Walmart, Amazon pull Osama bin Laden costume after complaints from Sikh community

An Osama bin Laden costume sold this Halloween season by several large U.S. retailers including Walmart has been pulled from shelves following complaints from the Sikh community.

The Sikh Coalition, a U.S.-based Sikh advocacy group sent letters and made phone calls to retailers to ask them to remove the costumes. Retailers selling the bin Laden costume include Walmart, Amazon.com, Sears and Rite Aid. The costume has since been removed from all of the retailers.

In letters to retailers, the coalition says the "turban and beard instant costume," which is pictured on a man wearing a camouflaged coat, resembles Osama bin Laden.

The costume, designed and developed by Fun World Games, includes a white turban and full beard.

“If you lost a loved one during the 9/11 attacks or during our nation's war against Al Qaeda, or if someone attacked your father in a hate crime because he wears a turban, I doubt this costume would make you comfortable,” said Rajdeep Singh, director of law and policy at the Sikh Coalition.