The American-based Dunkin Donuts chain has yanked a commercial showing television chef Rachael Ray with a kaffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headdress worn by Yasser Arafat and which became a symbol of terrorism.
Company officials said the ad was cancelled because of controversy, heightened when conservative commentator Michelle Malkin wrote that the apparel "is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad." She said the scarf "has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."
Many Arab-Americans have protested against the criticism, saying the scarf is a traditional Arab headdress and is a symbol of nationalism, not terrorism. "The Palestinian people consider this their flag," designer Nemi Jamal told the Canadian Press. "People often have these in their cars and on key rings. It is about pride and class struggle, and nothing else. To say it stands for what they have said is just a disgrace."
Dunkin' Donuts, a popular coffee and baked goods company, said it cancelled the commercial because of "the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee."