A facebook group opposing the new Apple Store in New York city is growing. Its focus of protest is not on the legions of hipsters and PC-trashing applesnobs that will waste many afternoons there playing with gadgetry, nor on Steve Jobs apparent disinterest in his Syrian ancestry. They are peeved it strongly resembles the kaaba, the cloth-covered, cubic shrine in Mecca, which marks the direction of Muslim prayer and the site of pilgrimage.
The resemblance is startling, but aren’t we missing something more important?
Arab nationalists (less so) and devout Muslims (mostly) are offended by this and other symbolic violations, such as the famous Allah flame on the Nike shoes and the Allah ice cream on the Burger King packaging.
This revolt against symbols is interesting definitely as a site of resistance, as cultural theorists may call it. However, delegation of political opposition to symbols is not empowering. If Muslims organize at the level of symbols, what about real clear political issues that are life-or-death, such as militarism, imperialism, Islamophobia? If such cyberactivists and teeming masses were in Plato’s cave, they would be focused on the shadows, rather on their source.
By contesting symbols, they are playing for peanuts. Even victory is minor because it discredits the people who should be mobilizing for more important issues. Sure they can get Burger King to change the packaging, but what does that impress upon real politics?
Now if they were developing organizational capacity, by turning people’s sense of offense and frustration, into an institutional mechanism for playing real politics, that would be something else.
[Tarboush Tip: Yazan of Global Voices & Jillian]
Related posts:
- Commentary: Arabs and Muslims Voting Against Their Own Interests Out of Elitism Only Reap More Hardship
- Cross-Border Miscalculations
- Zionuts and American Jewish Opinion
- Yahoo, Stick to E-mail.
- France bans conspicuous political symbols
Its just so much easier to take on petty crap (that I’m 100% sure isn’t intentional) than to mobilize for something influential.
The Apple-store haters don’t help their cause by claiming the building will be a bar.
Posted by Mohammad | November 28, 2008, 8:10 amIt's just a damn cube… get over it!This is like straight out of the onion.
Posted by Martin | November 28, 2008, 4:24 amTotally agree.
I feel the same way about the Mohammad cartoons. It’s just a cartoon for f*ck’s sake. Go protest the discrimination against you instead of protesting against the discrimination of a 1400 yo guy.
@apple cube: don’t they see it?! Steve Jobs *is* god.
Posted by majd | November 28, 2008, 8:58 amAll gods shouldn’t be above criticism. Some gods have been for profit for centuries.
Posted by The Sword | November 28, 2008, 11:19 amQuite agree, an unimportant issue.
This is very old news and I had always assumed it was a hoax by somebody who disliked Islam and wanted it to look stupid. Who in their right mind would object to a CUBE??
Since you reference an Arabic link maybe not. You get dickheads in every culture.
Posted by xoggoth | November 28, 2008, 12:02 pmBut the Facebook group says the cube is going to be a bar, and says nothing about Apple. Does that make a difference, in the end? Maybe not, but saying it’s a bar is sure to get the takfiris all hot and bothered. As a nominal Muslim I think Muzzies are going too far with the sensitivity game, especially if they’re twisting the truth.
Posted by alhaqq | November 28, 2008, 2:01 pmi’ve always wondered about the sneaker thing…what exactly was it all about? i remember years ago hearing that Allah was written in Arabic on the bottom of the sneaker, which obviously would be offensive if it is to be stepped on, though i havne’t seen the shoe so i dont know if that was true.
but if it’s on the back as the photo shows…anyone know why Nike would even use it of all things in the design? i don’t get it. was there ever any response or explanation from the company on the issue?
Posted by N | November 28, 2008, 6:16 pmHow about a Muslims for Macs Facebook group?
Posted by Jillian | November 28, 2008, 10:47 pmI think it’s also worth pointing out that the finished product is not, in fact, a black cube, but a transparent glass one: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/10/13/muslims-offended-by-apple-store/comment-page-2/
Posted by Jillian | November 29, 2008, 8:10 amWow, this is pretty fucking silly.
In a secular society, people should not have to worry about offending one another’s “gods”.
Jewish-Americans figured out a long time ago that when it comes to being discriminated against by the majority, minorities are better off in a secular, pluralistic society than in any other set-up.
Protesting things like this moves our society away from secularism — it’s counter-productive.
You’re turning into the people who think their kid’s Furby is saying “Allah Akbar”.
Posted by Joe | November 29, 2008, 5:22 pmsilly from the get-go. who cares if the word ‘God’, in any language, is written anywhere. and this word, in Arabic, does not belong to Muslims only.
Posted by alfannaan | December 5, 2008, 11:54 pmHi there, just wandered by. I have a Apple Bottom site. Amazing the amount of information on the web. Looking for something else, but good site. Have a great day.
Posted by Kristi @ Apple Bottom Boutique | October 31, 2010, 8:49 pm