In November 2023, amid the Gaza war, ABC Achrafieh in Beirut became the focus of a political and fashion-related controversy after reports circulated that a Palestinian keffiyeh had been banned inside the mall. The dispute began when an ABC employee was reportedly instructed to remove her keffiyeh while working. Critics interpreted the order as an attempt to suppress Palestinian identity and solidarity in a public retail space, while additional claims alleged that merchandise associated with Palestine had been removed from sale. ABC subsequently confirmed that management had asked the employee to remove the keffiyeh, but said the instruction followed an internal employee dress code prohibiting religious and partisan symbols rather than a ban on customers wearing the garment. The company also stated that customers were free to wear keffiyehs and that individual stores could sell Palestine-related merchandise. The episode illustrated how a supposedly neutral retail dress code can become politically charged when applied to a garment that functions simultaneously as clothing, national symbol, and emblem of resistance. Although it did not lead to a documented criminal case or designer downfall, the controversy exposed the reputational risks faced by major Lebanese retailers when corporate neutrality appears to conflict with a widely recognized symbol of Palestinian identity.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 2020s
The 2023 ABC Achrafieh Keffiyeh Controversy During the Gaza War
ABC Lebanon / 2020s
In November 2023, amid the Gaza war, ABC Achrafieh in Beirut became the focus of a political and fashion-related controversy after reports circulated that a Palestinian keffiyeh had been banned inside the mall. The dispute began when an ABC employee was reportedly instructed to remove her keffiyeh while working. Critics interpreted the order as an attempt to suppress Palestinian identity and solidarity in a public retail space, while additional claims alleged that merchandise associated with Palestine had been removed from sale. ABC subsequently confirmed that management had asked the employee to remove the keffiyeh, but said the instruction followed an internal employee dress code prohibiting religious and partisan symbols rather than a ban on customers wearing the garment. The company also stated that customers were free to wear keffiyehs and that individual stores could sell Palestine-related merchandise. The episode illustrated how a supposedly neutral retail dress code can become politically charged when applied to a garment that functions simultaneously as clothing, national symbol, and emblem of resistance. Although it did not lead to a documented criminal case or designer downfall, the controversy exposed the reputational risks faced by major Lebanese retailers when corporate neutrality appears to conflict with a widely recognized symbol of Palestinian identity.
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