Chinese e-retailer Shein apologises for selling prayer mats as decorative rugs

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China-based international fast fashion e-commerce retailer Shein has apologised after coming under fire on social media when it was pointed out the platform was selling Islamic prayer mats as decorative rugs.

Shein, which ships to over 220 countries and regions worldwide, said on Sunday it had made a "serious mistake" by having prayer mats on sale as decorative rugs and that it has removed the products from its site as well as asked vendors to stop selling it to others.

"We understand this was a highly offensive oversight and are truly sorry," read a statement posted to Shein's 11.3 million followers on Instagram. Shein also claims to have put in place a diverse committee to review items for sale on its website.

It's not clear how long they were available on the site for, but the prayer mats first came to light last week when British-Pakistani student journalist Khadija Rizvi posted screenshots of the listings on her social media after a follower brought them to her attention.

"I scrolled through their website in the rugs section and came across at least seven prayer mats that were being sold as ‘tassel trim carpet’," Khadija told Business Recorder. "My initial response was complete anger. I was so incredibly offended and hurt that a piece of my religion, something we pray on five times a day, was being used as a casual mat for regular use when at home we treat it with the utmost respect."

Though the rugs were nowhere to be found on the site by Monday, there are screenshots aplenty. The prayer mats — which clearly featured mihrabs, the Kaaba, as well as the words "Ramadan Kareem" — were labelled with generic names like "Fringe Trim Greek Fret Carpet" and "Flower Print Tassel Print Carpet," and were being sold at prices ranging from $10 to $20. Many of the products had favourable customer reviews, indicating use as plain regular floor mats or for pets.

Khadija's post went viral over the weekend; it's been liked nearly 58,000 times and seen by 400,000 people. In correspondence seen by Business Recorder, Shein's Middle East arm took initiative and reached out to privately apologise to Khadija on Saturday, saying the prayer mats had been removed and thanked her for catching the issue. Shein also apologised in response to individual tweets.

"I did not expect my post to blow up the way it did. I shared my own outrage and it turns out tens of thousands feel the same way which led to the items being removed. We did it together," added Khadija.

Also read: The power of three Pakistani women: Kicking fair out of Fair & Lovely

The private apology to Khadija was followed by the public one on Shein's official accounts following her request; both apologies reiterated that the items had been removed as soon as the problem was discovered, along with a promise to be more careful in the future.

"I think Shein taking down the prayer mats is a step in the right direction," said Khadija. "The fact that they have now publicly apologised, acknowledged and have formed a product review committee, which includes people from different cultures and religions is exactly what we wanted."

Nabela Noor, a popular American-Bangladeshi beauty Youtuber and entrepreneur, also revealed on Sunday that she had raised the issue with Shein and was in "dialogue" with the retailer. Nabela is a regular and vocal advocate for Bangladesh's garment sector workers producing apparel for international fast fashion brands, who have been disproportionately affected in the ongoing pandemic due to non-payment of dues for goods produced.

Nabela also lauded Shein for its apology and commitment to change; in the past she has repeatedly emphasised calling brands "in" instead of out in order to push them to change for the better rather than cancelling them.

Diet Prada, an Instagram account which acts as a fashion industry watchdog and regularly calls out malpractice in the fashion world, also posted about the mislabelled prayer mats, pointing out Shein's place in the shady global chain of direct-to-consumer hyper-fast fashion. Diet Prada mentions Shein appears on a number of 'do-not-buy' lists due to lack of transparency when it comes to ethical environmental and labour policies, and that the prayer mat controversy comes at a time when there is increased international focus on China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim people in Xinjiang.

DIet Prada added that In March, an Australian government-linked think tank reported that Uyghurs are working "in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen," under conditions that resemble forced labour.

Khadija added that she also came across traditional, ready-to-wear shalwar kameez being marketed on the site with such obtuse names as "Floral Longline Top and Pant Set" and "Bell Sleeve Tribal Print Longline Top and Wide Leg Pant Set."

While this is a common practice among direct-to-consumer and high street retailers alike (and extends from clothes to jewellery to the Peshawari chappal), it's a controversial one and is considered cultural appropriation (when a dominant culture takes things from a marginalised one without giving due credit to where they came from or who created them).

According to Khadija, it's possible for brands to be more careful when it comes to cultural appropriation if they are held consistently accountable for it. "Brands need to be held accountable, big or small, because many big companies help mould social norms in regards to the latest trends and what is acceptable."

"It is not acceptable to cherry pick a culture or religion and rename their items to your liking. People have the ultimate power and we need to realise that. We must take back ownership of our culture and religion and write the narrative ourselves."

Shein did not respond to request for comment in time.