What would you do if you see or hear something offensive? You would either call out the offender or make an official report against them. We have every right to be upset after witnessing something that’s considered problematic but sometimes we can’t let our emotions get the best of us.
There are many ways to bring awareness to a certain issue and with the power of smart devices and social media, spreading these information is just one click away. This American Muslim man took to TikTok to express his anger after discovering a store in Singapore selling a clothing collection with Quranic verses printed on them.
https://www.tiktok.com/@__abu.toz__/video/7110697151235181866?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7072577757556819457
TikTok content creator that goes by the username @__abu.toz__ or simply Abu posted a video on his account calling out Playmate, a clothing store in Singapore, for selling women’s swim and night wear with Quranic verses printed on them. Overwhelmed with anger, the user projected his frustration towards Singapore for allowing such things to be sold online.
“I understand that being Islamophobic is the norm and people applaud you for being against the religion, but this is so disrespectful towards me and the billions of Muslims around the world,” he said. The content creator added that he has lost all respect for the country and that he would make racist remarks against Singaporeans because of this particular issue.
Many netizens, including Singaporeans themselves, were just as shocked as he was after seeing the Quranic clothing collection on the website. Some thanked the American man for spreading awareness while others said that even though they understand his anger, the TikTok user should not blame the entire country for one store’s actions.
After the first video went viral, Abu posted a follow-up video apologising for his harsh words in the first video and that his intentions was to bring awareness to Singaporeans that they should do something about the company for their offence. He ended the video by saying, “Again, I apologise to the people of Singapore but you all need to do is take action against this”.
https://www.tiktok.com/@__abu.toz__/video/7112122482408066350?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7072577757556819457
After it was brought to their attention, Playmate issued an apology. According to Mothership, the company has removed all products containing Quranic verses. “We always respect all religions in general and Islam in particular. Going forward, we are going to take steps to ensure that this situation does not happen again. Again, we are so sorry for this inconvenience. Thank you!,” said Playmate’s support team.
Sources: Tiktok, Mothership
