Muslim community offended by A le's Fifth Avenue NYC Cube?

< an id="KonaBody">< an id="KonaBody">< an id="KonaBody">The Middle East Media Research I titute (MEMRI) reports that < an id="KonaBody">< an id="KonaBody">the gla Cube A le erected earlier this year on New York's tony Fifth Ave, du ed A le Mecca by many of the Mac faithful, is offe ive 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 ecifically meant to provoke Muslims and cites other contributing i ults such A le housing "bars" that sell alcoholic beverages within the Cube structure and it being open 24/7.
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< an id="KonaBody">< an id="KonaBody">I'm eechle . But, as you know, that rarely sto me from eaking anyway. I'm hesitant to get into this territory for obvious reaso and I truly mean no disre ect to anyone, but... you and I both know that the design of the 5th Ave store has a olutely 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 Jo ' 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 i ocuous 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.

< an id="KonaBody">The < an id="KonaBody">MEMRI report is dated October 10, 2006, though it clearly was written before the 5th Ave Cube was completed, based on the references to sto ing the project before it progre ed. I'd like to think that now that the black panels have come down, the clear gla Cube that is NYC's flagship A le Store is recognized to be nothing more than a den of iPodolatry, rather than Idolatry.

[via The A le 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 re o e 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 addre some of the concer expre ed here.

UPDATE: Follow-up post is here.