What ever we do it will have to be acceptable to Hakeem. I'm sure there are ways to honor Hakmeem but doesn't exhibit "pride" or "idolatry" concerns from Hakeem. He's become a very humble man. And those type things make him nervous. Maybe we could setup some type of sports museum inside the arena; complete with a timeline of photos and memorabilia (past to present). It could also be a place for other Rocket legends. Not just Hakeem. I'm sure he'll be ok with something like that.
Why are we even discussing the religion part of this? This man is arguably the greatest athlete ever to grace this city. He is one of the finest citizens Houston has ever had and certainly has been one of our finest ambassadors. If he is uncomfortable with it, FOR WHATEVER REASON, we should respect it. In America, if you recall, we have a thing called "freedom of religion." We are free to practice however we see fit and, if for Hakeem that means being mindful of a tribute erected in his honor, who they hell are we to tell him his is out of line? I'm amazed that, with all problems athletes seem to have, anyone could criticize an athlete's moral convictions, especially anonomysly on an internet bulletin board. Talk about hypocracy.
... and with that, all tangents converge back to the unifying point : if he doesn't want it, for whatever reason, it shouldn't be done.
Absolutely agree!!! His reason is HIS reason. His decision is HIS decision. People should respect it.
Jeff or shall I say Mr. Clutch Crew, Your deprecating comments suggest that you are unappreciative of some of our posts? Has our comments been deleterious or insolent in anyway? IMO the post have been benign and I for one have been impressed by the cerebral discussion. Is this discussion board not a microcosm of ideas? Hence, debate does occur in this forum? But thanks for Curtailing this thread...
if i had my own satue made, i would want to make sure it represents me in a way i feel is respectable. hakeem has done so much for the rockets, i think we can live with his ideas on being represented as a statue. he does have some lasting images of him swatting shaq, ewing, barkley, robinson......etc
Since I have been around this site for more years and posts than I probably should admit, I'll assume you can figure out for yourself that I understand the nature of debate, espeically on this board. I will also assume that, given your own willingness to debate the issue thus far, you can take anyone's criticisms, including mine. And since you obviously have use of a thesauras or maybe one of those word-a-day calendars, I am guessing you understand the meaning of the word debate, but, if not, I'll give you Webster's version: <i>v. To engage in argument by discussing opposing points. n. A discussion involving opposing points; an argument.</i> Given the scope of those parameters, how exactly were you able to come to the conclusion that what I said was the equvalent of a curtailment of the thread? I gave you my opinion and an opinion, I might add, that is supported by the majority in this thread. Your response is to claim that I am attempting to squelch debate simply because I spoke my mind AND happen to be a member of the Crew. Look, if I wanted to shut this down, I would, but I didn't. So, if you are worried about my position on this board, well, I'll quote Sgt. Hulka, "I'll take off my hat." Now, without fear of reprisal, prove me wrong. Go ahead. If you are so convinced that this decision by Hakeem constitutes an act of hypocracy and is worthy of our scorn and disdain, let me have it. But, don't expect me to agree with you and don't flinch when I respond.
I agree with MacBeth. Professing your faith and excercising sound judgments (with good intentions) is what's important. Now, treating Hakeem purely as a HUMAN BEING - is he not entitled to us respecting his decisions? Especially when it's based on a decision that affects him and of which he has to live with? Besides, it's not like having the statue is another step in establishing world peace, eradicating poverty or even ensuring freedom of speach... When it comes to sport, have a little sense of context... for me personally, despite enjoying the playing, watching, reading and discussing of basketball, I realize that it's a trivial pursuit and one purely for entertainment purposes. Honouring Hakeem as a person (including his decisions and beliefs) would speak volumes about our respect for him compared to building any damn statue... Soo.. I suggest to get back to talking about basketball and leaving religious discussions for another thread - so that the subject can at least be dicussed in a more appropriate setting. *AND for those who wish to continue spewing religious dogma within their arguments... can you at least pay your respect to each faith whether Islamic, Christian, Jewish or Hindu by at least quoting the religious texts/sources you used to back up your argument... this I suggest only to enlighten the discussion to reach a level more deserving of the subject... x_trepidation_x: sometimes it's better to stay quiet then ending up sounding like a fool. Just a thought.
Bottom line: If Hakeem doesn't want a freakin' statue don't build him one...regardless of what his religion is.
Thank you. This was a pretty crappy thread throughout the first page. You kind of fixed it. My simpleton mind thinks it like this: Dream greatest player ever for Houston. Rockets love Dream. Rockets honor Dream with statue in front of arena. Dream humble and religious. Dream not so sure about his feelings of a statue in front of new arena, in a "this is kinda too much basketball Godliness for me, having a statue of me and all" kind of way. (Remember, according to an ealier poster, when he called Dream 'Houston's Hero' at a Starbucks, Dream seemed embarassed. He's personality is very humble, according to many people.) Dream doesn't want to be rude/mean/disrespectful to anyone involved: Rockets, his religious advisors. So Dream has meetings to discuss the situation with all parties. To me, I don't see why any of the above should lead to any sort of criticism at all.
Ugh. Moderators, aren't you authorized to close this thread down, especially since it does not regard the Houston Rockets anymore? There are some remarks being made here that are very derogatory. Please, if you don't have a deep knowledge for Islam, then don't preach it. It is forbidden to preach Islam any other way than it is written in the Qura'an. Seriously, I don't care what you think. Drinking is foridden, statues are forbidden, and pictures are still a debate. The Qura'an was written once and has NEVER changed, which is what makes it so special. It says in the Qura'an that the rules don't change with time, these rules will always apply. There is no new testament. On a side note, Hakeem donates more than the required 2% of his EARNINGS to charity, meaning he does nothing wrong. Fans take pictures of him, that's fine. Hakeem doesn't have the authourity to stop them, and he doesn't ask them to idolize him. However, he does have the power to stop the organization from building him up to be an idol, and he is doing just that. On another note, drinking is foridden in the Qura'an, and just because you drink doesn't mean you're not a muslim. Isn't lust forbidden in christianity? So are you saying those who lust are NOT Christians? You do what's required, and you do your best to be a devout muslim. No one will be perfect, but some will be better than others.
