing over 60 doormats carrying images of Hindu deities last month after Hindus protested, world’s largest online retailer Amazon.com continues to sell products with images of Hindu deities which upset Hindus find highly inappropriate.
Images of various Hindu deities—Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kali, Hanuman—were seen on Mens Briefs, Legging Tights, Bedspread/Bedcover, Cigarette Case, Waist Pants and Women’s Capris; when searched on its website on July 29.
What type of person would want to wipe their dirty feet on images of Hindu gods?
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged Amazon.com and its President Jeff Bezos to show some maturity, immediately withdraw the objectionable products and offer formal apology.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated that it was shocking to visualize that a company like Amazon.com, for its mercantile greed, would apparently sell anything without caring for the feelings of a considerable segment of world’s population.
Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kali, Hanuman were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be worn on your hips and legs, or to be slept upon, or to cover your cigarettes. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees, Rajan Zed noted.
Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Zed stated.
Rajan Zed further said that Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.
In October 2014, Amazon.com removed the women’s leggings carrying images of various Hindu gods and goddesses, and in January 2014 also, it removed the pants carrying image of Lord Ganesha, from its website after Hindus protested.
Amazon.com, Inc., a Fortune 500 company founded in 1994, and headquartered in Seattle (Washington, USA), claims to offer “Earth’s Biggest Selection”
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