STAUNCH boycotters of American/Israeli products should perhaps bear in mind that Islam forbids insulting or equating humans with animals to show displeasure stemming from differing opinions.
Commenting on posters that have gone viral on social media likening Muslims who consume McDonald’s (McD’s) fast-food products to dogs, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) senior lecturer in the Quran and Sunnah Studies Department Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin told Malaysiakini:
“Such action is not only inappropriate but sinful, particularly for someone to insult those who are not involved in the boycott, in this case by giving a negative perception to dogs.
Islam mengharamkan penghinaan atau menyamakan manusia dengan binatang meskipun berbeza pendapat, kata Pensyarah Kanan Jabatan Pengajian Quran Sunnah UIAM, Abu Hafiz Salleh Hudin.
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“Moreover, the Quran and the hadith also stated that it is forbidden to insult fellow Muslims. Differences of opinion on the boycott action should not be a problem until it is necessary to hurl insults to fellow members of the community.”
For the uninitiated, the use of dogs as a ‘mascot’ in boycott posters stemmed from this quote by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “the person who boycotts (Israeli products) is like a dog who will return to its owner when it’s hungry”.
While further stressing that the boycotting fast-food as in the case of McD’s or KFC is an individual choice, Abu Hafiz reminded the boycotters not to embark on the extreme.
“Those who choose to boycott shouldn’t force or insult others by using inappropriate language and calling someone a dog,” he asserted.
“There’s no need for both sides to provoke each other because this will lead to a conflict that will bring about a negative impression when our religion prioritises good manners and conduct which certainly shouldn’t be portrayed as humiliation on paintings.
In recent times, FocusM have run stories of staunch McD’s boycotters taunting and traumatising Muslims who dined at the fast-food outlet during the Eid festivity season by filming their faces or even resorted to hurling insults at cars queuing up at McD’s drive-thru while waving the Palestinian flags.
Interestingly, one netizen pointed out that PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang ‘tops the list’ for the tendency to use animal-related analogy in his political discourse.
Concurring with Abu Hafiz, a netizen even suggested that “dogs are more respectful” than the staunch boycotters themselves. – April 18, 2024
Main image credit: randuk Malaysia/Instagram
