"Do Not Wear or Sell Nike"... Another "Ban" Issued Following Van Cleef

Islamic religious authorities in Libya have banned the wearing of clothing featuring the Nike logo.

According to reports from British media outlets such as the BBC on November 4 local time, Dar al-Ifta, Libya's highest Islamic religious authority, recently issued the decision through a fatwa, or religious ruling.

Dar al-Ifta stated that the brand name Nike originates from Nike, the goddess of victory in Greek mythology, and that its sharp, upward-pointing "Swoosh" logo is also inspired by the wings of Nike.

Therefore, the authority argued that wearing clothing with the Nike logo promotes symbols associated with polytheism.

Islam strictly believes in the single God, Allah, and thoroughly rejects polytheism, which worships more than one god.

Analysts suggest that this ruling contains political assertions in addition to religious matters.

Dar al-Ifta accused Nike of supporting Israel and urged boycotts against related companies.

However, this ruling is a judgment on Islamic law, which differs in nature from Libyan government laws.

This means that individuals will not face legal punishment even if they do not follow the ruling.

Nevertheless, it could affect sales and purchasing activities, and is expected to deal a blow to Nike's revenue.

Dar al-Ifta also issued a wearing ban last year (2025) against the French luxury jewelry brand Van Cleef & Arpels.

The authority took issue with the four-leaf clover design, arguing that it is related to Christian beliefs about luck and does not align with Islamic teachings.

(Reported by Jo Gi-ho | Video by Kim Ki-hyun | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.