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Lebanese brand Ritika faces legal complaint over shoes named after religious figures


Lebanese brand Ritika faces legal complaint over shoes named after religious figures

Baabda Palace of Justice in March 2022. (Credit: File photo/AFP)

BEIRUT - Lawyer Mohammad Ziad Jaafil filed a complaint with the Public Prosecution on Wednesday against Lebanese brand Ritika, accusing the company of naming some of its women’s shoes and handbags after religious figures, including the wives and daughters of Prophet Mohammed.

Ritika shoe stores in Halba (Akkar) and Tripoli were closed with red seals, according to our correspondent. In Halba, men removed the letters of the store's name from its exterior facades and threw them to the ground in protest.

A large group of angry young men gathered outside the Ritika Shoes store, located on Nadim al-Jisr Street in Tripoli, in response to the incident, our correspondent in the north reported.

Eyewitnesses stated that upon arriving at the store, the protesters found it closed. Some attempted to break in and set fire to the store’s facade, causing panic and chaos in the area.

A patrol from the Internal Security Forces arrived to manage the situation, as protesters demanded the permanent closure of the store.

In response, Dany Haddad, partner and Business and Market Development Manager at Ritika, told L'Orient Today that the 20-year-old company typically names its products after Arabic, French, and Italian names and never intended to cause any harm.

Haddad said the company "apologizes if this incident upset someone or caused harm but that it was not intentional and the company has never aimed at offending or upsetting anyone. We confess that we made a mistake and we apologize for that." 

"We respect all people of different races and religions, which we consider a red line that must not be crossed," the statement assured.

Haddad added that a few years back Ritika had named a "shoe Marie and we did not receive any complaints."

"We would like to assure everyone that it was never our intention, in any way, to offend, insult, or undermine anyone or any religion, particularly the Islamic faith, which we respect and hold im high regard," a statement released by Rikita, and sent to L'Orient Today by Haddad read.

“The practice of naming women’s shoes after such figures and promoting the products in this manner is considered inappropriate and disrespectful, as it undermines the dignity of women, whose rights and dignity are constitutionally and legally protected. Moreover, some of these names are sacred and hold significant value and respect across various religious sects and denominations,” the state-run National News Agency reported, citing Jaafil's judicial notification. 

Jaafil called for "immediate suspension of all websites and social media pages related to the marketing of these products."

Haddad assured that the names of shoes have been removed already from the website and social media platforms. "We are a local Lebanese brand working amid all the conditions in the country, of course we don't intent to cause harm. We knew about this complaint when a media outlet called us and we immediately got in touch with our lawyer." 

Jaafil demanded the "prosecution of all those involved and responsible for this action, with investigations to be conducted and individuals referred to the competent judicial authorities for crimes related to violations of women’s rights and dignity, as well as desecration of religious symbols and incitement of sectarian tensions."

Jaafil has been known in recent years for requesting the initiation of judicial investigations into several societal cases in Lebanon.

In 2024, he filed an information note, requesting that the Lebanese Modern Company for Trade, the bottler of PepsiCo in Lebanon, stop using a modified logo that bore similarities to the Israeli flag in terms of colors and layout. In June 2020, he filed a legal complaint against a Lebanese-Armenian journalist, accusing him of insulting Turkey during a television broadcast.

In 2019, he also requested that the judiciary investigate a supporter of the Free Patriotic Movement for sedition and blasphemy, after she claimed that President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, FPM leader Gebran Bassil, were seated "to the right and left of God."

BEIRUT - Lawyer Mohammad Ziad Jaafil filed a complaint with the Public Prosecution on Wednesday against Lebanese brand Ritika, accusing the company of naming some of its women’s shoes and handbags after religious figures, including the wives and daughters of Prophet Mohammed.Ritika shoe stores in Halba (Akkar) and Tripoli were closed with red seals, according to our correspondent. In Halba, men removed the letters of the store's name from its exterior facades and threw them to the ground in protest.A large group of angry young men gathered outside the Ritika Shoes store, located on Nadim al-Jisr Street in Tripoli, in response to the incident, our correspondent in the north reported.Eyewitnesses stated that upon arriving at the store, the protesters found it closed. Some attempted to break in and set fire to the store’s facade,...