F.A.Q on Boycott (3rd Series)
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Written by admin on April 30, 2008 – 4:07 am
8. Can the boycott really effect the Israeli economy?
Israel’s economy is on the verge of total collapse with no sign of recovery despite cash injections from uncle Sam. Just last month (Oct 2002) Sharon begged Washington for $10 billion in emergency aid. Inflation is sky rocketing - even the official figure is over 4 times the government target. VAT has just been raised as have fuel bills and all basic living costs like food and rents. Unemployment is soaring and salary cuts are the order of the day.
This has resulted in a series of crippling general strikes - the last one bringing the country to a standstill - flight in and out of Israel had to be suspended, radio and television broadcasts stopped and health workers only dealt with emergencies. The streets are piling up with uncollected garbage.
Foreign investment, a life-line for the zionist state, has also dried up. Figures reveal that investors have lost $5 billion of the $6.5 billion invested in Israel between 1999-2001. No one is prepared to invest any more.
The Israeli government is so short of money that its cost cutting includes shutting down several embassies and consulates around the world!
At this critical time, the importance of the global boycott of Israel and of the collaborating companies that give it its life-line cannot be overemphasised. Israel is counting every penny - every penny matters - ensure yours don’t go to Israel!
9. Is there a printable list of the companies and brands to boycott?
Yes there is a leaflet designed for printing available for download on the following page:
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-leaflet.html
Also there is an e-card with the logos of the companies to boycott which you can send to all your friends. Its available at the Islamic Card Centre:
http://www.inminds.co.uk/cardcentre.html
10. What else can I do to help?
1. Tell Others
Its essential that others know about the boycott and specifically which companies to boycott. Make a point of printing a 100 copies of the leaflet mentioned above[8] and give them out in your community - at Jummah prayers or other gatherings. Talk to people about the boycott, with non-Muslims draw the parallels between this boycott and the one against apartheid in South Africa.
We are grateful to the many individuals and groups around the world who have already helped in spreading the boycott. A few examples come to mind:
- A Muslim group in Bosnia carried out a huge poster and leaflet campaign, with activists distributing 40,000 leaflets in Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina and parts of Yugoslavia. Their success has drawn the attention of the zionist Simon Wiesenthal Centre [April 2002].
- Just recently [December 2002] a similar leaflet campaign advertising our website and the boycott has been carried out in Australia resulting in newspapers articles and tv and radio coverage - we have been labelled as “preaching anti-globalisation” by one paper!
- In Hong Kong a boycott advert with our website has been placed in one of the Chinese newspapers. A reader sent us a copy.
- Crescent International have been placing, without cost to us, boycott adverts with our web address in most issues of their paper. They even designed the advert themselves - we only found out when we received our copy of the paper.
- A few Muslims in Birmingham got together and paid for the printing of 10,000 colour boycott leaflets (which they approached us to design). The leaflets were distributed through out the UK.
- One school has seen the importance of the role of children in keeping a family away from boycotted products, and has taken the initiative of giving each of its 500 pupils a copy of our boycott leaflet.
- Many Muslim and non-Muslim websites now carry our banner and boycott news ticker.
2. Write Letters
For a boycott to be effective, it must be followed up with a letter writing campaign to inform the companies that we are boycotting their products until they stop collaborating with Israel. See our letter writing campaign page for sample letters and advise of letter writing.
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-letter-campaign.html
3. Picket
More and more individuals are beginning to take direct action against companies that support Israel. On form of direct action is to picket the guilty companies.
Picketing is a form of public protest and aims to draw attention to the realities of Palestinian suffering by exposing those that help to sustain it. It embarrasses those shoppers that know they shouldn’t be shopping there, informs those shoppers that are not aware of the moral objections as well as irritating supporters of Israel generally.
The companies themselves become aware of the protests and news of pickets goes all the way to the top. See our guide on picketing to find out if there a picket near you and how to join it. The guide also includes tips on setting up your own picket and legal FAQ on what your rights are when picketing.
http://www.inminds.com/picket-page.html
4. Other boycotts
The boycott of Israel is much more than just an economic boycott. Support the sports and cultural boycotts. For more information see:
Cultural Boycott:
http://www.inminds.com/cultural-boycott-of-israel.html
Sports Boycott:
http://www.inminds.com/sports-boycott-of-israel.html
