Amazon Removes Products Featuring Hindu Gods
Last week, we discussed Amazon’s plan to pioneer new ground in India and expand its reach with services like Handmade in India and workshops to help Indian artists get familiar with the e-commerce world and learn how they can reap the major benefits of selling on Amazon.
Unfortunately, Amazon also committed a major faux pas in India, and it was something drastic enough to bring the hashtag #BoycottAmazon to the top of Twitter trends – selling products with images of many Hindu gods that are sacred to the Indian population. Here are a few examples:
These products caused a huge outburst throughout the country. Amazon India may be ready to take over the market from a business perspective – but perhaps Jeff Bezos should do a bit more research and development for this new venture to better understand how highly regarded these deities are by the Indian population.
The doormats that featured various Hindu gods were the focal point of the outcry that caused #BoycottAmazon to trend. Some of these products included “welcome” doormats with artistic renderings of Lady Ganesha and Lord Ganesh, along with many others.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Amazon crossed the line when it comes to religion and products that may be drastically offensive to certain cultures and individuals across the world. Amazon found themselves in a similar situation two years ago when Rajan Zed, a well-known Hindu cleric, found leggings with patterns of Hindu deities being sold on Amazon.
“Hindus welcome the art world to immerse in Hinduism but [for] taking it seriously and respectfully and not for refashioning Hinduism concepts and symbols for personal agendas,” stated Zed in 2014, according to the Hindu Times. “Barbie-fication of Kali is simply improper, wrong and out of place.”
The Hindu community received no response from Amazon regarding this incident. This time, though, Amazon wisely chose to remove these questionable products from the platform shortly after the social media storm began.