London: In order to avoid breaking their fasts with the "taste of apartheid," Muslims in Europe are being urged to read fruit labels carefully and steer clear of Israeli dates this Ramadan, according to the group behind a new boycott.
According to Shamiul Joarder of the UK-based Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), who are behind the campaign, "by choosing not to buy Israeli dates this Ramadan, the Muslim community can send a clear and powerful message of condemnation of Israel's illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine."
Israel is the world's largest producer of Medjoul dates, and the majority of those dates are exported to Europe, according to a statement from FOA. “ Then, all over the continent, these dates are sold in both large supermarkets and small shops.
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According to FOA, 50% of Israeli dates are exported to Europe, where they are heavily imported by the UK, Netherlands, France, Spain, and Italy. Over 3,000 tonnes of dates, valued at approximately £7.5 million ($8.9 million), were imported by the UK from Israel in 2020.
It also stated that at least 62 Palestinians, including 13 children, have been killed by Israel so far this year, which equates to one child being killed every five days.
The article continued, "The Israeli government has pledged to significantly expand illegal settlements while increasing home demolitions at an alarming rate.
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The FOA emphasised that despite the fact that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have declared that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid, European states have failed to sanction Israel and uphold international law.
It's time to reaffirm our dedication to BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) during this Ramadan, according to Joarder. We must never forget how strong we are as a community and how easily we can influence others by simply returning Israeli dates to the shelf.
"All we need to do is #CheckTheLabel and avoid purchasing dates from apartheid Israel," he continued.
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On March 17, the final Friday before Ramadan, a Day of Action has been called at mosques in the UK to encourage Muslims to "check the label." On the final weekend before the holy month, there will also be an online awareness campaign.