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Consumer boycott widens to include Israeli dates as Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia observe Ramadan
- The warnings about dates – a sweet fruit eaten to break fast during the holy month – come after some were repackaged in Malaysia to hide their origin
- Muslims across the region have observed a months-long boycott of Israeli goods and companies in protest against the brutal assault on Gaza
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Dates from Israel are the latest goods to fall foul of a consumer boycott across Muslim nations in Southeast Asia, after Malaysian customs arrested a man for allegedly mislabelling the fruit for local sale, while Indonesia’s highest Muslim authority reminded the public to snub Israeli imports of the sweet snack during the holy month of Ramadan.
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Muslims across the region have observed a months-long boycott of Israeli goods and companies in protest against the brutal assault on Gaza, which has killed over 30,000 Palestinians so far, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, the overwhelming majority of them civilians. Israel says 1,200 of its citizens were killed by the October 7 attack on its territory by Hamas militants, who took scores more hostage into Gaza.
The boycott, amped up by social media, has hit the bottom line of some companies in Malaysia over apparent links to Israel, prompting a plea from the wealthy owner of the local unit of Starbucks for consumers to ease up on his firm, and legal action by McDonald’s for damages.
Now Israeli dates, a sweet fruit eaten to break fast during Ramadan, are in the cross hairs of a consumer campaign which is flying across Malaysian and Indonesian chat groups over fears Israeli dates are being sold to unwitting buyers in the Muslim nations.
A Malaysian minister on Thursday warned “strict action” would be taken against people who “mislead consumers” after a man was detained in a raid on a warehouse in Klang Port, Selangor.
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“During the raid, officers confiscated 73 packs of jumbo medjool dates believed to have come from Israel,” Armizan Mohd Ali, minister in charge of domestic trade and cost of living told parliament on Thursday, responding to questions.
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