Starbucks logo: Mermaid or Queen?
An Egyptian cleric is up in arms over the Starbucks logo and is urging followers to boycott the company. No, it's not because the mermaid is too sexy (that was apparently the problem for the Saudis a few years back, and more recently for a conservative Christian group in San Diego). But because the mermaid is really -- wait for it -- Queen Esther.
From the Jerusalem Post (via Memri):
"The girl in the Starbucks logo is Queen Esther. Do you know who Queen Esther was and what the crown on her head means? This is the crown of the Persian kingdom. This queen is the queen of the Jews. She is mentioned in the Torah, in the Book of Esther. The girl you see is Esther, the queen of the Jews in Persia," [Safwat Higa] said.
"The Crown you see here [in the Starbucks logo] is the crown of the kingdom of Xerxes," Higa said.
"We want Starbucks to be shut down throughout the Arab and Islamic world," he concluded. "It is inconceivable that in Mecca and Al-Madina, there will be a picture of Queen Esther. Can you believe that in Mecca, Al-Madina, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait, and all over the Islamic world there hangs the picture of beautiful Queen Esther, with a crown on her head, and we buy her products?"
FYI, Higa is wrong, at least according to this blogger, who traces the logo's history. Also noteworthy, in an otherwise nearly empty section of the company's website titled "Rumor Response," Starbucks has a statement outlining its operations in the Middle East and its relationship to Israel.
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How strange it is that the same people who want to make it a crime to insult islam, who in fact issue death-threatening fatwas against those whom they perceive to insult islam, and at the same time issue cartoons in their press insutling Jews and Judaism, believe it is wrong to have illustrations of someone they believe to be one of their own queens, just because she happened to be a Jew who saved many other Persians who happened to be Jewish.
This is an evil culture. Why do we pretend we are not in a war of civlilizations when we are? It is a culture whose existence on earth can no longer be excused, justified or tolerated.
While I am utterly confused by the objections raised by the Egyptian cleric, I do feel compelled to urge peace and consideration before people post. Comments such as “Ragheads” and “camel jockeys who smell worse than their mounts” are uncalled for, and lower us to an undesirable standard. We are much better than name-calling, no matter how angry we may be. Please act accordingly.
HILLMAN: Because I call a spade a spade, and use the least offensive terminology that I can, and certainly so in view of the things that WE have been called for thousands of years, doesn’t “Lower Me/Us” at all ....... Only Guilty White Liberals use phraseology like yours, and such is the mind-set of the apologists who keep trying to give away the Land that Ha’Shem gave to US, in the first place ... it is long since time to STOP this Bogus Political Correctitude crap, and start understanding Islam and Islamists for being what they are ... satanists, that are bent on the destruction of the Jews, and who are in league with the vatican for nearly a century, because they share that common goal ... denying it with a bunch of bleeding-heart Liberal platitudes does NOT make it untrue ... All that Liberal, unrealistic appeasement is going to do nothing but get more Jews killed, and it will be the fault of people just like you ... What are you going to say to Ha’Shem when you have to look Him in the Face, and explain why you did NOT follow Torah, and protect His Children ??? What are you going to say when He asks why you cared so little for His Gifts, that you gave them away to stinking Ismaelites??? Nothing that I have said in this or the previous Post is untrue, even tho’ couched in some colloquy ... They DO wear Rags, they DO stink, they DO ride Camels, and they are damned sure intent on destroying us and wiping us off the face of the earth ... and you Liberals and Secularists are going to help them do it ....... What, will you say to Ha’Shem ??? And before you muster the self-righteous gall to take issue with ME about the mote of dust in my eye, you’d best get the Railroad Tie out of your own !!!
NEWS FLASH: TINKY WINKY OF TELETUBBIES FAME HAS JUST OUTED HIM OR HERSELF. JERRY FALWELL WAS RIGHT!!!
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Dr. Michael Zidonov
03/11/09 03:26 PM
What difference does it make ??? Who the hell cares WHAT these Ragheads think ??? Its stupid to pay more than a Quarter for a cup of Coffee in the first place, and if this annoys the “Persians” or other Islamists, so be it !!! Besides, if you read the Ancient Writings, in the Ancient Hebrew, you will find that Esther was a five foot nothing, chunky little Redhead of about 150 pounds, with large breasts, Milk-White Skin, easily discernable Signs of the Sun(Freckles) and a slight Gene Tierney style overbite ... Not much like the Starbucks Logo ... Most of you reading this don’t have a clue who Gene Tierney was anyway, so how could a bunch of Camel Jockeys who smell worse than their Mounts, ever discern what might be a representation of Esther, or not ??? It just gives them one more thing to run around stinking and acting stupid about .......