Malaysia Muslims Shun Pro-Israel Companies
“As a rule, we don’t want boycotters to vandalize, hurt the feelings, or do things that will backfire,” Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, the chief executive of Pro-Palestine group Aman Palestin which spearheaded the campaign, told The Malay Mail Online.
“Don’t do things that others can use to mock our campaign,” he added.
The month-long campaign called Bulan Kemarahan Ummah (The Month of Ummah’s Wrath) was launched by a number of Malaysian NGOs.
The peaceful boycott was announced against fast food franchise McDonald’s, coffee chain Starbucks, and British bank HSBC.
Citing their support to Israel, the campaign has also named soft drink brand Coca-Cola and Swiss multinational firm Nestlé as other companies to be boycotted by Muslims.
According to the campaign, the brands will be boycotted because they “lend their support to Zionist Israel”.
Rejecting any violence against these businesses, Abdullah said mass protests outside restaurants or outlets by holding up placards and lobbying customers were acceptable in order to raise awareness.
Attended by hundreds of Muslim supporters, the campaign launch event saw several buntings erected admonishing McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and HSBC.
The buntings compared each stick of McDonald’s french fries symbolizes one bullet for the Israeli army, while each drop of Coca-Cola is equal to one drop of Palestinian blood falling to the ground.
Israel has been launching relentless airstrikes against Gaza since July 8 where hundreds have been killed and thousands injured.
Israel has claimed that its new war on Gaza, under the title Operation Protect Edge, was a response to the rocket attacks being carried out by Hamas.
Israeli occupation forces started a ground invasion of besieged Gaza, home to two millions civilian, on Thursday, July 17.
Health officials in Gaza said 1,868 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured since Israel launched its war on the besieged strip.
Source: OnIslam.net
