Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
November 06, 2023
In 2002, a Tunisian-French businessman named Tawfik Mathlouthi launched Mecca-Cola as an alternative to Coca-Cola and other “western” cola brands.
He did this against the backdrop of 9/11 and at a time of widespread prejudice towards Muslims in the West. The stated intention was to provide Muslim consumers with an alternative product. It was also a time when young and increasingly affluent Muslims were realising their consumer power, and Mr Mathlouthi’s idea resonated with many of them.
Muslim consumers also demonstrated their consumer power in 2005, following the publication of the controversial Prophet Mohammed cartoons in Denmark. The subsequent boycott of many Danish brands in the Middle East adversely affected these companies’ sales.
In recent weeks, the Israel-Gaza war has stirred millions of consumers around the world into wielding their purchasing power – boycotting products or brands that they believe are fuelling the conflict.
We live in an era of consumerism where brands have become intrinsic to identities. The choice of brand says something about its consumer. For youngsters in particular, affinity with a brand isn’t limited to just its quality but increasingly also to the causes and behaviours with which it aligns itself, and the role it plays in them. The consumer response to the current conflict, however, has put several brands in paradoxical situations that seem increasingly complex for them to navigate.
Demonstrators at a pro-Palestine rally on October 10, in Melbourne, Australia. Getty
In recent years, there has been a greater push for more diverse workforces, and for staff members to be authentic and to bring their “full selves” to work. This has meant being open about what might be affecting them, creating “safe spaces” and allowing open discussion. This approach was cemented in many companies after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, when businesses internally and brands externally made statements and commitments largely in support of Ukraine. The situation in Palestine-Israel is not the same, but a precedent has been set.
For businesses, taking a position is riven with risk. Workplace tensions are to be expected, particularly in diverse settings, but saying nothing exposes companies to misunderstandings. Employees now increasingly expect their organisational leaders to take a stand.
The conflict has also led to some truly Kafkaesque turns of events.
For instance, Starbucks and the union that represents many of its workers sued each other last month in a standoff sparked by a social media post about the Israel-Gaza war. This happened even as the company’s position was said to be alienating Muslim consumers around the world.
This is, perhaps, not as mind-boggling as the situation that McDonald’s finds itself in. A franchise in Israel said it would offer free meals to Israeli soldiers, while another franchise in Oman issued a statement about being Muslim-owned and that it was sending aid to Gaza.
Brands too easily forget the social context that they insert themselves into, something that British retailer Marks and Spencer recently found out the hard way.
The consumer response to the current conflict, however, has put several brands in paradoxical situations that seem increasingly complex for them to navigate
This week, the release of the big brand Christmas advertisements takes place in the UK. Advancing the idea that people should maintain only the Christmas traditions they love and get rid of the ones that put them under pressure, an M&S ad showed an image of paper party hats being burnt on a real fire. The problem? They were coloured green, white and red – the colours of the Palestinian flag.
More than 13,000 complaints later – unsurprising, given that it was released during the ongoing bombardment of Gaza – the ad was withdrawn. M&S sought to explain the controversy away by saying that the promotional film was shot in August.
But to have no mechanism to judge a social media post in the current context is at best sadly incompetent, extremely poor timing and demonstrates a failure of being alert to the context in which an ad is delivered. Brands often forget that consumers are generally not hanging on to their every campaign and are, instead, preoccupied with the world.
But worse is that, rightly or wrongly, the M&S case has now left many people with a lasting sense that the company supports Palestinians being killed. Not my words, but this is what consumers feel, and that is hard for brands to undo.
Such mistakes are often rooted in ignorance, but in some of their subtler forms there are unfortunate traces of Islamophobia and a sense that the democratic consumer experience of Muslims doesn’t matter. There is also a sense that, by serving them, the company might alienate other shoppers who should be prioritised, or that Muslim shoppers can be taken for granted.
For example, the American DIY chain Lowe’s pulled its advertising from a reality TV show depicting Muslim-American families for fear of the “backlash” it thought it was facing. The backlash turned out to be a one-man band under the guise of the “Florida Family Association”, which was spamming them. But the company alienated not just many Muslim Americans, of whom there are millions, but a wider cross-section of American society as well.
But greater brand engagement with Muslim consumers is a way of acknowledging their purchasing power and possibly leads to their integration into mainstream culture and commerce.A Christmas ad, for example, by British supermarket chain Tesco that featured a Muslim family prompted joyful social commentary in the UK about how Muslims were part of the national holiday. Seeing them featured in such a high-profile moment cemented Muslims’ place in the national fabric.
Brands should find better ways to engage with customers. They shouldn’t just ward off the commercial and reputational risks of boycotts; Muslim consumers – and their pounds, dollars and dirhams – matter as much as anyone else. Muslim consumers in many countries could stand to matter even more due to changing demographics and their rising affluence.
Brands have a unique opportunity to encourage dialogue. For protesters from a wide cross-section of society, their buying choices are among the few ways for them to feel heard and believe that they can make a difference. Perhaps, in the brands they support or boycott, customers also feel it is one place they can’t be censored.
In 1824, the British activist Elizabeth Heyrick published a pamphlet calling for the boycott of sugar produced by slaves. Fed up with politicians thought to be appeasing wealthy slaveholders, she urged ordinary Britons, including grocers, to instead buy sugar produced by those who were free. This led to a drop in sugar prices and eventually the abolition of slavery. In short, consumer power was a contributing factor to a significant development in Britain’s history.
There is something resonant of Ms Heyrick’s frustration with the slow pace of change and her need to directly interact with retail brands and consumers. Two hundred years later, consumers continue to exercise their power. Brands should take their cue and engage with them.
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The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
What: Brazil v South Korea When: Tonight, 5.30pm Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Tickets:www.ticketmaster.ae
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
