A coalition of Muslim NGOs have organised a month-long boycott campaign to punish businesses perceived as being supportive of or sympathetic to Israel in its ongoing military operations against Palestinians in Gaza.
The boycott campaign, called Bulan Kemarahan Ummah (“Month of the Ummah’s Wrath”) saw the coalition targeting fast-food giant McDonald’s, coffee chain Starbucks, and British bank HSBC for their alleged ties to the Israel government.
The coalition also named soft drink brand Coca-Cola and multinational food product firm Nestle as targets of its “peaceful boycott” programme.
The Malay Mail Online‘s Zurairi AR reports that Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, chief executive of the pro-Palestine group Aman Palestin spearheading the campaign, stressed the non-violent nature of the boycott.
“As a rule, we don’t want boycotters to vandalise, hurt the feelings, or do things that will backfire … Don’t do things that others can use to mock our campaign,” he said.
However, Abdullah maintains that organising mass protests outside restaurants or outlets and picketing customers are fine as they serve to raise awareness.
Abdullah is also the president of controversial Malay-Muslim NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA).
The Small and Medium-scale Entrepreneurs Organisation of Malaysia (Ikhlas) last Wednesday called for the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) to revoke the halal certification of companies operating in Malaysia with alleged ties to Israeli interests.
Last Friday, a nationwide 24-hour boycott was held against McDonald’s outlets in Malaysia to protest the chain’s alleged links to Israel. The Royal Malaysian Police announced that it had its Special Branch division monitoring boycott developments to prevent any instances of violence.
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Entrepreneur organisation calls for Israel-linked companies to have halal certification revoked
The Special Branch is keeping a close eye on McDonald’s boycotts today
