Reality Beats Satire -- AGAIN!

IKEA's new Edmonton branch contacted TheHijabShop.com to design and produce a 'hijab' – a Muslim headscarf - that would fit in with their current uniform.

When IKEA first approached TheHijabShop.com, their excited team was impressed that an internationally-acclaimed company like IKEA was making so much effort to accommodate Muslims in its workforce.

The challenge for the team was to create a hijab that had the IKEA branding; that was easy to put on without the need for pins - so avoiding any health and safety hazards; and that was something employees would feel comfortable wearing in a working environment, whether in the showroom or in the warehouse. It also had to be compact, without excess material flowing around, and meanwhile sticking to Islamic requirements.

After a few design ideas, the team decided to go with a two-piece hijab. The first piece acts as a cap covering the head, and the second fits over the cap to cover the neck, shoulder, and chest area.

The IKEA branding was added by using a navy blue coloured cloth, with a thin yellow line bordering the top of the cap and the edge of the bottom part of the hijab, finishing it off with the IKEA logo embroidered on the back.

TheHijabShop.com is now in its second year of trading and has been growing since its launch in June 2004. It has become the world's leading online retailer for Islamic headscarves, with orders coming in from Columbia, Canada, Bosnia, and even as far afield as Australia and Japan.

From: TheHijabShop.com

And no, this is NOT satire! To make damn sure it wasn't, I did a Google search. Yes, the mainstream media reports it as a fact and "The Hijab Shop" seems to be a real business, not some high school boy's prank. This is from the London Evening Standard from August 24, 2005:

MUSLIM staff at Ikea can now wear a hijab with the firm's logo emblazoned on it.

The headscarf, in the Swedish firm's yellow and blue colours, has proved popular after being introduced at the branch in Edmonton. "We haven't heard of any other company doing this," said an Ikea spokesman.

I guess what the unspeakable fool forgot to add was "YET". Well, what can one expect from a shop that has done more to corrupt the tastes of the masses than Britney Spears, Madonna, The Spice Girls and Princess Diana together?