'Rasheed' character in Burger King ad to be renamed after complaints

(Miami-AP) -- Burger King says it's dropping the name Rasheed from a radio commercial. The change comes after an Islamic group complained. <br><br>The ad features the character, Rasheed, promoting

Wednesday, March 15th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Miami-AP) -- Burger King says it's dropping the name Rasheed from a radio commercial. The change comes after an Islamic group complained.

The ad features the character, Rasheed, promoting the chain's bacon-cheddar sandwich. The Islamic religion forbids followers to eat pork.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says some Muslims were offended that someone with a Muslim name would be praising a sandwich with pork.

A Burger King spokesman defended the name Rasheed, saying it's not necessarily Muslim, but also African-American. Even so, Burger King is changing the name, but it's not pulling the ad. A new name hasn't been selected yet.