Dunkin’ Donuts Is Not Promoting Terrorism

Some people need to just shut up. By now, everyone has seen the Dunkin’ Donuts ad with the photograph of Rachael Ray wearing a black-and-white scarf — the ad that some people said should be pulled because that black-and-white scarf looks like a keffiyeh — the head scarf worn by members of a certain Arab tribe, some of whom are terrorists. And Dunkin’ Donuts pulled the ad.

Now, I understand why DD pulled the ad. They don’t want even the slightest of links to something as horrible as terrorism. You can’t sell second-rate coffee and donuts in America if people think you have ties to Islamic terrorists and suicide bombers.

But the people who started the whole controversy should shut up. (And I can’t tell you who started it. Wikipedia says it was Michelle Malkin; Newsweek reports that it was blogger Pam Geller. Maybe it erupted simultaneously. But BOTH women are WRONG.)

The only resemblance between the scarf in the photo and a keffiyeh is that it is a black-and-white scarf. The pattern of a keffiyeh — of Yasser Arafat’s keffiyeh in particular, since it’s the one the women are objecting to — is a very bold geometric construct of lines and boxes in a sort of “chicken-wire” pattern. Rachael’s scarf appears to be a very large paisley, and a muted paisley at that.

Just because some terrorists wear scarves on their heads does not mean that everyone wearing a head scarf is a terrorist. Furthermore, Rachael isn’t even wearing the scarf on her head! It’s wrapped around her neck, for pity’s sakes! Last I checked, it wasn’t a keffiyeh if it wasn’t on your head!

So, y’all just shut up already. Neither Rachael Ray nor Dunkin’ Donuts has ties to terrorism, nor are they so stupid as to flaunt the symbols of some terrorists in their ads. They just want to sell their iced coffee and their fried cake rings. And look pretty while doing it.

Tags: news, stupidity, terrorism, terrorists