The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reports that the glass Cube Apple erected earlier this year on New York's tony Fifth Ave, dubbed Apple Mecca by many of the Mac faithful, is offensive to Muslims due to the Cube's resemblance to the Ka'bah (aka The House of Abraham). The report goes on to say that there's a genuine belief that the design of the store was specifically meant to provoke Muslims and cites other contributing insults such Apple housing "bars" that sell alcoholic beverages within the Cube structure and it being open 24/7. 
I'm speechless. But, as you know, that rarely stops me from speaking anyway. I'm hesitant to get into this territory for obvious reasons and I truly mean no disrespect to anyone, but... you and I both know that the design of the 5th Ave store has absolutely nothing to do with Islam, Muslims, Mecca, Abraham, the Kaabah or any religious icon, affiliation or idol whatsoever. It has everything to do with Steve Jobs' affinity (fetish?) for the design of the Power Mac G4 Cube (a fetish of mine also), as well as his pet NeXT Cube. We also know that the "bars" in question don't sell anything resembling alcohol.
It's unfortunate when anyone gets offended by wholly innocuous things that were never intended or designed to offend, and much more so in the current world climate, but seriously... there's no there there.
The MEMRI report is dated October 10, 2006, though it clearly was written before the 5th Ave Cube was completed, based on the references to stopping the project before it progressed. I'd like to think that now that the black panels have come down, the clear glass Cube that is NYC's flagship Apple Store is recognized to be nothing more than a den of iPodolatry, rather than Idolatry.
[via The Apple Core]
UPDATE: I have added a question mark to the title of this post in an effort to keep some of the commenters and, indeed, the community as a whole, from becoming more enraged than they may already be. I am also working on a follow-up post in response to the uproar, which I'll put up within the next few days. Some of you make some very valid points and I am anxious to address some of the concerns expressed here.
UPDATE: Follow-up post is here.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
10-11-2006 @ 12:09PM
Zsolt said...
It's high time that foreigners started tolerating mainstream western culture when it's expressed in the west. Would the people of Saudi Arabia be happy if the US citizens living there started yapping about how they were offended by seeing muslim women covered up ? Jeez !
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10-11-2006 @ 12:19PM
Stuart said...
"religion's fine, if you want to be religious that's fine, but why is it always the religious people who are crazy?" Alex Albrecht - Diggnation.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:20PM
Alex B said...
One note, MEMRI is a Middle East media watch dog and does not come up with its own ideas but only shows what the websites, newspapers, etc. in that part of the world say.
Its site, http://www.memri.org is quite educational to see how the Arab street views us.
I have no affiliation to MEMRI. Just an observer.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:22PM
Joseph said...
What boggles my mind is that it's so wrong. It's not called "Apple Mecca", it's not black like the real thing, it does not serve alcohol, and it's been done for months.
WOW.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:23PM
Edsel said...
I'll bet that Microsoft products are used more often by Islamic terrorists than Apple products. Could MS be fostering this anti-Apple attitude in the Middle East?
;-}
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10-11-2006 @ 12:26PM
God said...
Muslims should be upset with Mohammed for being a demon processed pedophile and not with Apple for making a cube.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:28PM
Mat said...
Wow, why do they have to see things this way everytime. Man for all the insults that have been pointed at Jesus and friends, I wonder why there isn't another holy war going on.
Seriously people, get over religion. It's okay to beleive, but please don't live your life by the way of some obscur scroll or book. It only leads us to situations like such.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:30PM
Bill I said...
Can someone please remove comments 5 and 6 for being flamebait and stupid (respectively).
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10-11-2006 @ 12:30PM
Shreedhan said...
God makes a good point!
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10-11-2006 @ 12:31PM
Farhan said...
As a Muslim, I think those that are finding the Apple store and "insult to Islam" needs to lighten up a bit and focus on things that are more important.
This is just stupid, childish and petty. The people complaining about this do not represent the majority of the Muslims; but the media certainly likes to splash this around like it's the majority 1.5 billion Muslims opinion.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:32PM
Too Far said...
What a bunch of idiots, people are offended by and have a problem with ANYTHING these days. And, for some reason its always religous groups. I'm no genius, but to me the Ka'bah looks like the Ka'bah... and the Apple Store looks like the Apple Store.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:36PM
Harry said...
"Muslim community offended by Apple's Fifth Avenue NYC Cube."
Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:39PM
Shahed said...
First of all, no state or organization made the protest. Some random website did (MEMRI won't say which one). So don't go thinking Muslims really give a shit about the Apple Cube. (This one thinks it is pretty cool.)
Second, the idiot that complained obviously thought the "Genius Bar" was an actual bar. Is this someone MEMRI or this site should really be taking seriously?
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10-11-2006 @ 12:39PM
NMargaretson said...
Heck, even the iKlear that they use at the Genius Bar is "alcohol free". I wouldn't mind a virgin mojito served to me by a blackshirt though, ah, cocktails at the cube.....
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10-11-2006 @ 12:40PM
Farhan said...
Pardon my typos in #10.
I just wanted to add that MEMRI, to me, seems like a group is trying to provoke a reaction by the Muslims. They mention an "islamist site" but not link to it. So how do we know it's for real and just an attempt to incite a reaction from Muslims? Furthermore, I think anything coming out of a group that is based in *Washington, DC* that claims to "explores the Middle East through the region's media" should be taken with grain of salt -- they are not most objective of people.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:41PM
Azhar said...
Im Muslim, im not offended with it, its only a glass cube for goodness sake. I am offended with comment 6 though. One arse in Saudi Arabia probably said that the store offending them, now its gonna get blown out of proportion... 99.9% of muslims hopefully DO NOT FIND THE STORE OFFENSIVE......
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10-11-2006 @ 12:42PM
Mohamed said...
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if MEMRI totally pulled that "report" out of their behind. I'm Muslim, I'm American, and I can't wait to see the Fifth Avenue Cube.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:44PM
MNiT said...
As a Mac Cultist, I am extremely offended by this 'Ka'bah' thing, where they don't sell macs, don't repair macs, and yet still use the holy-cube-of-mac symbol so wantonly.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:44PM
Navvy said...
People, get a grip. Islam has existed for thousands of years, I don't think the so-called "Apple Mecca" poses any threat to your beliefs. Why do people get so g.d. "offeneded" at the smallest thing anymore?
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10-11-2006 @ 12:45PM
Coastal said...
MEMRI, as usual, is full of shit. Not because they wrote the critical report--they didn't, of course--but in their decision to highlight it as if it were the voice of Muslims worldwide. This is just the same old Islamophobia from the right-wingers at MEMRI.
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