Libya's top religious authority rules against wearing Nike clothes

What the report says

Libya’s top religious authority, the Dar al-Ifta in Tripoli, has ruled that Muslims should not buy, sell or wear clothing carrying the Nike logo. According to BBC Africa, the institution said the brand’s name and swoosh symbol are linked to the Greek goddess of victory and therefore represent imagery it considers incompatible with Islamic teaching.

The ruling, approved by Libya’s Grand Mufti Sadiq al-Gharyani, described the logo as associated with polytheism. It also accused Nike of supporting Israel and urged a boycott of companies seen as backing the country, referring to an earlier call from its Council for Research and Sharia Studies during the Gaza war. The BBC said it had contacted Nike for comment.

BBC Africa noted that the fatwa is a religious opinion rather than a state order, so it is not automatically legally enforceable. The decision does not specify penalties and does not amount to a formal national ban. Nike products are widely available in Libya through retailers, though counterfeit goods are also common.

The report places the ruling in a wider context of growing religious conservatism in Libya and past fatwas from the same authority, including one against jewellery and watches from Van Cleef & Arpels. It also comes as Libya remains politically divided between rival institutions in the east and west.