Fort Carson vendor told to stop selling anti-Islam T-shirt

A vendor on a Colorado Army post has been ordered to stop selling a T-shirt with an anti-Islam message after shoppers complained.

The T-shirt depicts the Statue of Liberty wearing a burqa, the all-covering dress worn by some Muslim women, with the words, “Don’t let this happen America.” It was being sold at a kiosk outside the Fort Carson post exchange, a retail store.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which operates the exchange, said Wednesday that it ordered the vendor to stop selling the T-shirt because it violates rules against religious or political merchandise.

“All of our vendors go through a process where we inspect the items. This was a new vendor, and that T-shirt was not part of the inspection,” store General Manager Patricia Austin said.

She insists the T-shirts were pulled from store shelves immediately after a complaint was made.

“She (the vendor) immediately removed the item. She was very happy to do so. She had no reason to offend anybody,” she said.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation says one of its clients complained about the T-shirt. The foundation advocates on religious liberty issues in the military.

“Some people like to make money off those prejudices,” said Arshad Yousufi with the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs.

While he calls the T-shirt disappointing, he also said he was confident that there was more good than bad in the world.

“The great majority still has a good sense of right and wrong, and what’s moral and immoral,” Yousufi said.

That vendor never returned KRDO NewsChannel 13’s request for an interview.