CAIRO – America’s largest civil rights group has launched a satirical public awareness campaign to challenge growing anti-Muslim sentiments in America, distributing a mock-medicine designed to “cure” Islamophobia.
“We hope humor will help create public awareness about the harm Islamophobia does not only to ordinary American Muslims, but also to the values of equality and religious freedom upon which our nation was founded,” Nihad Awad, National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement obtained by AboutIslam.net.
“ISLAMOPHOBIN is funny, but Islamophobia is not.”
In its new social media campaign, CAIR is distributing “ISLAMOPHOBIN®,” a mock-medicine designed to “cure” Islamophobia and includes a television commercial for the product.
According to CAIR, ISLAMOPHOBIN is actually sugar-free-chewing gum.
The ISLAMOPHOBIN package states that the product is “Multi-Symptom Relief for Chronic Islamophobia” and claims the “Maximum Strength Formula” treats, blind intolerance, unthinking bigotry, irrational fear of Muslims, and US presidential election year scapegoating
A “warning” states that ISLAMOPHOBIN “may result in peaceful coexistence.”
A similar warning on the reverse of the package states: “Those who already believe in religious diversity, tolerance and mutual understanding should not use this product. For those who hold bigoted stereotypes of Muslims and subscribe to Islamophobic conspiracy theories, use of this product may result in feelings of remorse and/or guilt.”
“Side effects” of ISLAMOPHOBIN may include “warm feelings toward Muslims, immigrants or refugees and “an allergy to the promotion of anti-Muslim bigotry.”