Saiqa Noreen #fundie today.com
According to a recent petition launched on Change.org, the Air Max logo on the bottom of some Nike Air Max sneakers resembles the word “Allah,” the word for God in Arabic, written in Arabic script.
“Nike has produced the Nike Air Max 270 shoe with the script logo on the sole resembling the word Allah in Arabic, which will surely be trampled, kicked and become soiled with mud or even filth,” Saiqa Noreen, who started the appeal, wrote on the petition’s homepage.
“It is outrageous and appalling of Nike to allow the name of God on a shoe,” Noreen wrote. “This is disrespectful and extremely offensive to Muslims and insulting to Islam. Islam teaches compassion, kindness and fairness towards all.”
Noreen also urged Nike to “recall this blasphemous and offensive shoe and all products with the design logo resembling the word Allah from worldwide sales immediately.”
Nike’s Air shoes have faced criticism in the past for their branding. In 1997, Nike came under fire for using a flame-shaped logo that resembled the world “Allah” in Arabic script. The company apologized and stopped selling shoes with that design.
In this case, Nike maintains that the logo is nothing more than a stylized representation of the Air Max brand.