Dunkin’ Donuts, Jihad, Not a Match Made in Heaven

Every now and then, a blogger has to pollute the World Wide Web with something so stupid that it builds page views, and creates a media storm. What the heck? I’ll hitch a ride on Michelle Malkin’s bandwagon and declare Rachael Ray a terrorist and Osama bin Laden is hiding in the backroom of my local Dunkin’ Donuts.

Malkin, the conservative author and blogger, did just that a few weeks back (after stealing some thunder from the anonymous blogger at littlegreenfootballs.com). She—or actually Little Green Footballs—claimed that the Food Network and talk show sweetheart is wearing a scarf that resembles a kaffiyeh in an online advertisement for the coffee chain’s iced coffee.

So…what does that mean?

Since Ray is wearing a scarf that resembles a kaffiyeh, which Malkin said in her post was “popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos,” then she is a terrorist. And Dunkin’ Donuts, by allowing Ray to wear the scarf, supports terrorism.

The ad was a simple concept: It’s springtime (as the blossoming trees in the background depict), and Ray needs a scarf because she’s drinking an ice-cold drink.

Kaffiyeh-gate has caused the Canton, MA-based purveyor of coffee and treats to pull the ad, even though it pointed out in a statement that there was no intent to promote terrorism, and that the scarf is paisley—maybe a fashion crime, but certainly not a terrorist fashion statement.

For the love of Allah, what has the world come to?

“I’ll have a large coffee – light, no sugar – and a raisin bran muffin, please,” I’ll ask the next time I stop by Dunkin’ Donuts. “Oh, and can I have a side of Weapons of Mass Destruction, with the blood of the infidels?” It’s just plain silly.

Did Dunkin’ Donuts do the right thing? It sure seems it did. All sorts of conservative groups were calling for a boycott of the chain (no one seems to care about Ray here, and she’s the one wearing the scarf), so why escalate the issue?

Lesson learned for Dunkin’ Donuts: Tell costuming to keep it simple when it comes to wardrobe (even if you’re trying to keep it fashionable). And of course, in the day and age of bloggers gone wild, apologize—even if there isn’t a real need to do so.