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Best Buy under fire for holiday greeting
'Happy Eid al-Adha' on a Thanksgiving ad stirs outrage, debate.
Eid al-Adha sounds like a lovely holiday -- a happy occasion full of praise for God, lots of food -- which is shared with the poor -- and gifts for children. An imam interviewed by The Modesto Bee said the four-day Eid al-Adha is the Muslim holiday that most closely resembles Christmas.
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So why is a small blurb wishing “Happy Eid al-Adha” in a Best Buy Thanksgiving ad stirring controversy and debate?
“This is literally the first time I’ve ever seen anyone celebrate Eid, it’s a nice holiday for millions of Americans, and it’s nice for BB to note that yes, it is coming up soon,” John Biggs wrote at TechCrunch.
He added:
So you’d think that a national retailer would be praised for trying to reach out to its Muslim visitors and you’d also think that since Black Friday comes around Thanksgiving, an ostensibly “conservative” holiday,” they’d be excused for not putting baby Jesus in the carriage Toad drives in Mario Kart Wii on the first page of its Black Friday ad. Nope.
Sure enough, some folks are riled up. For instance, a reader of Texas Fishing Forum observed that while the ad says “Happy Eid al-Adha,” there’s no “happy” before the much larger “Thanksgiving” in the ad. Another replied, “So? I don't see anything wrong with them recognizing a religious holiday.”
Todd Wasserman wrote at BrandWeek: “After TechCrunch ran an item about the circular, some claimed offense and said they'd take their business elsewhere. ‘I spent about $3,000 with ... your store. I will be shopping somewhere else,’ one consumer wrote on Best Buy's Web forum.”
The E&P Pub also reported a mix of reactions about the ad, which appeared Sunday in many newspapers: “The mention elicited reactions ranging from curiosity, according to one newspaper publisher who fielded some calls, to outrage from one Seattle radio talk show host.”
Backstory: The Mississippi-based American Family Association targeted Best Buy Inc. in 2006 after a company spokeswoman said it would favor “happy holidays” in its ads in recognition that several holidays occur at that time of year. Meanwhile, Christmas themes did NOT disappear from Best Buy ads. (This year, AFA has called out the Gap despite the fact that a new Gap ad clearly mentions Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and solstice, too -- a regular smorgasbord of celebrations. We’re all for that.)
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In the latest dustup, Wasserman said, Best Buy stands by the Thanksgiving ad. A Best Buy rep said: "Best Buy's customers and employees around the world represent a variety of faiths and denominations. We respect that diversity and choose to greet our customers and employees in ways that reflect their traditions."
Will shoppers' anger about the Best Buy ad hurt the company’s bottom line? Probably not, judging by the results of AFA's organized protests against Best Buy and other companies. (AFA hasn't commented on the new ad.) Dan Neil wrote at The Los Angeles Times:
If you look at the history of the organization's boycotts -- often involving punitive actions against companies that support gay rights -- you'll see that they have no commercial impact. … Personally, I am inclined to patronize Gap as a statement of cultural tolerance, even though at my age I look like an overcooked ballpark frank in its clothes.
Related reading:
Muslims believe in Jesus?...so does the devil
What makes this article and some of your comments stupid, is the fact that Best Buy has released a statement saying they plan on recognizing all "Christmas Holidays" but in an ad around the time when they happen. That is why you saw "Eid al-Adha" first. Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, and Merry Christmas will follow in ads around their celebrated time.
If company wishing different ethnics "Happy Holidays" in their own religion offends you, then maybe you need to get a life. The fact is... what Christmas means to most people that are in Best Buy spending way too much money is trying to buy expensive gifts (you can't afford) for overly spoiled friends and family. I wish we didn't have Christmas (retail wise) anymore because people are more mean-spirited, angry, and rude at this time of the year than any other. Step back and enjoy it for what it is... a wonderful holiday to celebrate our different heritages and what about life that makes us who we are!
The Irony is they will wish a Happy Eid al-Adha, but will not say Merry Christmas. Rather they say Happy Holidays so as not to offend any non-believers and the pathetic ACLU trash.
Some stores (and people too) will go to great lengths and use preposterous explanations in order to avoid using the term Christmas even though it is a Federal holiday and so named. Why do you think this is so? It can’t be they’re afraid of offending someone since they don’t seem bothered at all about offending the Christian majority.
I'm sorry! Did i miss Xmas and Hannukah? Oh, silly me, those holiday's aren't even here yet. Happy Eid to all Muslims around the world. God Bless You! Everyone else, wait your turn until your holiday arrives!
Who cares what you spent! Try spending some of that money and buy you some knowledge!!!!!!
I am the product of being raised following the Christian Faith and went to Catholic school all my life. Now in my 30s I do not practice any religion. It seems to me that christians are more focused on criticizing anyone who does not share their beliefs than focused on really understanding the message that Jesus Christ tried to preach to humanity. Jesus Christ preached the message of loving one another. He used to hang out with the ****, the sick, the children, and really try to show us that no one is better than the next and that we are all worthy of the gift of life. These days all we do is criticize anyone who is different.
We are caught in a vicious circle of they said, we said. And unless some one is willing to come to the middle and understand that the only way to be a better humanity is to listen and forgive, we will never get there. While people are dying of hunger, of war, of sickness, and slaughter... we in the U.S. are concerned because we can't get the new car we want, or because we can't afford to take the trip we wanted. Other people just want something decent to eat, and just plainly want to live....
Who CARES about a store ad? This is totally representative on why the U.S. is on the wrong track. We have become insane as a nation. The baby boomers have destroyed this country and the upcoming generation will finish the job with their selfishness and sense of entitlement.
Sad times for humanity indeed...
muslim chick, wow that was awesome, if you are a child or teen you are way beyond your years, moved me to tears, I am a christian, and I try and usually succeed to love others as myself, does not matter what race or religion or gender preference, God alone is the judge of me, so i can not judge others either, Your post was just awesome, I hope others of all ages were listening.
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