A petition has been launched demanding to recall Nike’s Air Max 720 sneakers, after many shoppers claimed the shoe’s logo was offensive to Muslims.
Many claimed the logo in question looks like it says “Allah” in Arabic writing, which is the Aramaic word for “God.” Seeing as though the logo is located on the bottom of the shoe, consumers claimed it was disrespectful to the Islamic faith because it suggests that Allah will be stepped on.
“It is outrageous and appalling of Nike to allow the name of God on a shoe,” Saiqa Noreen, who launched the petition wrote. “This is disrespectful and extremely offensive to Muslim’s and insulting to Islam.”
Despite the accusations, a Nike spokesperson responded to the petition in a statement to “Today,” asserting that the logo was simply a stylized version of the Air Max trademark. “Nike respects all religions and we take concerns of this nature seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The AIR MAX logo was designed to be a stylized representation of Nike’s AIR MAX trademark. It is intended to reflect the AIR MAX brand only. Any other perceived meaning or representation is unintentional.”
The petition is seeking a goal of 15,000 signatures. It has already garnered 14,687. For more information regarding the petition, head over to Change.org here. Check out a close-up of the Nike Air Max 720 logo below.