To think this person was trying to hint at something

[gogogwen]

I've name changed because if I am being paranoid I don't want abuse.

I recently bought an advent calendar for my child that wasn't obviously Christmas themed. I see lots of people using it to countdown Chanukah and I wanted to do the same. I thought the entire calendar was so cool that I reached out to thank the creators for such a wonderful product. Their email reply back was quite nice but then in their last paragraph they wrote:
Last week a Muslim mother wrote to tell me that her family would be using our calendar as a countdown for Ramadan :) and to me that confirms a really nice thing - that it can be used to count down to any celebration!

The company is Spanish and so I assume the owner is too. It's the smiley face. I have nothing against Muslims, but I wonder if the person wrote it to hint - see, they're just like you, don't harbour any bad feelings. Or even, trying to put me off their company?

Is it me, or just why would they even write that?

Maybe the Muslim mother was the only person (before you) of a faith other than Christian who had contacted them.

It's a company that wishes to sell products, it's not going to be deliberately (and obliquely) trying to alienate a whole potential market segment.

You're funny. Twice you've made me lol on this thread after a trying day.

OP, I will stick my head above the parapet and say I can see where you're coming from. I don't necessarily think that the person who emailed you had any I'll intent, but I also think that some people on here are being very wide eyed and disingenuous. I also.completely agree with @Imdunfer.

Let me guess, you’re going to return the calendar because it’s now been tainted for you by the association with a different religion? You’re Islamophobic.

OP really, really read what they’ve said - I’m quoting it back to you here:

Last week a Muslim mother wrote to tell me that her family would be using our calendar as a countdown for Ramadan :) and to me that confirms a really nice thing - that it can be used to count down to any celebration!

They are literally referencing a very similar email to yours from a customer they received last week, noting that it can be used for any celebration (just as you say, it wasn’t obviously Christmas themed, so clearly the intention is they can be used by anyone). They’re just very happy about the feedback. This is such a reach it’s untrue!

Exactly. Two things can be true: that the company was completely innocuous in its message (which I believe it probably was) and that Jewish people have faced so much aggression and hate (especially on the past three years) that they have become understandably hypersensitive. Some compassion really wouldn't go amiss.

I agree with the poster that said it’s probably because you were the only other person of a different religion that bought the calendar.
However there is an obvious political agenda in current times and this country is at boiling point.

On another forum someone posted their grandson has been given the part of a Syrian refugee seeking shelter in his nativity..and has to send money via the school to a Syrian charity if he wants to take part.

I think that’s disingenuous. If it were only Israel, Israeli politicians, that were being targeted then schools and synagogues in London wouldn’t need security in stab vests. It’s pretty clear that most people associate ‘all Jews’ with Israel.

I'm Jewish and I love sharing things with Muslim people because the whole world is busy trying to say that Jews and Muslims inherently hate each other (which we don't) so I'm a big fan of anything that shows our commonalities rather than tries to make differences.

I think it was a lovely email that was commenting on the fact that people use the product differently, nothing more.

Funny how you minimise the OP's feelings and also accuse her of Islamophobia. I'm going to stick my neck out and guess that if OP was Muslim and the company had written what they did about a Jewish customer, you and others would be rushing to sympathise and accuse the company of Islamophobia. There is an extreme double standard on this site as well as on everywhere else on the internet.

Or maybe they hit the wrong button accidentally.

This with bells on!

You are way overthinking it , the reason they said Muslim was probably because it was the last person that wrote to them as they said. Clearly the advent calendar maker is unlikely to make advent calendars to prove points or score points or make statements, they are probably someone who is excited that their calendars are being enjoyed by all religions and wanted to share this with you.

I voted that OP was not UR. Not because I necessarily think the company was hinting at anything, but because I have compassion for the heightened sense of stress that the Jewish community are under.

This

Perhaps counselling would help you...

Oops - I hit the wrong button by accident! YABU

I agree it's a possibility, I don't think people realise how casually people can have antipathy towards Jews these days; the part the media plays, Spanish and Irish media being particularly dreadful.
Did the calendar people know that you're Jewish- sorry it's not clear from your post. Would they have used happy Jewish buyers as an example to a Muslim customer- hmmm
I am not Jewish by the way but switched on to what's going on unlike the poster that said "go touch grass" wonderful to be so unaware, huh.
All that said, it doesn't mean that this particular Spanish person has an issue with Jews and the fact that Muslim/Islam was selected out of all the faiths could just be a nothing BUT I totally understand why you're thinking the way you do and just hope you're wrong.

You are very paranoid.

Exactly. You put it far better than I did, so thank you for finding the words I was looking for!!

Because a Muslim mother wrote in? It could have been a Catholic mother or a Buddhist mother. Seriously, it’s just you. Chill out and open a few windows on your calendar.

You’re reaching. I would read nothing into this at all and in fact it was a nice reply to send back. I say that as someone who can overthink for Britain and tie herself in emotional knots about all kinds of stuff!

what??!!

Nope. That’s not what I would do, so you’re wrong there. 👍