Brehm Center

Burj Al Arab, in English “The Arabian Tower,” is a Jumeirah hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  Its architect, Tom Wright, designed the building with the specific goal of creating an iconic structure—recognized by the ability to draw it in only a few strokes and by its immediate identification with a specific place on earth.  The building is meant to resemble the sail of a dhow.  Burj Al Arab’s website boasts that it is “the world’s most luxurious hotel,” a statement supported by the fact that it is often popularly known as a “seven-star” hotel.  With prices indicative of its luxury, the building is in fact set up to be not only an iconic structure but an iconic experience, associated particularly with Dubai, UAE.

A controversy developed as some viewers noticed that, viewed from the sea, the building makes the shape of the cross.  People claimed that Tom Wright had a dream that he should be a Christian influence in the largely Muslim UAE.  The level of controversy surrounding the building developed to such a degree that Tom Wright responds to it on his website with the following statement: “I can categorically state that the idea of designing the largest Christian cross in the world on the shores of Dubai never crossed my mind,” and specifically identifies himself as an agnostic.

As far as I can tell, some of the major news sources (i.e. The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times) have not taken the time to deal with the quibbling of the conspiracy theorists and gossipers on this issue; however, the fact that the issue has grown large enough to incite articles, blogs, and a personal response from Tom Wright points to its significance.  Symbols are powerful, and this situation is one example of that.  The simple presence, however unintentional, of the shape of the cross—infinitely more iconic than Wright’s towering sail—has caused a backlash that would not have arisen if its critics did not think that there were any power or import connected to the shape.   

I am sure there are Christians that hear of this odd circumstance and feel a sense of pride in the fact that, in their opinion, God has brought about a small miracle in order to witness to Muslims.  There are images circulating the web that highlight the cross on the building.  This strange sense of “haha, we got you!” from Christians feels like a tagger from one gang crossing onto another gang’s turf.  To some people, the presence of the image indicates the power of its group in the place it is located.   The cross functions in many ways for Christians, but some of them include a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and a reminder of God’s presence.  But is the cross a reminder of God’s presence or does it actually mediate God’s presence?  The criticism and bitterness on one side and exultation and encouragement on the other shows that, for many people, the presence of the symbol really does indicate or even mediate the presence of the church or God in that place, almost as if it were a sacrament through image.

I am convinced that it does not take the presence of a symbol or a member of the church to know where God is; God is everywhere.  On the other hand, when people recognize a cross and connect it to Christianity, it offers a moment to remember God and/or the church.  In some people’s thoughts during these moments, the memories—perhaps of bad experiences in church or of scorn for the idea of a higher being—may have the opposite effect of what some Christians view as the positive witness of the shape of the cross.  For others it may be a reminder of God’s presence or Christ’s love.  Still many more, including myself, may see the cross and experience a variety of these and other types of responses.  Because of the nature of the human mind, it turns out that the shape does mediate something about God and the church, but not God’s Self.  The symbol is too entangled with human experience for that.  In the end, God does not need the symbol to be present.  God is there already and humanity’s power-mongering is only detracting from the truth of love.   

Tom Wright Design