Wednesday 25 September 2013

NOKIA, Arsenal FC, Disney excluded from boycotted products + revised list of new boycotted products



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. NestlĂ© 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

ASMAA AL-BELTAGI - THE NEW FACE OF A MARTYR + Lessons for women on the path of struggle


late Asmaa

Thousands have passed by, only in figures have they been recognized but when the sincere ones fall amidst the mammoth crowd, Allah sends forth a message through their public recognition. My pen can hardly express the way it feels that an image of Zaynab Ghazali be replanted in the history of Islam. The ink will only underestimate the true representation of those who lived and die for the religion of the last hour. A loss that cannot be redeemed, a blow that was dealt so hard and a trigger pulled at the entirety of Muslims all over the world; the death of Asmaa El-Beltagi.

The beautifully blossoming Muslimah was the daughter of the Muslim Brotherhood leader, Muhammad Al-Beltagi. Some minutes to 10:30 Cairo time on Wednesday, August 14, this innocent beauty of Islam breathe her last as she was shot in the chest and back. Her death has torn apart many heads, both within and outside Egypt. A distinct emblem of steadfastness to the cause of truth; many attest to her angelic attributes. At 17, she has participated in all demonstrations since the revolution of January 2011. Her conviction never wavered on the path of Islam. She even encouraged friends to support the call to truth and she resisted the rule of military. In the face of adversity, the courage of the 17 years old has made her to become an icon of Rabaa Al-adawiyyah.

If truly we are acquainted with the history of Islam, we would be certain that this is not the first Muslim female to be persecuted on the path of struggle nto the call of truth in Egypt. It started during the reign of Farouk Jamal Abdul Nasir. The Return of Pharaoh has the comprehensive details of what went wrong and why women wept. This is an era that has shifted from making women the subject but rather the object. Zaynab Al-Ghazali was a woman with rock of actions, ready to lay down her life in defiance for what she believes in. She stood by her cause and she wouldn’t even accept her release when they didn’t release the other sisters from the prison. She knew it was a struggle they had to fight to finish. In the words of Asmaa as she fell, “Persist, victory will soon come. Do not leave the revolution to the army”. This is a clear sign that we are on the right path; we will not stop defending the truth for it is on the basis of the truth that the Brotherhood is built.
 
late Asmaa's father, Muhamed Beltagi
The reason for continuous, consistent and immeasurable persecution is simple. This truthful servant of Allah has continued to uphold the truth about the deen. They have seen and lived Islam as a way of life, they have been steadfast in their belief and they do not turn away from what they stand for even in the face of trials and tribulations. They incessantly call people to what they believe in. Directly or indirectly they reach out to people en-masse, commanding them to do good and forbid evil and to obey nothing but the true commandment of Allah. They haven’t gone beyond these and that is the offence they have committed which is causing multiple unrest and even leading to death and destruction of several innocent lives and properties. The Brotherhood under the pioneer founder, Imam Hassan Al-Banna, came to take care of issues of such and to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless.
 
Dear sisters, I have learnt from this excerpt and I have rebuilt my life on this short story. The depth of what I have read of the life of Asmaa, her memorizing the Qur'an before the age of 14, how she encouraged her father to embark on certain actions, and how she made herself a front runner of self sacrifice to tend to the wounds of people at the square where she met her death. The brotherhood is bound by legion of men and women who has a focus. Asmaa has left us with a message to carry on with the struggle even in the face of trouble.

The blood of martyrs continues to serve as a compass that illuminates the way in this struggle for justice and dignity. Beloved sisters, trials are certain, they will come and go but you have to be convinced and steadfast. For the single ones, mirror Asmaa, for the married ones; let your marriage serve as bedrock of change. Be eagle-sighted, and never be narrow-minded. It is time to choose between been relevant or been indispensable in the sand of time.


Shall I not tell you one of the things in the diary of this innocent Muslimah; “Lord, let me be one of those who grant smiles to people, who weave threads of hope, be kind to the weak and supportive of orphans, who light candles in desolated roads, who ponder cosmic horizons and grow certainty, revolt in the face of justice, whose heart is always hopeful of your kindness”
 
It starts from now, what makes your heart bleeds, the struggle to be relevant or the desire to be heard not seen”

- by Bushrah Olagunju