A local chapter of a national Islamic civil liberties group is praising the decision of a Royal Oak gun shop to discontinue selling targets of a skeleton wearing traditional Muslim attire.
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) welcomed the decision by Target Sports in Royal Oak. CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid met with the owner of Target Sports, to voice concern that a gun range target that depicts a skeleton with a long beard dressed in a turban and robe may provoke gun owners to view local Muslims who wear such garb as enemies.
The owner agreed.
Walid said he had received a complaint about the targets today, and walked into the gun store and bought two of the targets before introducing himself and expressing his concerns. “He gave us a verbal promise to stop selling the targets,” Walid said. “It was an extremely non-hostile meeting.”
The targets, manufactured by Thompson Targets in Canton Ohio, are shipped throughout the country, and Walid was checking with other gun shops in metro-Detroit to see if they are carrying them. “Our concern isn’t primarily being offended,” he said. “It’s a safety issue. In metro-Detroit, there are law abiding, peaceful Muslims walking the streets of Hamtramck and Detroit who are dressed like this in the target. It is problematic. There seems to be a dehumanization of Muslims.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding, according to its press release.