Jay Z almost certainly didn’t mean any insult, but to show pride in the place, but his intention is immaterial to those who are complaining. It is noteworthy that this reaction is routine and expected, but we never see Muslim leaders enraged and demanding an apology over the alleged twisting and hijacking of their religion by jihadis.
“Kenyan T-shirt design worn by Jay Z draws ire from Riyadha Mosque,” Daily Sabah, April 6, 2021 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
It all started when famous U.S. rapper and business mogul Jay Z was spotted exiting a restaurant in Santa Monica, California last week. What caught the paparazzi’s and fans’ attention, however, was the T-shirt he was wearing, which bore the image of a mosque.
The clothing item featured the Riyadha Mosque in Lamu, Kenya and was created by Kenyan born-and-bred fashion designer Zedekiah Lukoye, popularly known as Zeddy Loky. Both Jay Z and Lukoye quickly earned praise on social media for bringing more attention to black designers and cultural symbols.
However, it seems that using such a holy symbol as a design on a T-shirt has frustrated the management of the mosque and the Muslim fraternity in Lamu. The Riyadha Mosque is recognized as one of the most prestigious centers for Islamic studies in East Africa.
In a letter dated April 3, 2021, and addressed to Lukoye, the mosque said it was deeply concerned about the portrayal and misuse of the mosque’s image, asking the designer to issue a public apology.
“We don’t consider this an honor, nor a privilege, for the historical mosque and its Founder Habib Swaleh for its imagery to be portrayed in such a way,” it read, penned by Abubakar Badawy, the secretary-general of Riyadha Mosque management.
On Feb. 7, a man wearing the same T-shirt in a bar also drew ire from the mosque and Muslims in the county after a photo of him was posted on Facebook.
“Bars and clubs are an affront to the spiritual respect and dignity of the mosque, its founder, to the congregation, and the general Muslim community within and outside Lamu,” the letter said, explaining its reasoning for the criticism.
“We therefore politely request you to show respect for the mosque by removing our Mosque’s portrait on the shirt, to show us that you really do respect the people of Lamu and the Mosque,” it added.
Badawy said there were plenty of other landmarks and places in Lamu the designer could use to promote the county.
“We encourage you to keep promoting Lamu. However, kindly in future please consider the cultural relevance of what you choose to portray on your shirts, to make sure you are not appropriating a minority community’s culture and practices to promote something that is contrary to their beliefs.”
Meanwhile, Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics (CICC) chairperson Mohamed Abdulkadir said it was wrong to associate a holy symbol “with worldly things.”
“He should understand that what he did was wrong not only for Riyadha Mosque but Islam in general. You cannot associate a religious minaret with worldly things. You print a T-Shirt with a logo that might end up in clubs and bars. Let him apologize,” he said….
Palladini says
Screw them, I do not like what they wear, but you do not see me complaining about it. When the Islams of this world to mind their own damn business and not comment on what someone is wearing, it will be a peaceful place.
spiro says
Your right but I wish people would grow a backbone and stand up for themselves instead of groveling like they do
Just my thought
Lion heart says
When many atheists aim eBay put out images of Jesus in T-shirts depicting a cross in toilet etc no Christian complaint led about it nor did we saw any Muslim apologising for the hateful teachings of al azhar university curricula which state that the papers of the gospel & Torah can be used as toilet paper by Muslims because they are corrupted books . and I am a Canadian Christian guy originally from Iraq and saw that curriculum of al Azhar .
somehistory says
It’s stupid to use the place mozlums have made to worship their fake ‘god’ and his fake ‘prophet,’ and to chant their evil against other people, with hate in their hearts, to decorate anything. They should not be “honored” or “praised,” or encouraged in this way.
It’s also stupid to apologize when mozlums ****demand**** it. Their places of bending down to satan are not “holy.” Their belief system is based on evil lies and filth of the worst kind.
When someone does anything these days, mozlums are offended, angry, whining and demanding and should be told to go soak their heads. Perhaps a good soaking wash would help to cleanse their brains of the filth and evil they imbibe every day. It won’t of course, but where there is life, there is always at least a little hope.
mozlums….take a long walk on a short pier. Take some large cakes of lye soap along.
PRCS says
“deeply concerned”
Really, really, deeply concerned.
But, for $_______, we can let it slide.
jca reid says
Just shows you how hypocritical Muslims are. They really appreciate Postcards/ T-Shirts etc. of the famous London & New York City skylines & buildings that have been altered to incorporate Mosques dominating everything.
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
What a quandary. An African American and Muslims at odds with each other. How are the Woke activists to address this? Both receive, in certain instances, preferential treatment. Too bad he wasn’t a Korean American. Then they could both freely debase his right to free expression and block his entry into an Ivy League School.
Infidel says
Ha ha! Zeddy Loky thought that he was doing islam a favor by putting that ? on his t-shirts, only to discover that that was haram! And I doubt that even converting to islam would salvage Mr Beyonce!
Maybe Zeddy could put a picture of Obama, and in his background a map of Kenya to show the greatness of our BLM overlords!
DavidR says
Nobody cares, no-one was hurt, nothing has changed, not the pressing issue claimed, forgettable – unless outrage is your favorite emotion. It goes hand in hand with victim status and usually manifests itself as blaming and making demands. Left unchecked it can spread until everybody is a victim of everybody and blame becomes a commodity.
sidney penny says
“blame becomes a commodity”
Already has
tim gallagher says
Everything seems to be an “affront” to Muslim sensibilities. They truly don’t belong in any western country where freedom of expression is an important part of our lifestyle. They should stay in their backward, totally repressive Muslim countries if they want to avoid being affronted. I know I wouldn’t miss them and I suspect many other people would feel the same.
James Lincoln says
Ironically, tim, muslims are not “happy” unless they are enraged…
tim gallagher says
That seems to be the way it is alright, James. I don’t know if Muslims are ever happy – I suppose they are happy when they are killing people, whether infidels or other Muslims who aren’t pure enough, or when they are raping girls and women, and, as you say, when they are enraged and getting around in a mob calling for someone to be murdered as we see in Pakistan so often..To my mind this report shows just another reason that Muslims simply don’t belong in our western societies. People in our societies, within reason, have freedom of expression. They can put a mosque (big deal, right) on a T-shirt. They can draw cartoons of Muhammad. If Muslims build their numbers up and get their way, all of this will be crushed. They should stay in their own shitty, repressive countries and live their miserable lives among their fellow Muslims. Even though i couldn’t care less about dishonouring that scumbag, Muhammad, I can, maybe, see how Muslims would be upset about those cartoons, but this report about them getting upset about a mosque on a T-shirt really amazes me. I think, grow up, you Muslim halfwits. What a bunch of infantile fools.
sidney penny says
“but we never see Muslim leaders enraged and demanding an apology over the alleged twisting and hijacking of their religion by jihadis.”
Another hit the nail on the head statement from Robert Spencer
gravenimage says
+1
Eleanor says
Put it up for auction on Ebay as a collector’s item, with proceeds going to the rebuilding of the Notre-Dame.
gravenimage says
Muslims enraged, demand apology after Jay Z spotted wearing t-shirt with image of mosque on it
………………..
If anything this is *pro*-Islam–or maybe Jay Z just thought it was a cool design.
But Muslims are perpetually enraged.
The designer has alreeady issued a grovelling apology.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56663630#:~:text=A%20US%2Dbased%20designer%20has,%22sacrilegious%20joints%22%20like%20bars.
Andrew Blackadder says
I used to hang out on Lamu back in the mid 1970s, i was young then, 26, magical place, it was like going back 300 years or more, no roads, one car, a Land Rover, left behind by the British, for the Mayor, he would drive it down this wee narrow goat track, one mile from his Office to the Port, after 20 years it had about 150 miles on it. I remember great Yogurt and Hashish but no loud azan every day.
Great beach also… peaceful days of traveling the World as a young man in the 1970s…. Long gone now.
OLD GUY says
MUSLIMS are ALWAYS outraged! What a diversified group of hate everyone else people muslim/islamic people are.
tgusa says
Jay Z is an Obamaite and obamaites are pro islam so he should probably burn that shirt. Because he is a pro islam Obamaite I am not going to take a position on this. He made his own bed and now he can sleep in it. And he needs to stay out of the damn bars and clubs as alcohol consumption the mingling of the sexes and having fun is anti islam. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding islam among many Americans.