"Run Hadji Run" fireworks are drawing the ire of a local Muslim advocacy group who say the pyrotechnic products are spreading racist images.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Friday made a public plea for retailers to pull the products off their shelves because of "derogatory imagery," according to Jessica Zikri, a spokeswoman for the council's St. Paul office.
On one side, the package contains cartoon depictions of men in Middle Eastern-style clothing riding camels, with a stealth bomber flying overhead. On another side is an image of Uncle Sam pulling the beard of a graying man in a turban.
"It looks like something that could have come out 50 or 60 years ago, but not today," Zikri said. "I guess it's just a signal that these anti-Arab sentiments are still out there. And we don't think they should be for sale."
A local shopper spotted "Run Hadji Run" on the shelves of a fireworks retailer Friday and contacted the council, Zikri said. The council called the retailer — Fireworks City in Baldwin, Wis. — and asked them to stop selling the item.
9/11 Fireworks by Muslims
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