Nike and Burger King should indeed change their symbols (if they are still in use).

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Jul 19, 2013 at 02:10

Dear Dr Pipes:

I looked at the symbols (including the forbidden tomato that looks like a cross) included in your article "finding allah in unlikely places". Many instances of the symbols that you described are hilarious except two: the Nike symbol and the burger king's line drawing of the ice cream cone. These two symbols indeed closely resemble arabic script and probably allah written in the Arabic script. That brings me to the main point of my message. In the current state of affairs in the world Arabic language --due to its association with fundamentalism-- has become a symbol of tyranny, force, imperialism, non-inclusion and violence. Why should Burger King and Nike use symbols that look like Arabic inscriptions?

I think Nike and Burger King should change the symbols that they have used to remove any implied or assumed association with Arabic language. Once moderacy, freedom and democracy comes to the Arabic world, we can start adopting these symbols as we do all others.

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