products on a cart in New Delhi, Indiaa on July 28, 2012. Sanjit Das/Bloomberg
NEW DELHI // A group of Muslim restaurant owners in Mumbai has boycotted American colas such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, in protest against United States support of Israel during its recent attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The restaurateurs belong to the Chiliya community of Muslims, whose origins lie in the state of Gujarat and who run hundreds of eateries in Mumbai.
“We have taken a collective decision to boycott these products as a silent protest to the bombings that are killing so many innocent people,
including children,” Omaer Sheikh, managing director of the Shalimar hotel, in Mumbai’s Muslim-dominated Bhendi Bazaar neighbourhood, told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper last week. “We will continue this protest until the bombings are stopped.”
The decision was taken on July 16 by members of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHAR). More than a hundred members met at the Shalimar Hotel to find a way of protesting Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
“We’re going to keep the boycott going until the bombings stop,” Rashid Hakim, the owner of a restaurant called Noor Mohammadi, also in Bhendi Bazaar, told The National on Saturday. “We just want to do our bit to ensure that there’s a return to humanity in that region.”
After the boycott began, his customers frequently asked him and his waiters about the lack of Coke and Pepsi, Mr Hakim said.
In response, he has installed a giant banner above the door of Noor Mohammadi, announcing the reasoning behind his decision.
Instead of colas, the restaurants resolved to serve fruit juices and jal jeera, a peppery, cumin-laced drink that aids digestion, particularly after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
But Arvind Shetty, the chairman of the Mumbai-based IHAR, emphasised that his organisation was not officially backing the boycott.
“The members who are behind this form perhaps three per cent of our total community,” Mr Shetty said. “They did request us to support their boycott. But we didn’t agree.”
Mr Shetty explained that his organisation was reluctant to take stances on religious issues. “Morally, of course, we condemn the killing of innocent people,” he said. “But in this particular case, the restaurants are acting on their own.”
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Muslim hoteliers boycott US products to protest against Israeli strikes in Gaza
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times Mumbai, July 25, 2014
First Published: 23:42 IST(25/7/2014) | Last Updated: 14:47 IST(26/7/2014)
Muslims in Mumbai are protesting Israel’s military operation in Gaza and look who’s feeling the heat — Foreign food and drink companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kraft.
Hotels in Muslim-dominated Bhendi Bazaar area, for instance, such as the Shalimar Hotel, have put up a list of brands that won’t be served. Other eateries in the area, too, have stopped selling soft drinks of Coke and Pepsi.
Hotel owners who met at Shalimar Hotel earlier this month were unanimous that the boycott was an effective weapon against the Israeli strike. “We are feeling helpless that innocent people are dying. They will relent only when you attack their economic interests,” a hotelier said.
Interestingly, none of the brands that face boycott are from Israel. For instance, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are American brands. But the view is that the US is not doing enough to end the conflict and hence American brands are not being used.
Coca-Cola said it doesn’t favour any individual country or religious cause and wants to see peace in West Asia and elsewhere. “The Coca-Cola Company has a practice of operating as a local business in every market it serves.. Given the local nature of the Coca-Cola business, we believe that these type of actions primarily hurt the local economy, businesses and citizens,” a spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Mondelez International did not offer comments. Pepsi and Nestle didn’t reply to emails seeking comments.
Analysts say the companies won’t be affected as long as the boycott is not widespread.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/gaza-effect-muslim-hoteliers-avoid-us-products/article1-1244687.aspx
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