Islamic Council Persuades Nike to Recall Shoes

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has persuaded Nike Inc. to recall 38,000 pairs of shoes carrying a logo that resembles the word "Allah" in Arabic. Nike announced on June 24 that it would recall the shoes, which have a flame-like logo, and it apologized to the Muslim community for the logo. "While we never intended to offend, we did," said Martin Coles, a Nike vice president, in a press statement. "I believe we emerge from this process with a deeper understanding of Islamic sensibilities and a stronger bridge into Muslim communities."

CAIR had threatened to call for a worldwide boycott of Nike products. "Many . . . may not understand how offensive it is to have the name of God on a shoe," said executive director Nihad Awad, according to the Associated Press. "The shoe gets dirty. It gets muddy. It gets sweaty. We believe this is disrespectful to the name of God."