A Pakistani-American owner of a popular United States fast food franchise has put up anti-Hindu signs all over his restaurant, prompting calls for taking down the posters that many deem offensive.
Mohammad Dar, a 65-year-old Muslim who is a US citizen from Pakistan, said he is not prejudiced for installing the signboards at his Dairy Queen Franchise in Kemah, Texas, while claiming that Hindus are ‘racists’.
There are multiple signboards, large and small, on display throughout the restaurant, on the front door, and at the ‘drive-thru’ window that specifically target Hinduism, Fox News reported.
Dar insists that his message is not simply speculation but ‘fact’ and that alongside ice-cream, he wants to ‘serve up some education to his customers’.
Dar told a local TV-station, “These are the facts, anybody has a problem, I challenge them to prove me wrong. I do not practice racism but human equality.”
He claimed that of his nearly 200 customers per day, only about one per cent has been offended by the signs, which have been up for a few months.
The Sri Meenakshi Temple Society, a Hindu organisation in Pearland, does not agree with Dar’s thinking.
“Hindu philosophy allows one to respect other faiths and accommodate a broad perspective, rather than claiming monopoly of the divine presence,” the society said.
Dar told local media that he decided to post the signs at his business after ‘researching’ Hinduism -- the third-largest religion in the world -- for 14 years.
He said the signs showcase the wrongs of certain religions, ‘specifically Hinduism’.
Since it caught attention, Hindus of Greater Houston and Hindu American Foundation are calling on Dar to take down the signs from his business.
Local Americans have found Dar’s actions in bad taste and offensive for any religion.
In a statement to mySA.com, Dairy Queen called the installing of the signs an ‘unfortunate action’ and said they are ‘not representative of our iconic family brand’.
“We do not condone this behaviour,” company officials told the website.
