koffee-yehs

Koffee-yehs Campaign Video

2008-09-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

THE SOUTH

2008-06-22T06:52:00.001-07:00

New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, LA

New Oreans, LA

WEST COAST

2008-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Colton, CA

Riverside, CA

Union City, CA

Palmdale, CA

Union City, CA

Riverside, CA

Palmdale, CA

San Bernadino, CA

Loma Linda, CA

Riverside, CA

Fontana, CA

Las Vegas, NV

MID-WEST

2008-06-09T22:58:00.001-07:00

Cleveland, OH

Ann Arbor, MI

Chicago, IL

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Chicago, IL

Fraggle Rock

Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL

NORTHEAST

2008-06-08T10:47:00.001-07:00

NYC

New Jersey

NYC

Brooklyn, NY

Queens, NY

Toronto, ON Canada

New Jersey

NYC

Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn, NY

Upstate NY

Brooklyn

Queens

Queens

Queens

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NYC

Brooklyn, NY

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Brooklyn, NY

Rochester, NY

Baltimore, MD

NYC

Brooklyn, NY

Queens, NY

NYC

Queens, NY

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Queens, NY

Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn, NY

NYC

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Gotham City

NYC

NYC

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New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey

NYC

In The Media

2008-06-07T13:48:00.001-07:00

How the controversy has played out in the media:

IslamOnline (June 26, 2008)
- Donuts Or Dignity?
The American Muslim (June 11, 2008)

The Subversive “Arab”, “Islamic” Doughnut Ad

The American Muslim (June 11, 2008)

The Dunkin Donuts Incident: How real hatred is tolerated in America

Tri-city Herald (June 11, 2008)

Making a Mountain out of Mohair, Etcetera

Kansascity.com (June 9, 2008)

When Panic Holds Sway, We Have Already Lost the War on Terror

Seattle Times (June 8, 2008)

Where have you gone, Joe McCarthy, a nation turns its fearful eyes to you

Tampa Bay (June 8, 2008)

Beware of Breathless Blathering on Blogs

Times Union (June 8, 2008)

Kaffiyeh an Elaborate Cover -- Not

The News Observer (June 7, 2008)

Scarf Kerfuffle Lingers

Chicago Tribune (June 7, 2008)

Kaffiyeh with your coffee?

Muskogee Phoenix (June 7, 2008)

Sketches: Grandma Draga wore a babushka

The Arab American News (June 6, 2008)

Dunkin'Donuts pulls "Arab-looking" ad

Naples News (June 6, 2008)

Fashion Statements

BBS News (June 6, 2008)

Will Michelle Malkin go after Amazon.com Next for their Kaffiyeh's?

Gather (June 6, 2008)

Conservative Idiocy over Rachel Ray and Dunkin Donuts

The Aspen Times (June 6, 2008)

Scarfed a Donut Lately?

CBS News (June 6, 2008)

Dunkin' Death To U.S.! Silly To Suggest Ray A Terrorist Supporter

Quad City Times (June 6, 2008)

Malkin: Leader of the Symbol-Minded

The Electronic Intifada (June 5, 2008)

The Stigmatization of Anything Palestinian or Arab

The Canadian Press (June 4, 2008)

Anger over Rachael Ray Scarf Opens Wounds for Arabs

Middle East Online (June 4, 2008)

Keffiyeh: The Politics of Symbolism

South Coast Today (June 4, 2008)

Scarf flap recalls McCarthy-era irrational fears

West Liberty Index (June 4, 2008)

And They Call Themselves Journalists?

AltMuslim (June 4, 2008)

Hot Couture

St. Petersburg Times (June 3, 2008)

Rachael Ray will survive Bloggers' Jihad

Op Ed News (June 3, 2008)

Rachael Ray: Bloodthirsty Jihadist?

St. George Daily Spectrum (June 2, 2008)

Propaganda easily Sways an Uninformed Public

Arizona Daily Star (June 2, 2008)

No scarves, falafel for TV chef Rachael Ray

The Rebel Yell (June 2, 2008)

Perpetuating Fear in America

Newsweek (May 30, 2008)

The Real Danger of the Rachael Ray ‘Kaffiyeh’ Spat

Chicago Tribune (May 30, 2008)

The Blogger, the Chef and the Terrorist

The New York Times (May 30, 2008)

For Dunkin’, a Tempest in an Iced-Coffee Cup

NPR's All Things Considered (May 29, 2008)

Chef Rachael Ray's 'Keffiyah' Attracts Critics

Countdown with Keith Olberman (May 28, 2008)

Terrorist Scarves

about.com (May 28, 2008)

Michelle Malkin's Meltdown Over Dunkin Donuts and Rachael Ray's Scarf

epicurious.com (May 28, 2008)

The Perfect Hate Storm: Malkin vs. Rachael Ray and Dunkin' Donuts

BusinessWeek (May 28, 2008)

Dunkin Donuts Move To Pull Ad Is Cowardly and Ridiculous

about.com (May 28, 2008)

The Keffieh and the Arab Heartland

What the Heck is a Kuffiyeh?

2008-06-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

The MYTH:

Dunkin Donuts pulled the ad down after ultra-conservative blogger and bigot Michelle Malkin accused the company of symbolically supporting terrorism. Here is how she defines the kuffiyeh:

The kuffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons.

The REAL DEAL:

The kuffiyeh (Arabic: كوفية‎), also known as a hatta, is a scarf or head-piece worn by men in the Middle East as a way to combat extreme heat and dust. For the last seventy years, it has also served to represent the struggle of the Palestinian people. The black and white "checkered" scarf that resembles the PAISLEY adorned scarf that Rachel Ray is wearing (not only are the Fox News-loving conservatives misleading, they are also blind) was originally worn by Palestinian men beginning in the late 1930's. Prior to the rise in nationalism, Palestinian men often wore European hats or the Turkish fez. As an influx of Zionists moved into Palestine, the kuffiyeh was not only worn to display a strong sense of national pride but it also served to distinguish the Palestinian army from the Jordanian army (who wore red and white kuffiyehs). For the Palestinians, it represents a long history of resistance against a racist ideology. It represents the struggle of an entire people. The beauty of a people rich in culture. A people tied to a land, not only through deeds, but through passion and love for that land. That simple, yet distinctive scarf represents a hopeful day when the Palestinians will find dignity and justice within a country they rightfully belong to.

Since hitting the fashion runways however, the kuffiyeh has become a bit of a fashion craze in the West. It is now sold here in a wide variety of colors not traditionally found in the Middle East versions. From celebrities and hipsters, to college students, fashionistas across America are donning the scarf as a stylish accessory. Celebrities that have been spotted wearing one include Colin Farrell, Kanye West, Matt Lauer, Lupe Fiasco, Ricky Martin, Sting and Kirsten Dunst.

For a time-line of the scarf's recent history, see Modern Chronology of the Kuffiyeh Kraze.

What's the big deal, you ask?

The latest controversy over a piece of cloth follows a long line of Islamophobic and anti-Arab attacks and is part of a broader, coordinated effort on the part of right-wing neoconservatives to stigmatize Islam and Middle Eastern peoples. Since 9-11, the same group of people have gone after Muslim-American community leaders, Islamic charities, university Middle East Studies departments, and now cultural symbols that aren't even really cultural symbols. Putting aside the fact that the scarf worn by Rachel Ray was not even a kuffiyeh, the question begs why would right-wing pundits like Malkin have such a visceral reaction to the scarf? Is it possibly due to the social repercussions and ripple effects that inevitably follow such instances of cultural exchange, however benign, between East and West? Opportunities that build bridges and lend themselves to dialogue and understanding between peoples?

The fact is that our increased involvement in American society humanizes us, and that gives right-wing media fascists like Daniel Pipes and Michelle Malkin nightmares. Their camp is against anyone or anything that familiarizes the public with Islam, Muslims and Arabs. And it's understandable, for increased understanding may translate into non-Muslims no longer looking upon their Muslim neighbors with suspicion. It may mean a public less susceptible to this administration's fear tactics and the binary mentality of "us versus them". If this band of ultraconservatives are unable to continue manipulating the people using hatred and fear, their undemocratic policies just may cease to go unaccounted for and accepted without question. These enlightened bigots have been incredibly adept in exploiting the media and public anxiety over terrorism. It is a public relations war that we as concerned Americans must respond to.

Koffee-yeh is one way of fighting back and battling the hate. We need to convince Dunkin Donuts that it is never a reasonable business decision to cave in to bigotry!

If you want to take part in this campaign, send a photo of yourself wearing a kuffiyeh while posing with a Dunkin' Donuts product to koffeeyehs@gmail.com. Please include the city in which you live. We will not include your name.

Why pose with a Dunkin' Donuts product?

Please note that we are not trying to counter efforts others may be making to boycott Dunkin' Donuts. In fact, we are in favor of a boycott if a PR Representative does not issue a public statement in response to our campaign. Given the volatile post- 9/11 climate people live under, we think it is only fair to give Dunkin' Donuts one more chance. What we are offering is a dialogue, and that is something our community needs to engage in more often as part of the strategy to defeat Islamophobia and neoconservative propaganda. There is strength in numbers and the more of us engage in this dialogue, the more likely that big-business like Dunkin' Donuts will take our voices seriously.