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Lego
Lego says its "Jabba's Palace" construction set is modeled after the villain's lair in the "Star Wars" saga. A Turkish group in Austria, however, says the structure looks too similar to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia monument.
A Turkish cultural center in Austria has stirred up an international tiff over a "Star Wars" Lego toy: specifically, a model of Jabba the Hutt's domed palace that the Turks say looks too much like Istanbul's sacred Hagia Sophia monument.
"The missiles, guns and weapons ... in the Lego castle are questionable for the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria, even 'educational explosives,'" the center said on its German-language website. The center said a complaint was lodged with Lego, and it reserved the right to file hate-crime complaints with German and Austrian authorities as well.
In response, Lego said that "Jabba's Palace" wasn't modeled after any mosque or other holy place, but after, um, Jabba's palace.
"The model in question is not based on any real building, rather depicts a fictional scene of Jabba’s Palace on the planet Tatooine from 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,'" Michael McNally, brand relations director for Lego Systems, said in an email. "As is the case in all Lego sets related to the Star Wars property, Lego designers reproduce all structures, vehicles and characters based on the way they appear in the films. The company regrets that the group has misinterpreted what the Lego Star Wars set depicts."
McNally told NBC News that "the set has not been withdrawn from stores."
Jabba the Terrorist?
The cultural center in Vienna said the issue arose when a father lodged a complaint about the construction set, which his son received as a Christmas gift. The dad took the toy back to the store, and the center said it contacted Lego about what it saw as "educationally and culturally objectionable defects."
"The terrorist Jabba the Hutt likes to smoke hookah and kills his victims," the center said. "It is clear that the figure of the ugly villain Jabba and the whole scene serves up racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Orientals and Asians as sneaky and criminal personalities. ..."
What does Jabba's palace have to do with the Turks? In an annotated set of pictures, the center drew a parallel between the dome of Jabba's house and the dome of the Hagia Sophia, a 1,500-year-old monument that has served as a church and a mosque but is now used as a cultural museum. The tower rising beside Jabba's palace? To the Austrian Turks, that looks like a Muslim minaret.
Turkischegemeinde.at
The Turkish Cultural Community of Austria put together a detailed comparison of the "Star Wars" play set and the Hagia Sophia monument.
UNESCO
The centuries-old Hagia Sofia is one of Turkey's most famous monuments.
May 1, 2008: NBC's Lester Holt joins TODAY's Matt Lauer on his "Where in the World" tour and takes a trip through Turkey, visiting such colorful locations as Bodrum, Cappadocia and Ephesus.
As you might expect, the controversy sparked a storm of Hothian proportions on the Internet. The idea that a Lego toy could offend Asians or Muslims seemed so out of the blue that some commentators suspected it was an elaborate spoof. "A very successful one, well done to the author, you've had half the world's press swallowing it," Forbes contributor Tim Worstall wrote.
5,000 emails received
A spokesman for the cultural community, Ata Sel, told NBC News that this is not a spoof. He said the center has received about 5,000 emails so far about its stand. "We did get a lot of racist emails," he said, "but a lot of emails say we are right."
He hasn't yet heard back from Lego officially, but he has seen the company's response in news reports — and he doesn't like it. "This answer we cannot accept," he said. "Lego wants to make war respectable by producing games for children."
Instead of helping children build a "Star Wars" world, "Lego should show how to construct a peaceful world," Ata Sel said. "Lego is a big firm, with responsibilities."
It's not so unusual for folks to take umbrage at "Star Wars" and its characters: Over the years, the fictional universe has weathered claims of anti-Semitism and anti-Japanese sentiment as well as complaints about racial stereotyping by Jar Jar Binks. Do you think the latest protest by the Austrian Turks has a valid point, or is this controversy as silly as Jar Jar's accent? Feel free to weigh in with your comments below.
More about Lego offerings ... and 'Star Wars':
- 'Breaking Bad's' Walter White is a Lego man
- 10 Lego machines that really, really work
- White House turns thumbs down on Death Star
- J.J. Abrams reportedly tapped for next 'Star Wars' film
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
I remember when I was a youth, and could see whatever I wanted in the shapes of the clouds!
Hagia Sophia was a church built by eastern orthodox Christians that was turned into a mosque after the rape, murder, and enslavement of tens of thousands of people at Constantinople in the 15th century by the armies of Islam.
How dare we offend these jihadists!
I had no idea Jabba the Hutt was an Asian terrorist
When asked about this news, Yoda replied, "Hunt him down we will. Served justice upon him he must have."
Perhaps Obama will apologize to the Turks for Legos 'aggressiveness'! Odds are very good this will happen, and that Susan Rice will explain everything in the morning! Another damn YouTube video...and Bush caused the uproar!
So lemme see here...
If it's got a pointy thing, than it "must" be the Muslim minaret next to the Hagia Sophia [although apparently not the UT Tower in Austin, TX, or any other narrow, pointed tower vaguely similar to many of the minaret/tower styles of the Eastern, and Western world]
If it's got a domed top, than it "must" be the dome of the Hagia Sophia [although apparently not similar to any of the typical domed structures that are common to the traditional architecture, say...in India [Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, or the Taj Mahal, in Agra, or the Jami Masjid in Delhi, or Naeem Rashid, or Ibrhim Roza, in Bijapur, or Lodhi Gardens, in Delhi..as a few examples].
The entire Eastern world is full of stunning examples of buildings, built in the 11th thru 16th century, that comprise both the dome, AND the minaret, so to say that it's [Lego's] product is a copy of any single one structure, is truly a stretch.
I agree, people see what they want to see and interpret meanings in context with their own experiences and fears. The discussion is healthy, the demand that we must see things the same is not. It is reasonable to expect sensitivity to others views, but that works both directions. One who insists on being insulted where no insult was intended is as offensive as the perpetrator of ignorant insult.
This whole thing is completely absurd and Lego was right to take the stance they did. The toy is a depiction of what is in the movie. Makes you wonder why this headcase that is complaining did not go after George Lucas and company when the movie came out. Lego has provided their response and should just ignore anything further. If this idiot really tries to file hate crime charges he will get laughed out of court.
What a load of @!$%#! Move back to the desert you bunch of superstitious morons!!!!!
Maybe Lego should release a COD set complete with little Lego humvees and drones and little jihadist sunworshippers and their little Lego mosques to blow up!
As if there are no other religious buildings in the world that have domes. Screw the Turkish cultural center in Austria. This is the USA. Whatever we choose to design here is out of their control. This constant whining by one gruop or another is getting boring.
While I agree with your sentiment 100%, Legos are designed in Denmark.
Good grief, that same group of people always is getting insulted all the time. They take offense at everything. I think the world should just blow them off and ignore them. Tell them to grow up.
"that same group of people always is getting insulted all the time"
Don't overgeneralize...
The Turks have been close friends of the West for a long time, and have been a part of NATO for a long time too.
Don't ignorantly lump the whole nation of Turkey in with this group of idiots whining about the Hagia Sofia... they really do not deserve your scorn - and you ignorantly flaming them all for the works of a few idiots is no different than any of them hating all Americans for the poor choices of certain Presidents.
Star Wars is full of symbolism from all over the world. Why aren't Bedouins complaining about sand people?
Has star wars even made it to the primitive Bedouin countries.
I don't care.
We could give them some sand people figures and see what happens.
Has star wars even made it to the primitive Bedouin countries.
It doesn't matter. The number of camels with broadband is exceedingly low.
My camel has GPS. He's still useless with directions, though.
My camel has GPS. He's still useless with directions, though.
Must be integrated with Apple Maps...
pfff. You don't have to look at Star Wars to find instances of Americans demonizing muslims, if some of these posts are any indication.
This kind of whipped-up hysteria is too far fetched to be anything other than Islamists trying to keep Western influences out of Turkey. It goes to show how paranoid and jealous fundamentalists are when they try to control people's thoughts.
A dome, a tower, a door... oh my God that is our second home in the Hampton's. Is there no respect, principals and sensitivty as to another person's private property? LEGO I'm calling my lawyers!
"On Friday, February 1st, the Turkish group was unavailable for follow-up comment on this issue because they were answering questions about the bombing of the US Embassy in Turkey....., in other news"
My carefully considered response: They can bite me.
Trying for my first comment collapse ever here, but I bet most of you agree completely with the sentiment.
So we're back to "Where are the non-crazies?" Terrorists and crybabies in abundance, but jus' folks? Where are you? Please speak up.
Regardless, survive!
Wow... now that's a stretch if I ever heard one. Jabba the Hut has been around for almost 30 years and only just now does his palace promote racism? Oh please... There's a lot of castle Lego sets out there that look like cathedrals and you don't hear any Catholics getting all up in arms about it... LOL
The Hagia Sophia was actually built by the Catholics, then in the mid 15th Century Muslims invaded and it was a mosque until the 1930's, and now it's a museum.
Actually, it was built by the Byzantine Christian Emperor Justinian and became the central cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church following the Great Schism. It was stolen by the Turks from the Byzantine Greeks in 1452. They have no right to claim offense because it's not theirs.
A-in-PA is correct. Plus, the minarets, which are not on the Lego toy and are the only Muslim additions, are not part of the original structure. The dome is from the original Sancta Sophia, at one time the largest church in all of Christendom. It was originally built in 360 and then rebuilt from 532 to 537 as a result of Emperor Justinian. It remained a church until the Ottoman Turks took Constantinople in 1453. (The religion of "peace", took the city by force of arms and killed or enslaved the entire population.) It has been a museum since 1931.
The Turks have no basis for a complaint. They should also own up to the Armenian genocide which began in 1915 and resulted in up to 1.5 million deaths.
If you notice in the picture of the mosque, a lot of the nearby buildings look like rockets to me. And if you look REALLY CLOSE you can see Waldo. I won't say where; you have to find him.
Self serving wacko liberals live in Turkey tool! They're everywhere, yikes!
I don't think there are too many Liberals in Islamic Society - at least by US standards - and the Hagia Sophia is a Christian building stolen by the Muslims (Now it is a Museum) ... And there are several Mosques in southern Spain which were stolen by the Christians as well..
Sally: Muslims are Conservatives; they don't like any new ideas! Remind you of anyone???
correction Gilboagirl, conservative in the USA like new ideas that actually work, not the pipe dreams of a Kenyan college student who was put in a position way over his head in his first term, but has been given another chance to prove liberalism will continue to damage our country further! Whoopee more free gifts from Barry!!!!
The topic I believe is the political incorrectness of Legos, and we all know how important political correctness is to libbies, eh?
I don't think you would know a liberal if one bit you on the ass! All you know are straw men and scapegoats.
Those people need to get a life.
They do have a life Dick. Finding creative ways to claim how their religion is being mocked or offended.
So what? It looks like the building in Star Wars, that's all anybody should care about.
::waves hand:: "This is not the controversy you are looking for..."
This is not the controversy I am looking for...
::waves hand:: "...Move along...."
:clicks on the fox news link:
Detroit Storm, Excellent...ha, ha. Now...I'm just gonna move along............
Idiotic. It's not even that close. Do they think that's the only circular palace that ever existed? gtfoutta here.
So stupid! Who cares? Are they feeling disrespected or somthing?
This is utterly stupid and embarrassing - for the Turkish Center!
Meesa no likey!
Seems suspiciously like an attempt to get attention.
Ata Sel needs to get a life - and direct his fellows at this center to do the same.
Then again, ISLAM. Do they have a monopoly on turrets and domed structures?
Cry me a river. Jar Jar is one thing, but this is an entirely new level of lame.
"Why did Jabba's Palace get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks."
"Now it's Istanbul. Not Jabba's Palace. Now it's Istanbul. Not Jabba's Palace. Now it's Istanbul. Not Jabba's Palace. Why - did - Jabba's - Palace - get - the - works? That's nobody's business but the Turks."
Whoa... They Might Be Giants out of the blue... :D
The group that is complaining needs to have a reality check. The Lego toy is not emulating that building, and even if it was - so what?
They just want to try and claim royalties.
Whoa... Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald out of the blue... :D
Lego hate crime toys.......uh huh sure.
Just when you thought you'd read the stupidest thing ever, you read something like this......
Awww Geez, and I was so looking forward to getting my "Zero Dark Thirty" toys. I wanted my Lego black site and my little plastic action figure Maya and another of the guy who waterboarded that guy...Shux. I guess I won't get what I wanted for my birthday.....
Maybe some company should specialize in politically incorrect toys. I'd bet they'd make a fortune.
Isn't imitation supposed to be a form of flattery ?
I think the Jabba Palace looks a little too muck like an airports traffic controller tower .
I'm going to complain .
It's Bush's fault.
This is the so very ironic. They complaining about a church they turned into a mosque after killing inhabitants. Also from a people who committed genocide on 5-12 million in the last 100 years while today still persecuting people.
Yeah...but they did it in the name of GOD!...so that makes it OK...right?
Please people, do not give these idiots any more face time. They were idiots from the beginning and nothing has changed. I would doubt that it ever will.
Oh FFS! Do they really have nothing better to make a fuss over than Lego toys?
Since when has islam ever concerned itself with "peace" and building a better world? Let alone have any moral ground to lecture a toy company.
I thought islam outlawed legos. Building blocks of the western devil or something like that. ;)
Which religion is the dumbest?
Evidently the "progressive" one ...... they allow islam to dictate what they can do, say, live, wear, excuse murder of women, admire the culture where marrying a cousin is traditional etc etc etc ...... and they do it in more advanced nations the "progressive" call home .......... insane.
Islam
May the Force be with you.
Party like its 1299
poor lincoln, he shudda stuck with US demos...honestly I see the same attitude in you and a lot of my fellow democrats as lincoln seen in the democrats way back then....take a step back and take a look at yourself, maybe you too will see it....
I think that these mooslums who leave the place of origin because it is not a fit place to live, go to a civilized part of the world and then try to recreate the same dismal atmosphere and expect everybody to bend over to appease them need get out of the 7th century. here they have an opportunity to leave the culture behind and have a better life and future and instead drag down a better place. They really really need to be more tolerant and embrace cultural diversity, especially when they live in someone elses culture.
You must not think much, lol. And that's probably a good thing. First of all you chew them out for being different, then you tell them to be more tolerant. lmao!
I'm not very PC. Is "EAT SH*T and DIE" an appropriate response?
Must be something in the sand in that part of the world. Lead maybe?
Austria? German lawyers??? are they the same con artists that wanted to give the chimp rights to a banking account (from which they obviously planned to make deductions)??? If you took a bunch of these lego's kits to turkey, the real turkey, and gave em to Turkish kids at random, I am positive the kids would JUST LOVE EM!! And no one would have anything bad to say about Legos (well, cept me, but what the heck)....these guys are just looking for a buck, I say hit em with a counter suit on frivolousness plus damages and add a request from me that they be tossed off our planet as self described transgressioninsts of the human race. I note the real turks in turkey ain' t complainin.....say, wonder if darpa would like to repurpose a drone for a few idiot lawyers, I do have a long list of em that could REALLY use some good ole honest american discrimination....my kind, the kind that kicks idiots in the ass.....
"Much ado about nothing"! It looks nothing like the Hagia Sophia monument. Aren't there more important issues to tackle???
Yeah next thing they will take issue with that big land fowl we eat at the end of November. We will have to change it's name to holiday bird.
As long as you don't spell it "holy day."
On Thanksgiving, I love to eat Turkey on fine China, particularly with potatoes and gravy Togo with it, unless there is too much Greece. A good salad on the side, but I have trouble deciding whether to have Italian, French or Russian dressing. Last year, I was so Hungary that Iran to the table! For now, though, anytime I can have a bowl of Chile, I'll come Russian.
I think they don't have any idea what a real "hate crime" is.
Which of the two following scenarios are hate crimes:
1) A Lego toy that bears an excruciatingly slim resemblance to a building.
2) A Joint-Stand Off Weapon (AGM-154) filled with submunitions containing porcine grease, dropped by an A-10 attack aircraft on every mosque in the known Islamic world.
Let me explain: The AGM-154 (also known by it's acronym J-SOW) is referred to as the "Smart Pig". It's a 'launch and leave' GPS guided glide-bomb that is filled with 145 submunition canisters (bomblets) that are all capable of being filled with any one of a dozen explosives. Just add in some pork fat to the bomblets in the Smart Pig, and use the Warthog to drop it on every mosque in the Middle East, covering each of them with the one substance that would prevent them from getting to Paradise and those 72 virgins, and cause them to reside in the arms of Iblis among the Shayateen for eternity.
Now, which of the above two is a real hate crime?
I don't know, but I know which one is the tastiest!
Bush was right!
He hasn't yet heard back from Lego officially, but he has seen the company's response in news reports — and he doesn't like it. "This answer we cannot accept," he said. "Lego wants to make war respectable by producing games for children."
We honestly don't care what your opinion is. This just sounds like a way to take money from Lego.