Barcelona Changes Badge to Avoid Offending Muslims
By Andrew Duncan11:54, December 16th 2007
According to the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia, the Spanish football club Barcelona is altering its famous badge in some Arab countries in order to avoid offending Muslims.The badge is especially altered in Saudi Arabia or Algeria, where the Barcelona shirts are being sold without the red cross of Saint George, the patron saint of the Catalan region which Barca claims to represent, the La Vanguardia newspaper found in a private investigation.The badge, which was created in 1906, features a single vertical red line in Saudi Arabia and Algeria, due to the fact that there, the red cross represents the symbol of the brutal mediaeval Christian crusades against Islam.
La Vanguardia, in its Saturday edition, expressed its indignation as well as shock, asking the officials of the club to respond to the situation.The investigation is expected to cause some debates among Barca fans, as it would be the second time in the club's history when the badge is being altered. The first time was during the Franco period (1939-1975), when Barca had to remove from their badge the red and yellow stripes of the banned Catalan regional flag, due to the fact that the regime did not approve any signs of Catalan autonomy or separatism.Only when Franco was close to his death the club received permission to put the red and yellow stripes back onto their badge.
The emerging scandal comes after the problematic episode encountered by Italian champions Inter Milan in September, when they played in white shirts with a big cross on the front against the Turkish club Fenerbahce.The Turkish media harshly criticized the Italian team, saying that they used those particular shirts in order to offend Muslim sentiments. Turkish lawyer Baris Kaska requested UEFA sanctions for Inter over charges of racist superiority of a religion.
Z: IS THE WEST GOING INSANE? thanks, Randy
9 comments:
Provided there are NO crescents, stars, scimitars or Islamic symbols (including the written name of "Allah" in Arabic) on the patches of any Islamic clubs... I've got no problem with this.
I see your point, JSG, but when something's been on a badge for years and represents the foundation of that club or the faith of those in it, should it change to suit a country it's traveled to?
That seems bizarre to me.
Also, would any Western country have the NERVE to take a star or crescent off an islamic badge, risking the Western media's chastisement of religious intolerance?
I think not.
Z, I'm with you on this one. I think the world is bending over backwards out of FEAR.
It's like a logarithmic effect...once it starts, it gets worse and worse. Every country has the right to have their own symbols, etc. no matter who it offends. If someone doesn't like it...go back home!
I think if you're in a league, you follow the league rules (which can change). But you can't single out one team for special legislation, what's supposedly good for the goose must not simply be gravy for the gander.... but gravy for the goose as well.
And if the West consents to follow a two tiered system of rules, they've no one to blame but themselves when they soon find themselves paying the dhimmi tax.
I don't like playing w/ "handicaps". You either play to win, or you don't play at all.
I'd have NO problem with some team from Saudi Arabia that had a crescent on their TShirts, nor the sale of those TShirts here, would anybody else here?
This all started when kids who wanted to play soccer stopped getting beaten up.
Blame my generation.
I'm sorry.
Then again, the wee bit of Dane in me is offended by soccer balls.
Hey, if they can't print little Saudi flags on soccer balls because it gets kicked around by the players feet, they shouldn't be allowed on jerseys... some player might have to get beheaded for accidently sullying it...
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