If information at our disposal is anything to count on,
AL-FAHM investigations have revealed that Nokia Ventures Organization, Arsenal
Football’s Club and Disney have been excluded from boycotted products. Updated
list on inminds website (www.inminds.com)
in conjunction with Islamic Human Right Commissions (IHRC) showed that these
companies and others including Sara Lee (textile company), Danone have been
syndicated.
The
details reports on each product/company stated below…
Disney:
Disney, working with the Israeli
embassy, was given 1.8 million dollars by Israel to promote Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel at a special exhibition at its Epcot centre in Florida,
strategically positioned so that every visitor to the centre would have to walk
through the exhibition in order to reach the exit. Jerusalem is an illegally
occupied Palestinian city and under international law can NEVER be the capital
of Israel. The exhibition has since been removed so Disney is no longer on the
boycott list.
Sara
Lee: Sara Lee has divested its large
stake in the Israeli textile giant Delta Galil so it along with its two dozen
plus brands have all been removed from the boycott list.
Nokia:
Nokia Ventures Organization which
had so heavily invested in Israel is no longer part of Nokia and is now called
BlueRun Ventures and has many investors now. Note that Nokia is still one of
its investors, but its stake in Israel is now no more prominent than countless
other technology companies who are not on the boycott list, so Nokia has also
been removed from the list.
Arsenal
FC: Following a concerted campaign,
Arsenal Football Club's contract with the Israeli Tourism board to promote
Israel as the teams "official and exclusive travel destination" on
its digital perimeter boards (to an estimated 700 million viewers in 198
countries) was not renewed. Subsequently, Arsenal FC has been removed from the
boycott list. Note that Arsenal still runs 'Arsenal in the Galilee' coaching
project in Israel.
Selfridge: Selfridges flagship store in London
was picketed for stocking a range of settlement products including Ahava and
soon a boycott of the store followed. It no longer sells Ahava Dead Sea
products on its website, although it does advertise Estee Lauder Origins 'body
scrubs' which include Dead Sea salts. As part of our strategy of a more focused
boycott campaign where individual Israeli brands like Ahava are targeted,
Selfridges in no longer on the boycott list.
Danone:
Whilst Danone is still on the
boycott list, it has gone through some changes and lost some of its famous
brands and these are no longer on the boycott list. A Jacob biscuit is now
owned by United Biscuits; HP foods and Lea & Perrins is now owned by H.J.
Heinz; and similarly Galbani and LU Biscuits are also no longer owned by
Danone.
REVISED LIST
The organization has also revised
the list of boycotted products, with inclusion of new ones. The purpose of
boycott is to peacefully put international pressure on apartheid Israel and
follows in the footsteps of the successful boycott against South African
apartheid.
The
revised list includes Keter, Curver, Jardin, OutStanding and Allibert in the
Plastic category. Although, most of these products are not in circulation in
Nigeria, they spend huge lots of money on Israel. For instance, Israels Keter
Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of plastic
consumer products. The Israeli plastics giant is privately owned by the Sagol
family, and has a turnover of $1.1 billion, 90% of which is derived from
overseas sales.
The
same also apply to food and drink. While Coca Cola remain the third largest, Nestle
has continued to appear on the list of companies supporting Israel. Nestlé is
the world's largest food company, it owns 53.8% share of leading Israeli food
manufacturer Osem, an investment worth over $850 million, according to the
reports recently released by inminds.com. Nestle has 9 factories in Israel,
which after China (18) and Russia (11) is the highest number in any country in
Asia - disproportionately high when one considers its size and population. And
in May 2011, Nestle announced plans to build another factory in Israel, an ice
cream plant worth $40 million.
Also,
McDonald's Corporation is a major corporate partner of the Jewish United Fund
and Jewish Federation. According to the Jewish United Fund, through its Israel
Commission it "works to maintain American military, economic and
diplomatic support for Israel; monitors and, when necessary, responds to media
coverage of Israel".
The
Jewish United Fund also runs "Fun-filled Summer Family Missions to
Israel" where families get to "visit an army base and meet with
Israeli soldiers" and "visit our sister city, Kiryat Gat and see the
important work we are doing there". Kiryat Gat is built on stolen
Palestinian land - the lands of the villages of Iraq Al Manshiya and Al-Faluja
whose residents were ethnically cleansed in 1949 in contravention of
International Law. Through its "Partnership to Israel" programme, the
Jewish United Fund provides $1.3 million annually to help further settlement
and development of Kiryat Gat. The Jewish Federation, through its Israel Action
Network is tasked to fight "efforts to boycott Israeli products" and
"campaigns, such as equating Israel with apartheid South Africa".
BOYCOTT
ISRAEL AND ITS ALLIES CAMPAIGN
Scholars of Islam have unanimously
agreed that boycott is a MUST for Muslims, a means of showing
brotherhood and solidarity for their brethren. Among such scholars were Qatari
based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, Irananian spiritual leader, Ali
Khumaini, and Sheikh Dhikrullahi Shafi'I from Nigeria.
Luqmon Yusuf opined that the weapon of
oppressors is economy, stressing that the only way to stop them from committing
their oppression is boycott. He noted that if Muslims are aware and would
boycott Israel products all over the world, it will go a long way in curbing
the aggression against innocent Palestinians.
- Rasheed Abubakar
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