Comments on: We can’t boycott everyone

By: DrM

DrM — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:59:57 +0000

I did read the post, Hijabun. I still thought it was good, despite not agreeing with everything. Maybe I didn’t make that clear in my first post.

By: Indigo Jo

Indigo Jo — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:13:27 +0000

As-Salaamu ‘alaikum,

I am not against boycotts in general (eg. Israel), only against boycotting entire countries for the actions of a minority. They hurt the innocent with the guilty and the Muslims with the non-Muslims, as I explained over at Ummah Pulse. Every society has its bigots, including the UK and including most Muslim countries too, but you cannot cut off every society when you are offended by stupid or offensive utterances from its bigots otherwise you would end up starving, unless you could eat what you grew in your garden.

As for Danish dairies, the fact is that the halal food in Europe is mostly grown in Europe, or in one of the usual air-freight food sources (e.g. South Africa). If all Muslims boycott a given country’s produce, before long they will stop producing halal food because it ceases to be worthwhile. The Israel boycott, on the other hand, is a very different proposition because their offence consists of murder and oppression of Muslims, and the very existence of Israel required, and continues to require, such behaviour.

By: Hijabun

Hijabun — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:40:17 +0000

DrM - re-read the post.

Yusuf is actually against boycotts. He was criticising an article on UmmahPulse that was pro-boycott.

For my money - I am in favour of boycotts. I don’t think it is lazy or unjust but rather an effective way for Muslims to unite across the world to demonstrate our opposition to an issue. OK, I agree that sometimes they don’t work or effect ‘innocents’ but what is the alternative?? Yelling at the TV or radio?

By: DrM

DrM — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:45:40 +0000

Good post, Yusuf. I am strongly in favor of organized boycotts, they work best over a long period. I believe in hurting the bastards where it hurts most, in the pocket book. Who cares about Danish dairies? If the xenophobes are so paranoid about “foreigners,” then why do business with them? The Jews initiated a worldwide boycott of German goods back in the 1930s, it was their right to do so. Its our right to do business with whom we share mutual respect.

By: George Carty

George Carty — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:55:16 +0000

Would you boycott books (not about Islam) whose authors were rabid Islamophobes?

By: Karima Hamdan

Karima Hamdan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:41:59 +0000

Assalamualaikum Dear Br Yusuf, Thank you for taking the time to read my article and commenting on it. I have responded to your post on UmmahPulse.com (link below), have a read and let's discuss. http://ummahpulse.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=315&Itemid=1

By: notanangel

notanangel — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:54:30 +0000

Boycots can be powerful. However, if a country contains idiots then you cannot punish the entire country collectively.

Thats what the right wing/ Evangelical /brown bishop/ apostate/ ignorant bnp alliance is doing with their hatred and scaremongering about all muslims based on the actions of a few.

This argument obviously does not apply to facist countries like Israel that house concentration camps for natives. Israel should be boycotted till the cows come home.

By: Bhaskar Dasgupta

Bhaskar Dasgupta — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 06:19:44 +0000

Good post. Boycott's are frankly lazy thinking. http://piquancy.blogspot.com/2006/04/boycotts-are-placebo-rather-than.html

By: Noora

Noora — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:21:20 +0000

Was their not a boycott in the time of the prophet against some companions who were not hypocrites but did not go to a certain battle . So no one would speak to them or have dealings with them and then a verse came down about them and then people started mixing with them .

By: Indigo Jo

Indigo Jo — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:18:04 +0000

I meant that there was no Muslim boycott against Austria (rightly so, in that particular case), and no call for one.