Muslims offended by 5th Avenue Apple store

[Sapphocrat]

A Middle East research organization reports that Apple's flagship retail store on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan (between 58th and 59th) is offensive to Muslims. The report cites an Islamic Web site urging Muslims to spread the word in hope that "Muslims will be able to stop the project."

The report by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a 501 (c)3 organization based in Washington, D.C., states that some Islamic Web sites take exception to Apple's cube-shaped building design (pictured above) and that it "constitutes a blatant insult to Islam."

The reason? Because the building resembles the Ka'ba in Mecca (pictured below), is called "Apple Mecca," (by whom?), is open 24 hours a day like the Ka'ba, and "contains bars selling alcoholic beverages."

Ka'ba means cube. It is the first place Allah was worshiped. From the outside it does not look very exciting. It is made of concrete blocks. Inside it is decorated with texts from the Qu'ran. ...

<snip>

More:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=305

[NYCGirl]

1. "Bars selling alcoholic beverages"? In what universe?

Someone didn't do their research.

[rodeodance]

7. i think the article is referring to the plaza where the Apple cube is dis

played.

[NYCGirl]

14. No, I think they thought the "Genius Bar" sold drinks. NT

[rodeodance]

32. OK, I see now. Anyway----first it was the Pope-Now it is Apple.

,,,,,,,I was just at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in NYC and don't remember them serving alcohol. The report appears to have misunderstood the intent of the "Genius Bar" and the "iPod bar." The group which "explores the Middle East through the region's media" only appears to have two valid facts in their complaint - that the Apple store is in the shape of a cube and that it's open 24 hours a day.

[riderinthestorm]

2. Ouch. Does this mean we should expect riots anytime soon?

I'm sorry but this is really a stretch to be perceived as any kind of an offense.

[goddess40]

3. Sorry but this is a "get over it" topic

Sorry but no religion gets to claim the cube as a religious symbol.

[rodeodance]

9. it does seem like a far stretch to me.

[SpreadItAround]

17. Agreed. Get over it.

[truebrit71]

39. Agreed.

Fucking stupid argument if you ask me....

[AngryAmish]

63. Not even the Borg?

[quinnox]

4. Kind of reminds

me of the borg ship from star trek

[tritsofme]

5. Too bad.

They can choose not to shop there.

I'm sick of seeing people capitulate to religious fundementalists, whether they be Christian or Islamic.

[Crankie Avalon]

6. So only Muslims are allowed to use the cube?

Quick, someone better call dibs on the parallelogram!

[Coexist]

8. then they must be PISSED at the Borg

They need to lighten up a little.

[hatrack]

11. When does Patrick Stewart receive his fatwa?

:eyes:

[genie_weenie]

10. This is difficult to gauge right now because

the "Islamic website" is not referenced by MEMRI. So, this seems (thus far) to be propaganda usually designed to show how intolerant ALL Muslims are. Of course, this could change if something more solid comes out.

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD131506

[Richard Steele]

25. Yup- this really smells like anti-Muslim agitprop, doesn't it?

There are millions of cube-shaped buildings in the
world, MOST of which bear a stronger resemblance
than Apple's transparent one...but no Muslim was
ever offended until now? I call "BS" on this.

[genie_weenie]

45. I do dislike the lumping of Muslims this or Muslims that

because how can one state blanket phrases for a 1.2 billion member group? :shrug:

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Quantess]

22. yes, it does seem that way.

Hopefully this is an Onion article.

[greyl]

41. Your post is fucked up.

Why do you believe this story is true as reported, and why would you make such an egregious broad brush smear against Muslims?

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[VOX]

61. You are way off base, and seem to know nothing of Islam, or world cultures

Again, see post # 56 below -- your emotions have been influenced and whipped up by right -wingers who ***WANT** you to believe that Muslims are as you describe in your post.

Are there some individuals who want to take out the U.S.? Of course, I do not have my head in the sand. But to characterize a very large segment of the world's population (Muslims) as bloodthirsty is to be ignorant.

And terrible things are born of ignorance.

[VOX]

60. Your "information" is false. Right-wingers incite the riots...

The Danish cartoon incidents began when a right-wing paper published the anti-Muslim drawings. Now, this Apple building bit of business is being reported by a right-wing think tank.

Just google around, and see post # 56 below.

[featherman]

13. Too funny. Is this from the Onion?

On a side note, I believe there is an unusual, "holy" rock (likely a meteorite) inside the Ka'ba as well whose presence there actually predates Mohammed but has been incorporated into Islam in some fashion.

[C_U_L8R]

15. so i guess my fuzzy dice are doubly offensive

'scuse me while I finish eating my cube steak.

[originalpckelly]

16. These Islamic extremists have to be stopped...

I have sugar cubes, do I have to stop using those?

[obreaslan]

18. I just doodled a cube on my desk blotter while I was on the phone...

I didn't realize I was offending someone. :wow:

Seriously, this stuff gets out of hand sometimes. :eyes:

[Sapphocrat]

35. Yeah, well...

You'd better not have doodled any inverted triangles -- that's a gay thing, you know, and we, like, own it!

:D

[Solo_in_MD]

19. MEMRI of course is doing nothing to dissuade the fraudulent report

which is typical. If *responsible* Muslim organizations are serious about trying to seek harmony they would debunk this sort of crap, not post it without comment.

[Sapphocrat]

28. That's how it strikes me.

"...some Islamic Web sites..."

Some people say that Dennis Hastert likes to dress in women's clothing and eat hamsters.

[genie_weenie]

48. Not exactly Hastert doesn't eat the hamsters...

But, this is seems to be a propaganda release thus far...

[Marie26]

52. No kidding?

Have you considered posting this on your web-site & telling MEMRI?

[Sapphocrat]

53. Are you kidding?

The last thing I want to do is mix it up with a possible CIA-backed RW propaganda org! :scared:

Or did you mean I should tell MEMRI about the hamsters?

[Marie26]

54. The hamsters, of course

That's a major scoop!

[mr_hat]

20. Day-um. They must really be up in arms

about the Time Cube!

[Marie26]

21. So where is this

unnamed "Islamic website" that supposedly posted this? No link, no nothing? Eh.

[riderinthestorm]

29. Not trying to be snarky, just curious really.

I heard MEMRI was always accurate in their translations, they always have/had a source for their translations.

The big complaint has always been that they translate the most hyperbolic stuff though right?

Have I misunderstood? I'm not invested either way, just trying to figure out MEMRI and my perceptions.....

[Marie26]

38. Don't know

I'm mostly curious too. It seems like there might be good reason to distrust MEMRI. Basically, I'm not going to believe this till they cite an actual website that said this.


A critical Guardian article about MEMRI -

"The organisation that makes these translations and sends them out is the Middle East Media Research Institute (Memri), based in Washington but with recently-opened offices in London, Berlin and Jerusalem.

"Its work is subsidised by US taxpayers because as an "independent, non-partisan, non-profit" organisation, it has tax-deductible status under American law. Memri's purpose, according to its website, is to bridge the language gap between the west - where few speak Arabic - and the Middle East, by "providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew media".

"Despite these high-minded statements, several things make me uneasy whenever I'm asked to look at a story circulated by Memri. First of all, it's a rather mysterious organisation. Its website does not give the names of any people to contact, not even an office address.

"The second thing that makes me uneasy is that the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel. I am not alone in this unease. Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told the Washington Times: "Memri's intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible."

"The reason for Memri's air of secrecy becomes clearer when we look at the people behind it. The co-founder and president of Memri, and the registered owner of its website, is an Israeli called Yigal Carmon. Mr - or rather, Colonel - Carmon spent 22 years in Israeli military intelligence and later served as counter-terrorism adviser to two Israeli prime ministers, Yitzhak Shamir and Yitzhak Rabin.

Retrieving another now-deleted page from the archives of Memri's website also throws up a list of its staff. Of the six people named, three - including Col Carmon - are described as having worked for Israeli intelligence...

The ubiquitous Richard Perle, chairman of the Pentagon's defence policy board, recently joined Hudson's board of trustees."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html

[riderinthestorm]

51. Thanks for this!

But it seems as though even CAIR isn't quibbling over the translations or the veracity of the quotes, just the hideous slant on which quotes are chosen to translate.

I don't condone MEMRI's actions by the way, just trying to figure out what's truth and what's not re: MEMRI.

I'd like to see their source too.

Peace!

[BattyDem]

23. Um ... it's a cube

:shrug: :crazy:

[ck4829]

24. Remember, it's MEMRI

It's said to be an extreme-right propaganda front.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_Media_Research_Institute#Criticism

[Avalux]

31. Yeah, I'd take their report with a grain of salt.

Probably motive is to inflame and make something out of what isn't there. :eyes:

[riderinthestorm]

36. So MEMRI does make shit up? nt

[greyl]

44. Are you aware of any corroboration for this story? nt

[riderinthestorm]

46. I'm not defending MEMRI, I'm asking a question. Do they make shit up?

I've always been under the impression that they translate accurately, real sources, but it's always the most hyperbolic stuff, meant to inflame.

So I'll ask you. Is MEMRI known for making shit up? For not providing sources? I'm seeking information, not defending MEMRI, got it?

[VOX]

62. MEMRI is a right-wing org., funded by PNAC backers...

See post # 56 below. I wouldn't trust any organization with a background like MEMRI. Their job is to stir things up and paint anything Muslim in a very bad light.

They may not precisely "make shit up," but they sure as hell will distort and slant things to influence popular opinion.

[Sapphocrat]

33. Fascinating reading.

Not surprising, but fascinating. Then the cube story is the latest hit piece on Muslims.

[riderinthestorm]

34. I know that but is the accuracy of their translations in question?

Or that these words were made up?

I'm not trying to be snarky! Just trying to figure out what's accurate or not re: MEMRI.

[Igel]

55. Mostly not.

Sometimes things get ascribed to them that they didn't say.

They have a definite slant--and say so right up front. But they've changed their MO a bit in the last couple of years: As before, they post nasty things from nasty, fundie Muslims, as well as from the occasional dictatorial dictum that doesn't make it in the US press. But they've taken to translating articles from liberal and progressive Muslims and Arabs/Iranians, as well, not always translated (lic. 'originally written in English).

[Hatalles]

47. I think this story is a bunch of BS.

This is straight from MEMRI's site:

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD131506

I'm inclined to believe that MEMRI IS a neocon group. They cite only one website (which could be created/managed by any dumb joe out of their basement), provide no link, and voila! Sensationalist anti-muslim propaganda. And some here on DU just eat it up. :crazy:



Apple's "Mecca Project" Provokes Muslim Reaction

On October 10, 2006, an Islamic website posted a message alerting Muslims to what it claims is a new insult to Islam. According to the message, the cube-shaped building which is being constructed in New York City, on Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets in midtown Manhattan, is clearly meant to provoke Muslims. The fact that the building resembles the Ka'ba (see picture below), is called "Apple Mecca," is intended to be open 24 hours a day like the Ka'ba, and moreover, contains bars selling alcoholic beverages, constitutes a blatant insult to Islam. The message urges Muslims to spread this alert, in hope that "Muslims will be able to stop the project."

[rodeodance]

26. aren't cubes seen in the designs of nature?

[TlalocW]

27. Emo Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube...

Is reportedly in hiding as well.

TlalocW

[AnnieBW]

30. The Goddess Was Worshipped There

Long before the Muslims showed up!

[walldude]

37. This smells like bullshit... and if it's not

then the Muslims offended by this need to lighten up a little...

[truebrit71]

43. A little? How about a whole bunch?

The whole argument is fucking stupid....

[Marie26]

50. Just about 100% nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

40. That's just stupid. Some people need to grow some tougher skin

and stop trying to find more reasons to riot. How idiotic.:eyes:

[Marnieworld]

42. I'm sorry but you can't call dibs on a shape

This is ridiculous and narcissistic. Do they want to banish the cube from all Geometry classes as well? :eyes:

[SoCalDem]

49. So any square-ish object is taboo now?? nt

[VOX]

56. DO THE RESEARCH! MEMRI's American funders have bankrolled PNAC...

It's all just a few keyboard strokes away, and available to all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_Media_Research_Institute

The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI for short, is a Middle East press monitoring organization located in Washington, D.C., with branch offices in Jerusalem, Berlin, London, and Tokyo. It provides translations of Arabic and Farsi media as well as original analyses of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.

MEMRI was founded in 1998 by its president Yigal Carmon, a retired colonel from Israeli military intelligence, and the academic Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. The organisation became more prominent after the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to increased Western public interest in Arab and Iranian affairs. At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches abroad in early 2002.
<snip>
Notable donors include the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, $100,000 (for the "support of general operations") <3>; the Randolph Foundation, $100,000; the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, (per annual report, for "Israel advocacy"); the Koret Foundation, $20,000 (per annual report: "for Israel advocacy and education"); the Ronald & Mary Ann Lachman Foundation, $7,500; and the John M. Olin Foundation, $5000 (for the "Jihad and Terrorism Project").
<snip>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynde_%26_Harry_Bradley_Foundation

Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation
In the early 1990s the foundation helped support The American Spectator, which at the time was researching damaging material on President Bill Clinton. In the March 1992 issue of the magazine, David Brock called Anita Hill "a bit nutty and a bit slutty", and in January, 1994, it published Brock's article regarding Troopergate and Clinton's alleged extramarital affairs. David Brock later recanted both articles.

The Bradley Foundation has provided funding for the Project for a New American Century (PNAC). PNAC brought together prominent members of the (George W) Bush Administration (Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz) in the late 1990s to articulate their neoconservative foreign policy, including sending a letter to President Bill Clinton urging him to invade Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Olin_Foundation

John M. Olin Foundation was a grant-making foundation established in 1953 by John M. Olin, president of the Olin Industries chemical and munitions manufacturing businesses. Unlike most non-profit foundations, the John M. Olin Foundation was charged to spend all of its assets within a generation of Olin's death, for fear of mission drift over time. It made its last grant in the summer of 2005 and officially disbanded on November 29 of that year after having disbursed over $370 million in funding, primarily to conservative think tanks, media outlets, and law programs at influential universities.

It is also one of the principle funders of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), the think tank in which prominent members of the (George W) Bush Administration (Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz) aligned themselves with in the late 1990s to articulate their neoconservative foreign policy, including sending a letter to President Bill Clinton urging him to invade Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_Foundation

The Randolph Foundation (TRF) is a New York-based foundation created in 1991 and re-organized in 2002 pursuant to a legal settlement between "The Smith Richardson Foundation" and other members of the Richardson family. The Foundation has a social conservative orientation. Heather Higgins is the current president.

[IChing]

58. They also support news agencies with writers or "reporters"

I see their stories in LBNs sometimes but the writers of these "news" stories are members of this organization.

[Sapphocrat]

59. Well, there ya go.

Now I (and I'm sure a few thousand other DUers) know who these people are.

Good links, thanks!

[VOX]

65. You're welcome, Sapphocrat!

Sorry, I wasn't shouting at you in the caps in my subject line -- rather, it was at all the well-intentioned posters who seemed willing to take the bait of a "story" presented by a right-wing organization.

Chers -- :toast:

[Sapphocrat]

67. No problem at all! :)

:hi:

[Book Lover]

64. This assertion is completely unsubstantiated

The OP's story links to Memri, whose entire story is this:

On October 10, 2006, an Islamic website posted a message alerting Muslims to what it claims is a new insult to Islam. According to the message, the cube-shaped building which is being constructed in New York City, on Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets in midtown Manhattan, is clearly meant to provoke Muslims. The fact that the building resembles the Ka'ba (see picture below), is called "Apple Mecca," is intended to be open 24 hours a day like the Ka'ba, and moreover, contains bars selling alcoholic beverages, constitutes a blatant insult to Islam. The message urges Muslims to spread this alert, in hope that "Muslims will be able to stop the project."

No links to the original site, no statement of who own or edits the original site, nothing. And may I point out that this store has been open for a while now? Flame-fanning, people, and we are the fire.

on edit: Sorry for the duplicate info: I posted before reading any of the replies here.

[WinkyDink]

66. I am offended by offended Muslims. I'd like them to STFU.

[NaturalHigh]

68. Whatever...

Any people of any religion offended by a cube-shaped building need to loosen their shorts a little bit.

[Taverner]

69. Damn religious nutjobs

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

70. Reminds me of "Spike TV."

TNN changed their name to "Spike TV" a few years ago. A CEO explained the name change as them wanting to look hip and cool, like Spike Lee.

Spike Lee didn't like the idea, so he threatened to sue.

Then "Spike TV" said that it had nothing to do with Spike Lee, it was just a hip and cool name. (mebbe Spike Jones?)

So then everybody who hated Spike Lee whined about how arrogant Spike Lee was for thinking that Spike TV was named after Spike Lee.