Coca Cola and other U.S. products will be boycotted in protest of the latter’s mingling in the affairs of Muslim countries

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent

Kuala Lumpur, December 6 (IslamOnline) - Malaysian Muslim restaurants, grouped under the influential Association of Malaysian Muslim Restaurants association (PRESMA), has decided to boycott Coca Cola and other U.S. products in protest of the latter’s mingling in the affairs of Muslim countries, the association president said on Thursday, December 5.

Muslim restaurants, some 7000 of them affiliated to the association, were not afraid of the consequences of the boycott of U.S. products, said Jamarul Khan, president of the Presma.

The boycott is supported by a host of other local consumer associations and the Malaysian Indian Muslim Organization (PERMIM) based in Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur.

“The association has decided to go ahead with the boycott of products regularly used by Muslims and made in western countries,” Khan said.

The boycott is in response to “Western interference in the internal affairs of Muslim and developing countries, under the guise of "war against terrorism," the Consumer Association of Malaysia said.

A brief run in a few of the restaurants that are members of the association showed there were no Coca Cola on sale on Thursday, while some of them said they had to clear their stock of Coca Cola in particular.

Coca Cola and Pepsi are very popular products in Malaysia, and all attempts to boycott these products in this country have failed lamentably.

The same goes for franchised products such as Kentucky Friend Chicken (KFC) and MacDonald’s which are children’s favorites any where in Malaysia.

While it appears that any campaigns to destroy the image of American products in South East Asia seems doomed to failure, the Presma is certain it is going to harm these products.

The reason, the Presma told IslamOnline, is that this is the first time a large Non-Government Organization supported by a host of other consumer associations, are boycotting these products.

Presma does not expect all the restaurants affiliated to it to boycott the products made in the U.S. and sold in Malaysia, in particular cigarettes which are extremely popular in this country.

However, the group said its efforts was clearly a signal to the West that Muslims could take action for their interference in Muslim affairs and for the way they are running the “war against terrorism” which looks like a new crusade against Islam.

“Our experience shows that patrons come to our restaurants to get food, not specifically to drink Coca Cola or other soft drinks. Thus we are not afraid our business will dwindle in any way,” l Khan told IslamOnline.

In response to criticism that Coca Cola for example is made by a Malaysian based company that employs Malaysians, the Presma said in essence the company was a global company with its main base in the U.S. and that in this respect the boycott is significant.

The idea of the boycott was symbolic for the Presma but that the effect of it will be felt in the long run, Khan added.

There were no comments from the companies producing soft drinks in Malaysia where as some customers commented that the Presma’s boycott of U.S. or western products would not affect their choices of drinks after all.

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