THE official text of the Friday sermon from the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) urged Muslims to cease the practice of boycotting or ostracising certain businesses.
However, the attempt to get Muslim consumers to end the boycott campaign seems to have backfired. More people are now saying they will continue their boycott campaign against some food chains.
Some netizens are also asking whether the speech during the Friday prayers in Perak was an attempt to whitelist the alleged pro-Israeli brands among local consumers.
The speech goes against the current trend in Malaysia where a community is heavily involved in boycotting brands like McDonalds, KFC and Starbucks.
Excerpts from the sermon of the Perak Mufti Wan Zahidi Wan Teh are also widely spread on social media.
The sermon stated that boycotting should be stopped. It is said that such actions are against Islamic justice.
Wan Zahidi is of the view that the current boycott is not in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet and may lead to tyranny.
“Worse, when this issue has been sensationalised without a basis of knowledge and without a true argument, to the point of fueling sentiments or feelings of hatred and anger.
“So the move to highlight this issue has strayed far from the foundation of universal Islamic justice,” said the pulpit according to the text of the Friday sermon prepared by JAIPk.
On Facebook, a user made it clear that boycotts of pro-Zionist brands will continue, especially against those with Malaysian franchises such as Starbucks.
In response to a Facebook post, a user said: “We still choose Boycott. 🤲🏻☺️ People in Europe can Boycott, Suddenly Malaysia is still playing tug of war with these people.”
The user asked whether the oppression against the Palestinian people should be part of the ‘fairness’ the speech spoke about.
Another user on Facebook said, “Muslims in Perak are now very angry with the Friday sermon.”
Khatibs who read the text of the sermon are criticised, arguing that the preacher who read the speech confided that he did not agree with the content. – May 25, 2024
Main photo credit: Malaysiakini
