Upset Hindus urge global fashion brand Zara to apologize & withdraw cow leather yoga mat

Upset Hindus are urging Zara, one of the world's biggest and most influential international fashion retailers, owned by Spanish fashion group Inditex, to immediately withdraw their yoga mat made from cow leather, calling it highly inappropriate.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that this Zara “foldable leather yoga mat” seemed ridiculing and offending two serious concepts of Hinduism—cow and yoga—and was hugely insensitive to Hindu feelings.

Scenario of yoga (profound, sacred and ancient discipline; introduced and nourished by Hinduism) being performed on a mat made from a slaughtered cow (the seat of many deities, which was sacred and had long been venerated in Hinduism) was painful to Hindu sentiments; Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, indicated.

Inditex, which claims “leverage the power of fashion to create positive change in the lives of people, societies and culture at large”, should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, mocking serious spiritual practices and ridiculing entire communities; Rajan Zed noted.

Zed also urged Inditex, its CEO Óscar García Maceiras, and its Board of Directors Chair Marta Ortega Pérez, to offer a formal apology (besides withdrawing this mat from its stores and online), and be serious about its claim of “fashion that moves the world forward—through the most inspiring experience”.

Profit should never come at the cost of religious dignity. Global corporations should exercise cultural and religious sensitivity and recognize that respect for the sacred beliefs of millions is far more valuable than any fashion statement; Rajan Zed says and adds that faith is not a fashion accessory.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.3 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Practices/concepts/traditions of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be ridiculed at; Zed stated.

Yoga, which found reference in world’s oldest extant scripture Rig-Veda and other early Hindu texts, was considered union with God, one of the six systems of Hindu philosophy, and a means for transforming consciousness and purification of the Self and attaining liberation. It involved withdrawal and its objective was the state of blissful liberation, Rajan Zed pointed out.

This mat for practicing yoga, made of cow leather with a foldable design, is priced at $399.

Inditex, whose history goes back to 1963, headquartered in Arteixo (Galicia), is one of the world's largest clothing retail groups which reportedly operates in about 214 markets worldwide with 5,460 stores and has a major online global presence. “The customer is at the heart of our unique business model”, it states.