A new Coke ad, which is set to air during the biggest money-making opportunity for the nation’s advertisers–the Super Bowl–is being described as racist by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who want to see it either changed or taken out of the commercial lineup completely.<\/p>\n
The ad features an Arab man walking through the desert and being passed up by a group of cowboys, Vegas dancers, and several others in a race to get to the soft drink. Part of the problem, the ADC says, is that Arabs are continually depicted in a stereotypical way in American ads; the other issue is that the commercial was presented as a way for audiences to participate in an online vote to see who of the group should reach the Coke first. The Arab man wasn’t an option. <\/p>\n
“The Coke commercial for the Super Ball is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world,” Imam Ali Siddiqui<\/a>, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said.<\/p>\n Coke insists they are an all-inclusive brand and that it is never their intention to push away a potential customer base, but Abed Ayoub of the ADC says that’s exactly what they’re doing. <\/p>\n “What message is Coke sending with this?” he said. “By not including the Arab in the race, it is clear that the Arab is held to a different standard when compared to the other characters in the commercial. Coke should understand and respect their consumers and have a better understanding of the market they are sharing,” <\/p>\n