Lost beneath the din of accusations of Islamophobia and anger directed towards the Pope during the past week was one of the more curious and tasteless specimens of racism: Dennis Mitsubishi had planned (and has now withdrawn) an advertisement declaring “jihad on the U.S. auto market. The auto dealer, as parts of its “jihad,” would offer  “Fatwa Fridays,” during which sales representatives would distribute toy swords to children.

The Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations complained publicly and successfully to have the planned radio advertisement cancelled before it ran. Dennis Mitsubishi of Columbus, Ohio, offered a whimpering apology: “A large number of people have contacted us. Lots of them have seen the humor we were trying to convey, but far too many were clearly bothered by it. This was simply an attempt at humor that fell short.”

The Pope’s statement risked being misconstrued, divorced of its context, and mindlessly repeated for shock value; Dennis Mitsubishi’s planned ad would have simply propagated racism and bigotry.

Mimi Hanaoka