[Toronto, Canada] – The Hindu community strongly urges Walmart to immediately remove the following products from its website due to their offensive and insensitive representations. These items—featuring Celestial Bhagwan Shri Ganesh Blessings patterns in swimwear—are offensive to the religious sentiments of over 1.2 billion Hindus worldwide, including over 5 Million Hindus living in North America.
Products in question are available at https://www.walmart.com :
Mens Swim Trunks - Celestial Ganesh Blessings Pattern
Women’s One-Piece Swimsuit - Celestial Ganesh Blessings Pattern
Ruffle One-Shoulder Women’s Swimsuit - Celestial Ganesh Blessings Print
These products violate the sacred and religious symbols of Hinduism by incorporating representations of Shri Ganesh—one of the most revered deities within the faith—into swimwear, which is inherently disrespectful and offensive. Such merchandise trivializes centuries of tradition, faith, and cultural values and sends the wrong message to consumers, further marginalizing the spiritual beliefs of billions of Hindus.
Amazon's Precedent and Responsibility:
This is not the first time companies have faced concerns regarding offensive merchandise. In the past, Amazon demonstrated their corporate responsibility by cooperating with organizations like the Hindu Canadian Foundation to return and address damaged Murti (pratima) incidents. This act of sensitivity and respect highlighted Amazon’s commitment to addressing cultural concerns and upholding values of inclusivity and understanding. Walmart must now follow suit by taking immediate action to remove these products and demonstrate similar sensitivity and respect.
As a global retail leader, Walmart has a unique opportunity to lead by example by addressing this issue promptly and showing solidarity with diverse faith communities and their sacred traditions.
We demand Walmart immediately remove these products as a necessary act of goodwill and cultural respect. Failure to act will only result in further division and heightened feelings of hurt and marginalization. We expect a swift and responsible response from Walmart.
Walmart Contradicts It’s Own Policy:
Amazon Sets a Benchmark in Respecting Religious Sentiments – It's Time for Walmart to Uphold Corporate Social Responsibility:
Controversial Products:
Imp Links:
Walmart Policy: https://corporate.walmart.com/policies#human-rights-statement
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