Return-Path: Received: from imo-m09.mx.aol.com (imo-m09.mx.aol.com [64.12.136.164]) by fastersite.propagation.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id BAA22659 for ; Mon, 13 Jan 2003 01:22:47 -0600 From: Iaczine@aol.com Received: from Iaczine@aol.com by imo-m09.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v34.13.) id i.b6.16f85f7a (30950) for ; Mon, 13 Jan 2003 02:18:27 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 02:18:27 EST Subject: Arab boycott of American consumer goods spreads To: Iaczine@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_b6.16f85f7a.2b53c243_boundary" X-Mailer: AOL 7.0 for Windows US sub 10641 Status: --part1_b6.16f85f7a.2b53c243_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Arab boycott of American consumer goods spreads=20 David Pallister Wednesday January 8, 2003 The Guardian=20 An informal Arab boycott of American consumer goods has been slowly gatherin= g=20 pace around the Middle East over the past two years as a protest against US=20 support for Israel.=20 At Friday prayers clerics have denounced some of America's most famous=20 brands, leaflets are handed out on the streets and the internet has been=20 inundated with protest calls.=20 Some US companies have reported a drop in sales of between 25 and 40%. The=20 targets include McDonald's and Burger King, Tide and Ariel detergents,=20 Pampers nappies, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Marlboro cigarettes, Hasbro toys,=20 L'Or=E9al, Johnson & Johnson, Timberland, Starbucks and Heinz.=20 Factories in Iran making Zam Zam Cola are struggling to keep up with demand=20 for their sweeter version of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. In the United Arab=20 Emirates, sales of the local Star Cola have soared.=20 Two of the six McDonald's franchises in Jordan have closed for lack of=20 business and KFC and McDonald's branches in the Omani capital Muscat said=20 sales had fallen by up to 65%.=20 The boycott, an extension of the 1951 Arab boycott against Israel, has been=20 given added impetus by declarations from Muslim scholars like Sheikh Youssef= =20 al-Qaradawi of Qatar and Lebanon's Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein=20 Fadlallah. He has called on Arabs to replace US products with European and=20 Asian goods in appreciation of the political support of those countries.=20 In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, preacher Sheikh Omar bin Saeed al-Badna has preache= d=20 that the boycott would be good for the kingdom's local economy.=20 In Beirut, students have protested outside the city's four Starbucks shops,=20 with leaflets spelling out the pro-Israeli sentiments of its chief executive= ,=20 Howard Shultz, and claiming he is "an active Zionist".=20 In Morocco, the newspapers L'Economiste and Assabah have launched a campaign= =20 against the US dollar, urging Moroccans to avoid using the currency in their= =20 business dealings and opt for the euro wherever possible.=20 The Egyptian Doctors' Syndicate, in what it accepts is a symbolic protest,=20 has sent doctors and pharmacies a list of US-made medical products with=20 alternative local or European products.=20 Some of the protests have turned violent. A Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet ha= s=20 been torched by student protesters at Cairo University and another in=20 Tripoli, Tunisia, has been bombed.=20 So far the boycott has been largely endorsed by individuals and the few civi= c=20 and student groups that are allowed to exist in the region. But in Syria,=20 which has one of the more active coordinated campaigns, the government has=20 formally endorsed it. =20 --part1_b6.16f85f7a.2b53c243_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Arab boycott of American consumer goods spreads

David Pallister
Wednesday January 8, 2003
The Guardian

An informal Arab boycott of American consumer goods has been slowly gatherin= g pace around the Middle East over the past two years as a protest against U= S support for Israel.

At Friday prayers clerics have denounced some of America's most famous brand= s, leaflets are handed out on the streets and the internet has been inundate= d with protest calls.

Some US companies have reported a drop in sales of between 25 and 40%. The t= argets include McDonald's and Burger King, Tide and Ariel detergents, Pamper= s nappies, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Marlboro cigarettes, Hasbro toys, L'Or=E9al,= Johnson & Johnson, Timberland, Starbucks and Heinz.

Factories in Iran making Zam Zam Cola are struggling to keep up with demand=20= for their sweeter version of Pepsi and Coca-Cola. In the United Arab Emirate= s, sales of the local Star Cola have soared.

Two of the six McDonald's franchises in Jordan have closed for lack of busin= ess and KFC and McDonald's branches in the Omani capital Muscat said sales h= ad fallen by up to 65%.

The boycott, an extension of the 1951 Arab boycott against Israel, has been=20= given added impetus by declarations from Muslim scholars like Sheikh Youssef= al-Qaradawi of Qatar and Lebanon's Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlall= ah. He has called on Arabs to replace US products with European and Asian go= ods in appreciation of the political support of those countries.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, preacher Sheikh Omar bin Saeed al-Badna has preache= d that the boycott would be good for the kingdom's local economy.

In Beirut, students have protested outside the city's four Starbucks shops,=20= with leaflets spelling out the pro-Israeli sentiments of its chief executive= , Howard Shultz, and claiming he is "an active Zionist".

In Morocco, the newspapers L'Economiste and Assabah have launched a campaign= against the US dollar, urging Moroccans to avoid using the currency in thei= r business dealings and opt for the euro wherever possible.

The Egyptian Doctors' Syndicate, in what it accepts is a symbolic protest, h= as sent doctors and pharmacies a list of US-made medical products with alter= native local or European products.

Some of the protests have turned violent. A Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet ha= s been torched by student protesters at Cairo University and another in Trip= oli, Tunisia, has been bombed.

So far the boycott has been largely endorsed by individuals and the few civi= c and student groups that are allowed to exist in the region. But in Syria,=20= which has one of the more active coordinated campaigns, the government has f= ormally endorsed it.






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