Online retailer Wayfair removed a beach towel depicting Hindu deity Lord Ganesha from its site in response to objections from the Hindu community, reports India West.
The towel was pulled from the site within an hour of members of the Hindu community contacting the company.
Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, called the towel “highly inappropriate” and stated that Wayfair “should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, and ridiculing entire communities,” according to the Gilmer Mirror.
He said that Lord Ganesha is revered as a Hindu god of wisdom and that the deity’s image is meant to be used in temples and shrines, not on products like beach towels.
Zed added that Wayfair had previously removed a cutting board, a pillow, and a bathmat depicting Lord Ganesha.
He also suggested that the company’s executives undergo religious and cultural sensitivity training in order to avoid offending customers in the future.
Wayfair has since apologized in an email to Zed.
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