illusion8
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Wedged in a haphazard row of shops in Mumbai’s crowded Bhendi Bazar, a predominantly Muslim area, the tiny Shalimar Restaurant exhorts patrons to reject products made by PepsiCo Inc., Kraft Foods Group Inc. and Nestle SA to protest Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
A poster near the manager’s table lists six Western brands, including the Coca-Cola Co., as “Israeli” and says they won’t be served in a campaign adopted by about 800 Muslim businesses in the city. In India, where governments for decades after independence supported the Palestinian cause, opposition to Israel often involves criticism of the U.S. and European nations deemed to favor the Jewish state.
“This is our way of showing our anger against Israel,” said Omaer Shaikh, who runs Shalimar, as the alley starts to get busy in the evening hours with makeshift shopping stalls on bamboo stands and devout Muslims preparing to break their day-long Ramadan fast. “For us, Coke and Pepsi is human blood. They are financing the war against Palestine.”
The protest comes amid efforts by the country’s newly elected Hindu-nationalist government to forge closer ties with Israel, a development that has angered the nation’s Muslims, who form about 13 percent of the population. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thwarted attempts this week by some lawmakers to condemn Israel over the fighting that has killed almost 700 people, most of them Palestinian civilians.
Mumbai Muslims Protest Gaza by Boycotting Pepsi, Nescafe - Bloomberg
A poster near the manager’s table lists six Western brands, including the Coca-Cola Co., as “Israeli” and says they won’t be served in a campaign adopted by about 800 Muslim businesses in the city. In India, where governments for decades after independence supported the Palestinian cause, opposition to Israel often involves criticism of the U.S. and European nations deemed to favor the Jewish state.
“This is our way of showing our anger against Israel,” said Omaer Shaikh, who runs Shalimar, as the alley starts to get busy in the evening hours with makeshift shopping stalls on bamboo stands and devout Muslims preparing to break their day-long Ramadan fast. “For us, Coke and Pepsi is human blood. They are financing the war against Palestine.”
The protest comes amid efforts by the country’s newly elected Hindu-nationalist government to forge closer ties with Israel, a development that has angered the nation’s Muslims, who form about 13 percent of the population. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thwarted attempts this week by some lawmakers to condemn Israel over the fighting that has killed almost 700 people, most of them Palestinian civilians.
Mumbai Muslims Protest Gaza by Boycotting Pepsi, Nescafe - Bloomberg
