Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

T. Butler:
The name of the store is in the post...

Emily

"Fireworks City, the Baldwin, Wis. store selling 'Run Hadji Run' fireworks has since taken them off the shelf."

I-Affe is correct. There is no race called "muslim" (lower case, cuz I'm an agnostic). I think "bigotry" would be more correct.

@I Affe & Helm Matthews
It could be considered racist & bigoted against a religion, given that the persons pictured are in Arab dress, and Hadji are specifically mentioned, so both bases are covered.

Wow..

People are complaining about explosives being racist. What an oxymoron.

When you get so entangled in your faith, tradition, religion etc. you lose a large part of your personal identity.

You could make fun of "my" race depicted as a cartoon and I wouldn't identify with that caricature, because whatever you draw doesn't define me. I do.

Their reaction to this is kind of sad.

What a bunch of idiots that posted a negative response to this blog.
Cide, not everyone is a huge fool like you that doesn't react to attacks on their ethnicity and religion.

Now if it was the Holocaust that was mocked....

This just in, black people are still stupid.

Run Hadji Run -- Made in Israel

This was so funny people need to lighten up I thought hadji was an indian name you know a person fron India hahahahhahhahahahaahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha

Political correctness has given anybody and everybody a license to bitch. Get real and get over it. It's humor not racism.

You have to wonder about the Red Rhino Fireworks company though. If you look at their terms and agreement for shipping they use the name Crazy Debbie's Fireworks.

Maybe they should unify their company name to Crazy Red-Deb Rhino!

LOL!

TaZ

The Great USofA selling out once again! I'm in the market for a country whose values represent the US of not so many years ago! What a shame!!!

highly racist, glad they pulled it.

Its okay its their freedoms, IMHO Americans are no doubt a nation of rif rafs and terrorists, pretty soon it would be nation of unemployed douce bags.

I think a 9/11 style wireworks should be in order, detonator is a little plane flying towards two buldings and kabooooooom. A little guys flying would be a nice touch!

I think its funny, where do I get one? I love the Uncle Sam! Really those muslims need to chill out, they are so easily offended and then hate on everyone else whos non-muslim. I should know, I'm a Jew.

Jill, imagine if there was a fireworks label with a picture of a plane bombing a Jewish guy in a yarmulke holding the star of David. Not so funny now, huh?

I bet in that situation I'd be saying you need to chill out, since Jews are easily offended and hate everyone who's non-Jewish.

I should know, I'm a Gentile.

Substitute Hadji for a Packer. Problem solved.

How could they say that???? A B-2 is not a fighter plane! Bad reporting...

God bless the fire work maker!

I don't know about you, but I want to buy the whole lot and send em to our boys in the middle east. Burn Hadji Burn is the slogan I prefer.

Wow, what a bunch of racist losers that are posting on this article.

I bet you aren't so tough when you're not sitting behind your computer screens whacking yourself off.

It's you racist bigots that need to be put away.

I thought the name of the firework was hilarious, I would have taken a picture of it if I had seen it on the shelf if not buy it, $30 is expensive. The woman on the video was fucking retarded to think the firework was implying that you shoot the fireworks at people, it wasn't a Roman Candle or anything hand held like that. People really do need to lighten up. Chill the fuck out.

As is typical of those who have no common sense, they whimper for the ones who CHOOSE to be offended by this who are the same ones who murder their own female children and call the honor killings.
In addition, these are the SAME ethnicity of those who committed several thousand murders on 9/11.

If this were reversed, there would be NO publkicity about it and, this television station would have NOTHING on as, they only pander to the weeping handwringers.

It is absolutely clear to ANYONE who has the ability to think abstractedly that the images are SINGULARLY in refernce to 9/11.
Those who are whining about this SUPPORT what occured on 9/11.

This is as intelectually empty as is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHdeAiulFCc

looks like the fireworks manufacturer was hacked by a muslim hacking group.
http://www.redrhinofireworks.com

Their hacking of the site is silly. If they claim that "hearts must be open to their actions" then why are they against the freedom of speech that they are violating. You don't have to like what someone says but you are not able to stop someone from saying it. Clearly this is the failure of Muslims. They GENERALLY riot at the drop of a hat, although no one was hurt in this little hissy fit this is so typical of this kind of person. Lead by example, not by what your religion teaches alone, that goes for all religions alike.

Is still isn't racist. Arab is mainly a cultural term and even then it doesn't mean that all Arabs are Muslim. There are plenty of Arab Christians and Arab Jews.

Oh, and other people are right. It looks like a bomber, not a fighter plane.

Non Arab Muslims, be ware of the trickery employed by the Arabs to get you to identify with them in the name of religion. Arab problem is not necessarily a Muslim problem. Win or lose, fight your own wars

I will still lower case the word "muslim" cuz religions are stupid. And the semicolon sucks and long live the frag and EE Cummings. Wait...he's already dead. I will concede that this could be construed as racist because of the images on the box, but I don't think anyone here is confusing race with religion, are they? I still think using "religious bigotry" is more correct.

TO all of those who claim this is not racist:

The fireworks are a blatant attack on Arab culture. The way these characters are dressed is that of traditional Arabian Peninsula, the style of dress thats from the region outlining the Red Sea, that extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Mecca and Medina are in this region.

Regardless of your religion when you live there that's the style of dress that Muslims, Christians and Jews wear.

The Taliban are in Afghanistan, a mountainous region, dressed differently.
If this is meant to be an attack on the perpetrators of 9/11, then why is the term 'Hadji' used. Why aren't there pictures of Taliban fighters with AK's on the cover? Why isn't it made clear with a name like 'Run Osama Run' ?

Because, very simply, this is an attack on Islam. Hadji is a term given to someone who makes the highest pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. Hadji is an honorific title given to people.

Unlike the people who have posted here saying that they don't care about slander against their own religion, whether they are Christians or Jews, we Muslims do care and we feel differently. Just because you feel that way, it does not mean that everyone else is as fake as you are to your religion.

I hate when I see television cartoons like South Park or other sitcoms mocking Christianity or Judaism. They dont speak for the majority of true Christians and Jews. It's not okay to make fun, and it's so sad that people are thinking alright of it, because the destruction of your values and family structure is at work every time it occurs. I know there are Christians and Jews who feel the same way as me, but sadly the man power needed to stand up and change these mockeries is suppressed by the mind bending affects this has on the masses.

In Islam, we hold our religion much higher than our nationality. It's the best attribute we have, because it was a religion finalized to us through Muhammad, transmitted to him by the archangel Jibreel(Gabriel), created by Allah(God).

If you can't respect us for revering GOD and defending what's been revealed to us Muslims through the ancient Jewish scriptures, through the Christian Gospels of our Prophet Isa (Jesus), and to the final Messenger the Prophet Muhammad, then take a step back and think about how you can even call yourselves true believers in your own religion.

Ok, I'm a broken record here. While there are definitely some racist posts on this comment thread, the fireworks packaging is not racist, offensive to some, yes. The reason I'm adamant about this is because of two points.

1) There's a meme out there that wants to equate Muslim with race. So that criticisms of Islam can be construed as racist. When in fact there are plenty of black, white, Middle Eastern, and Asian Muslims. Hell, the majority of Muslims don't even live in the Middle East. Anyone of any race can be a Muslim. It is therefore not racist to criticize Muslims and Islam.

2) Racist is the one of the worst things you can call someone in present day America. It tends to shut down debate and valid arguments, ostracize people, and is used way too liberally. Yes, there are racists in America, but they shouldn't be called as such until there is enough evidence to prove that they are, in fact, racist.

On a personal note I think the packaging is pretty stupid and culturally and physically inaccurate (most packaging is*), but would not support any campaigns to get it off the shelf.

*also see most movies, books, comics, etc.

To Read a book.

>TO all of those who claim this is not racist:

>The fireworks are a blatant attack on Arab culture.

So what? Arab culture and Muslims attack American and Christian culture every day. They burn our flag and our bible, they call us unclean and heathens. Are you afraid of a little retaliation? A little of your own medicine?

....Because, very simply, this is an attack on Islam.

And Islamic jihads have continually attacked Jews, Christians and Americans. not just with words, or packaging, but with bombs and terrorists, lies and hatred.

...>Unlike the people who have posted here saying that they don't care about slander against their own religion, whether they are Christians or Jews, we Muslims do care and we feel differently.

Then start acting like it. Not just YOU, but all of you. The pot calling the kettle black is what you are. You are not above the actions of your religion or your people if you support both.

...>It's not okay to make fun, and it's so sad that people are thinking alright of it, because the destruction of your values and family structure is at work every time it occurs.

Actually it IS O.K. to make fun. This Country is not founded on the principle that you have a RIGHT to not be offended. You can be offended all you want. You have freedom of speech, in fact you have just exercised it. Why do you insist on taking that freedom away from someone else? Because you think your speech is better?

...>I know there are Christians and Jews who feel the same way as me, but sadly the man power needed to stand up and change these mockeries is suppressed by the mind bending affects this has on the masses.

Then again, obviously your ability to speak is another matter...

...>In Islam, we hold our religion much higher than our nationality.

Well in America we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. If you don't like it here, please allow me to send you a check for a plane ticket back to whatever hell-hole you came from.

...>If you can't respect us for revering GOD

And if you can't respect us for having a sense of humor...oh and by the way, whose GOD? Just because he is yours does not mean he is mine nor do you have any right to make him mine or assume he is mine.

And to James, way up above...

>I don't get the joke unless it's on us? Osama Bin Laden isn't wanted in connection with 9/11 so why are we in Afghanistan seeking to capture him?

Because he IS wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998 bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. In which brave men and women of the United States of America and other countries perished in order to give you the right to spit on their graves with your free speech.

I'm a Muslim and I would consider these fireworks acceptable if they had done two things differently. They should not have used the term hadji. It's a derogatory remark. It's the Iraqi/Afghani equivalent to the term "gook". Some U.S. soldiers use this term for all Arabs and it is negative. The makers of this product obviously knew this. Instead of using the word Hadji, they should have called it "Run Taliban Run". Secondly, if the guy in the picture with Uncle Sam is supposed to be OBL, then label him as such.

The fact that people can laugh at or use the suffering of people overseas which is going on RIGHT now to make money is sick. Do the people who manufacture these fireworks not have children of their own? Do they not fear that one day the US might be a bit weaker than it is today and have other invading armies fly overhead and bomb them in their homes with their women and children inside?

Yes political humor should be allowed and yes we all have freedom of speech - but it doesn't mean we should exercise whenever we want to make funny or get a laugh out of something.

Have any of you people actually seen the destruction of what these bombs do to people who get hit by them? Have CNN, Fox news, ABC, NBC, CBS or ABC ever shown you the dead bodies of US soldiers or Iraqi civilians out there? Don't you know our forces out there also rape their women?

And to use something like that, turn it into a joke, and put it on a product that young children here will use for fun is sick.

Don't you think one day the same could happen to us out here? You think that our government can get away with randomly killing women and children out there and it won't come back to harm us?

Unbelievably topic