![]() Others argued that decorations offered by many of the small businesses were often expensive or that big retailers were more accessible. Some shoppers said that while supporting such businesses is important, so is buying from the big, national ones to encourage more representation and for Muslim children to feel celebrated. “Putting camels and palm trees on something doesn’t speak to Indonesian Muslims or a Mexican Muslim,” she said.įatima Siddiqui, who lives in the metro Detroit area and owns a calligraphy art business, wrote on Facebook that amid the excitement at retailers carrying Ramadan decorations, community members shouldn’t forget to support Muslim-owned small businesses. ![]() She contends many retailers treat American Muslims, who are racially and culturally diverse, as a monolith and says they should avoid cultural stereotypes. ![]() In 2018, she started selling her own items at a pop-up shop at Macy’s in Westminster, California.Įven now, Siddiqui is struggling to convince major retailers to sell her modern-style items like “Ramadan Blessings” platters - and Ramadan and Eid-appropriate gift wrap sheets. She tried to get malls and stores to put up signage acknowledging the Muslim holy days but was rebuffed.įrom 2014 to 2016, she worked with Macy’s at South Coast Plaza mall in Costa Mesa, California, to design the display towers with “Happy Ramadan” signs for an event. Still, that’s a change from when Jomana Siddiqui received an Eid present in Christmas gift wrap in 2011 at the time, Siddiqui, whose business is based in Fullerton, California, said she didn’t see American retailers carrying merchandise for Ramadan or Eid. Walmart Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, said it recently started carrying items related to Ramadan and Eid but the merchandise is sold only online, not in stores. “Our goal is to offer authentic and inclusive celebration options to all of our customers, particularly those who are underrepresented in the retail industry,” said Susan Sanderson, Party City’s senior vice president of brand marketing. More than 280 stores, particularly in locations with large Muslim populations, carry the items, which include lantern string lights and table runners reading “Ramadan Mubarak,” or “Blessed Ramadan.” Party supplies retailer Party City started selling Ramadan and Eid items in 2018 and has since increased such products amid growing demand. The retailer, which didn’t provide sales figures, said it received positive feedback from shoppers and that the collection is part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Target’s new Ramadan and Eid collection is sold online and in a few hundred stores in areas with numerous Muslim shoppers. Ramadan is followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday. It’s often a time for festive gatherings on social media, some share photos of their decorated homes or swap ideas for DIY Ramadan decor and children’s activities. Ramadan is a month of fasting, increased worship and charity. It’s one of the latest signs of big retailers in the United States catering to Muslim shoppers’ needs. “I’m just really happy that now my own kids will be able to see that and that they’ll know that their stories are valid and … are out there like a totally normal thing.”įor this year’s Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started last week, Target rolled out its first dedicated Ramadan and Eid collection, including decoration kits with crescent and lantern-shaped cutouts. It was like, ‘Are things really changing now?’” she said. “This didn’t happen when I was growing up. Khalil giggled.įor Khalil, it was a pinch-me moment as an author - and also a big deal as a mother. “Oh yeaaaaah!” her daughter joyously exclaimed. ![]() “Oh my God! … It’s right there,” Khalil said on spotting “The Night Before Eid.” The author was on a mission: See for herself that her children’s book about a boy and his grandmother baking for an Islamic feast was actually carried by her local Target store in Toledo. With her 3-year-old daughter sitting inside a red Target shopping cart, Aya Khalil looked through the aisles with anticipation.
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