KIM LAWTON: Nike and the American Muslim community have broken new ground in finding solutions when global corporations offend religious sensibility. A new line of Nike sneakers set off the controversy last year, the logo with an artistic rendering of the word "Air," written in flames. Muslims said the shoes were sacriligious because the logo too closely resembled the Arabic word for "Allah."
Mr. NIHAD AWAD (Exec. Dir., Council on American-Islamic Relations): To have the name of God on a pair of shoes, for Muslims, is a sign of disrespect. It is to be respected.LAWTON: Muslims worldwide threatened to boycott. Leaders of the Council on American- Islamic Relations launched extended discussions with Nike, which finally agreed to recall the sneakers and to provide sensitivity training for Nike employees. As an added gesture, Nike will construct playground facilities at several Islamic centers, the first one in Falls Church, Virginia.
LAWTON: Nike, apparently, is becoming more sensitive to the religious point of view. The company asked children from the Virginia Islamic center to draw pictures of what they'd like to have on their playground.
