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“Zamzam-Cola” Hits Shelves As Coke Fizzles Out in Bahrain
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| Iran has replaced U.S. products with “Zamzam-Cola” |
MANAMA,
May 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iran's version of Coke has
hit the shelves of Bahrain's supermarkets as residents of the Gulf
kingdom increasingly express their frustration at U.S. policy on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict by boycotting American products.
"There
is growing demand for substitutes to American soft drinks, which is
what prompted us to import Zamzam-Cola," Iran's alternative to
Coca-Cola and Pepsi, said an executive at the Bahraini-owned
"Zamzam Soft Drink Drops".
"Consumers'
response has been as good as anticipated," said the executive,
who requested anonymity.
The
Iranian beverage takes its name from a spring in the Saudi holy city
of Mecca.
Millions
of Muslim pilgrims who visit Mecca every year, either on the annual
hajj or on other religious occasions, use large quantities of water
from Zamzam, reportedly the world's oldest running spring, because it
is holy and has healing properties.
In
marked contrast with the close relations at official level between
Washington and Manama, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and a
"major non-NATO ally" of the United States, anti-U.S.
sentiment spread like wildfire in Bahrain after Israel launched a
massive military offensive in the West Bank in late March.
Bahrainis
staged scores of anti-Israel and anti-U.S. demonstrations at the peak
of the Israeli offensive, in one case triggering a crackdown by
security forces when protesters hurled stones and petrol bombs at the
U.S. embassy in Manama.
One
man died and more than 100 people were injured during the April 5
demonstration, in which some 20,000 mostly Bahraini protesters took
part.
Five
days later, around 500 students were treated in hospital after riot
police fired tear gas to stop 2,000 pro-Palestinian students from
reaching the embassy.
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Iranian Sara |
With
the boycott of U.S. products picking up momentum, the Jawad Trade
Group, which holds the Bahraini franchise of the "Burger
King" U.S. fast-food giant, recently put out a paid advertisement
in the local press in an effort to persuade Bahrainis that it is
linked to the American company only by name.
Bahrain's
Burger King "does not pay any money to any American company, and
50 percent of its staff are Bahrainis," the ad said.
But
the firm's PR blitz, which also featured posting boxes draped in
Palestinian flags for the collection of donations in its various
outlets, is only starting to bear fruit.
"At
one point, I really feared for my job," said Abdullah Mohammad,
who works at a Burger King restaurant in Sanad village, 16 kilometers
(10 miles) south of Manama.
"The
campaign is now beginning to pay off, with customers returning
gradually," he told AFP, though a glance at the restaurant early
Sunday evening did not bear out his optimism.
Local
operators for McDonald's would not take AFP's questions, but the
company's director told a newspaper here last month that its sole
connection with the U.S. fast-food chain was the payment it makes to
use the brand name, and that its operations were pumping money into
the Bahraini economy.
The
effect of the boycott was evident during what was supposed to be peak
hour Sunday evening at the McDonald's branch located near the U.S.
embassy, whose windows were also the target of protesters' wrath along
with the embassy itself on April 5.
"The
boycott might not be painful for U.S. companies given that Bahrain is
a small market," said economic analyst Khaled Abdullah, referring
to the population of 650,000.
"Yet,
it does send a direct political message," and thus seems to be
more a means of making a point than a way of inflicting damage, he
told AFP.
Meanwhile,
vehicles traveling near the U.S. embassy, as in many other places,
drive over the word "USA" written on the road - yet another
way for Bahrainis to make clear how they feel about Washington's
perceived bias for Israel.
Earlier
this year, Iran came up with a new substitute for Ken and Barbie. Dara
and Sara, the Muslim dolls, have been developed by an Iranian
government agency to promote traditional values, with their modest
clothing and pro-family backgrounds, BBC's online news service
reported.
Marketed
by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and
Young Adults - a government agency affiliated with the Ministry of
Education - Dara and Sara were born as characters in school books and
their lives have also grown in stories that are being sold on cassette
along with the dolls. The siblings help each other solve problems and
turn to their loving parents for guidance.
Dara
and Sara are supposed to be eight years old, young enough under
Islamic law for Sara to appear in public without a headscarf. But each
of the four models of Sara comes with a white scarf to cover her brown
or black hair.
"Dara
and Sara are strategic products to preserve our national identity,”
said Mehdi Hedayat, another toy seller. "And of course, it is an
answer to Barbie and Ken, which have dominated Iran's toy
market."
Speaking
on the issue of Barbie dolls, Dr. Fu'aad Mekheimar, professor of
Islamic Studies at Al-A-Azhar University in Cairo, described Barbie as
"purely American".
"It
embodies popular American culture, displaying sexual attractions and
being fashion conscious. It promotes an un-Islamic way of dressing,
and rather encourages materialism and brushes aside spiritual values.
Thus, it negatively affects female Muslim children who are supposed to
be brought wearing hijab and guarding their chastity," said
Mekheimar.
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