Apple Fifth Avenue store offensive to Muslims?
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Oct 11, 2006 at 4:45pm
On October 10, 2006, an Islamic web site posted a message alerting Muslims to what it claims is a new insult to Islam: the Apple Fifth Avenue Store in New York City.
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, 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, notes the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The message urges Muslims to spread this alert, in hope that “Muslims will be able to stop the project.”
The Ka’ba is the most holy structure in Islam situated in Mecca, and, is according to Islam, the centre of the world. The area around the Ka’ba is considered sacred, and inside the area where the truce of God reigns. It’s base is 10.5×12 meters, and it’s 15 meters high. The Ka’ba stands on a marble base which is 25 cm high. Each of the corners are pointing in the four directions of the compass. The Ka’ba is built of grey stones from the hills around Mecca.
The Apple store—located at 767 Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets, neighbouring Central Park, FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman—offers more than 100 Macs and nearly 200 iPods. It has the largest staff of any Apple Store—nearly 300 highly trained Mac Specialists, Mac Geniuses and Creatives who offer free tips and tricks on photography, movies and music. The new store—which is perhaps best known for its 32-foot glass cube—sports a combined 45-foot Genius Bar, iPod Bar and The Studio where customers can get face-to-face support, free advice and work on creative projects at any hour of the day or night.
Of course, there’s some confusion. The Apple store is open 24 hours a day, but doesn’t serve alcohol. As for the “Apple Mecca” title, I’ve never heard it referred to as such. You can find a photo of the Ka’ba at the MEMRI web site and compare it with this photo of the Apple store to see what you think.
By the way, as ZDNet points out, MEMRI isn’t suggesting that the Apple store is offensive, they merely cite “an Islamic Web site.” MEMRI explores the Middle East through the region’s media and is designed to bridge the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, “providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.”
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
