The social campaign against companies with alleged ties to Israel continues to generate buzz, as a local entrepreneurial organisation has called for all Israel-linked firms in Malaysia to be stripped of their halal certification.
The Small and Medium-scale Entrepreneurs Organisation of Malaysia (Ikhlas) yesterday urged the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) to pull the halal certs from the offending companies, and announced that a memorandum would also be submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Ikhlas president Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah said the matter should be given serious attention, and that support for the Palestinian cause in Gaza should be stronger.
“We understand that there are giant corporations operating in Malaysia which are channelling huge amounts of funds to Israel.
“Why should we give them halal certification? There’s no need. We urge Jakim to revoke it,” he was quoted as saying by The Rakyat Post.
Mohd Ridzuan also said that a parliamentary sitting should be held to discuss the existence of multi-national corporations controlled by the Jews and take necessary action against them.
“Even (International Trade and Industry Minister) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed admitted that there were multi-national corporations that were supplying our country’s products to Israel,” he said.
Being a local merchant group, however, also means that Ikhlas has an agenda that’s closer to heart in the campaign. In the video below, Mohd Ridzuan goes on to extoll the merits of locally-owned and operated businesses, particularly Malay and Bumiputera companies, which offer products and services comparable if not better than those marketed by the likes of McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Starbucks.
McDonald’s in particular has borne the brunt of Malaysians’ anger at companies perceived to be sympathetic to or supportive of Israel’s latest military operations against Palestinians in Gaza. Of late, the fast-food chain’s Malaysian business has been hit by calls to boycott its products, and has even suffered a hoax announcement that it would be giving away free burgers and drinks tomorrow, an announcement that McDonald’s Malaysia has shot down on its Facebook page.
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