A Dairy Queen in southeast Texas has come under fire for
its anti-Hindu signs, but the store’s owner isn’t backing down from his
beliefs.
Mohammad Dar, 65, who owns the franchise on State Highway
146 in Kemah, about 30 miles southeast of Houston, posted the signs last year.
“They may look like humans, but they’re acting like
monkeys,†Dar, who is Muslim, said of Hindus in an interview with KHOU-TV.
Dar told the San Antonio Express-News that he’s
aware that the signs are controversial but said there was no reason to
apologize for his message.
“I’m pointing out what’s wrong with Hinduism, which is a
force of racism,†he said.
Dar told KHOU that he wants customers to ask him about
the signs — and that when they do and he explains his thinking, “they love it.â€
But customers say the signs may have a chilling effect
on Dar’s business.
“I think that’s probably going to be offensive to someone,â€
Adam Toups told KHOU.
Kamala Raghavan, a spokeswoman for the Sri Meenakshi
Temple in nearby
Pearland, which serves thousands of Houston-area Hindus, said the signs put
ignorance on display.
“Understand what [Hindus] are about before you do
something or put something up, because no one has a right to insult others,â€
she told KHOU.
Dairy Queen officials said in a prepared statement to
the Express-News that Dar’s signs were an “unfortunate action.â€
“American Dairy Queen Corp. does not encourage
non-business-related messages in stores or displayed on exterior reader
boards,†associate vice president Dean Peters said in the statement.
Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, behind
Christianity and Islam, with about 1 billion adherents.
Upset Hindus seek “Dairy Queen†apology for anti-Hindu displays in Texas
Hindus, upset by the reported anti-Hinduism display at a Dairy
Queen (DQ) restaurant in Texas,
are asking the International Dairy Queen Inc. CEO John P. Gainor Junior to
issue a formal apology and arrange to remove the displays.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that
DQ should not be in the business of disparaging religions. Posters reportedly
displayed at its Kemah store in Texas
were highly inappropriate and trivialized the oldest and third largest religion
of the world with about one billion adherents and a highly philosophical
thought.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism,
indicated that DQ should have shown some responsibility and already taken
action regarding these signs posted at the Kemah restaurant reportedly for many
months.
Rajan Zed pointed out that DQ seemed to have even failed to
follow its own “Mission Statement: To create positive memories for all who
touch DQ†by allowing such derogatory signs at one of its restaurants.
International Dairy Queen Inc.; based in Minneapolis; is a
subsidiary of Omaha headquartered Berkshire Hathaway Inc.; serving treats and
food in over 6,600 locations in USA, Canada and 28 other countries since 1940.
Warren E. Buffett is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Anti-Hindu sign by a Muslim Dairy Queen Owner
condemned
Dairy Queen Owner's action to be condemned |
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
As a Muslim, I condemn the actions of a Muslim Dairy Queen
Owner for his anti-Hindu marquis at his business in Kemah, Texas.
However, it is obligatory on all of us to verify, if this Report is
accurate. Even if the sign did not mean anti-Hindu, it is perceived as such by
some of the Hindus of Houston area. Therefore, it becomes necessary to take the
sign down to prevent pitting one American against the other.
If Mohammad Dar has mocked Hinduism on this Marquis at his store, it is is not
acceptable and as Muslims we condemn his action.
