SENSITIVITY REGARDING ISRAELI DATES DURING RAMADAN
Dr. Hüseyin Kâmi BÜYÜKÖZER
This Ramadan, as Muslims, we need conscientious consumption. The bloodshed that israel has caused in Gaza for years, from October 7, 2023, to the present, has led to calls for boycotts of companies supporting israeli policies all over the world. We must show our reaction to oppression with these boycotts. As the Islamic world, especially this Ramadan, we must place israeli-produced dates at the top of our boycott list.
This Ramadan, we need to strike a major blow against zionism with the weapon of boycott. Especially when buying dates, we should check the origin of the product as much as the price.
Warning from Palestinian Officials to the Islamic World!…
Palestinian officials warned the entire Islamic world on the first day of Ramadan about israeli-produced dates. It has been revealed that israel is marketing dates grown in Palestinian territories seized from the occupied West Bank as if they were produced by Palestinian Muslims.
Palestinian officials have warned consumers to carefully check the barcodes when buying dates.
According to israeli media reports, the ongoing massacre in Gaza since October 7th has made it increasingly difficult to sell israeli dates in the European market as the holy month of Ramadan approaches. Ramadan is considered a crucial period when approximately one-third of israeli date exports take place.
According to israel’s Haaretz newspaper, a $550,000 advertising campaign promoting israeli Medjoul dates has been shelved due to fears of a boycott.
Following the brutal bloodshed in Gaza, measures against israeli products in various sectors have increased among Muslim communities around the world.
Israel is one of the world’s largest producers of dates, particularly the popular large, fleshy, and delicious Medjoul date. The American Muslims for Palestine movement has called for a boycott of 12 israeli date brands. In recent years, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has been growing its campaign to exert economic pressure on israeli companies to end the occupation.
Given the spiritual significance of dates during Ramadan, which are a sunnah (recommended practice) for breaking the fast, many Muslims strive to ensure that dates are ethically sourced.
The BDS movement is calling on the world to stand against israel through boycotts. Israeli date producers are altering their labels to conceal the origin of dates produced in Israel.
Groups supporting Gaza and Palestine are working hard to ensure consumers can make informed choices and avoid buying israeli dates.
An israeli date producer told Haaretz: “There are organizations in Europe that go into supermarkets where dates with our brand are sold and put stickers on them saying that buyers are ‘contributing to genocide’.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign says that most of israel’s Medjul dates are grown by israeli settlers in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Campaigners fighting against the israeli occupation regularly warn people to check the dates and origin labels before buying.
A boycott of israeli dates could have a significant economic impact on israel, as its 50% share of the Medjul market makes it one of the largest markets in the world by volume.
According to Haaretz, in an effort to counter the boycott campaigns, israeli producers are working with some buyers to alter the labels on their products, attempting to conceal the origin of the dates.
