REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Ulama Assembly (MUI) welcomes the statement by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto affirming Indonesia's support for Palestinian independence. MUI also requested that the President immediately stop imports from Israel and urged the public to continue the boycott movement of Israeli-affiliated products.

This affirmation was delivered on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the issuance of Fatwa MUI No. 83 of 2023 on the Law of Support to the Palestinian Struggle. The fatwa was decreed by the MUI Fatwa Commission on 08 November 2023.

“MUI of course welcomes President Prabowo's remarks made during his inauguration in front of representatives of foreign countries and can be monitored from all over the world through social media platforms, this shows that the attitude of the Indonesian government in favor of freeing the Palestinians from the grip of Israeli occupation has never changed, even this time its tone is much more decisive,” said Muhammad Cholil Nafis, Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Assembly (MUI) for Dakwah and Ukhuwah, responded to President Prabowo's statement.

“At home, Muslims can support the decisive stance of President Prabowo's government by continuing in parallel the boycott against Israeli and affiliated products,” he said.

The public can view Israeli-affiliated products or not, through the websites boycott.thewitness and bdnaash. In addition, people can also refer to the 10 list of Israeli-affiliated products from the Indonesian Muslim Consumer Foundation (YKMI) as a guide, namely Starbucks, Danone, Nestle, Zara, Kraft Heinz, Unilever, Coca Cola Group, McDonalds, Mondelez, Burger King, and Israeli dates.

“The impact of the boycott on Israeli products inside the country is already beginning to be seen, and this movement must continue, until Israel completely stops committing genocide against Palestinian civilians,” he said.

In line with the boycott movement, Kyai Cholil did not forget to express his hope that President Prabowo will immediately order a halt to the import of Israeli products, which has continued until now. “The cessation of imports of these Israeli products needs to be done by the new government, so that Indonesia does not appear half-heartedly in its support for Palestinian independence,

” Kyai Cholil said. The same attitude was conveyed by KH. Arif Fahrudin, Deputy Secretary General of MUI for Ukhuwah. “We certainly welcome President Prabowo's unequivocal statement in support of Palestinian independence, which is in line with the previous administration,” Arif said.

“The firmness of this government's stance certainly needs to be amplified by the attitude of the Indonesian people, especially Muslims, who have shown their support for the Palestinians, both by donating and by rallying ranks through the boycott movement,” Arif said.

According to Arif, Indonesians could help pressure the Israeli regime to stop committing genocide against Palestinian civilians by continuing to boycott Israeli-affiliated products in Indonesia.

“The government's stance is clear and unequivocal, so people should also not be shy about continuing the boycott of Israeli-affiliated products, until Israel completely stops committing brutal, inhuman massacres and Palestinians are freed from Israeli occupation,” Arif said.

Earlier, during his maiden speech at the Parliament Building of the Indonesian Parliament, which was also attended by representatives of foreign countries, President Prabowo stated that, “... We support the independence of Palestine!“

“We are against oppression, because we were once oppressed. We're anti racialism, we're anti apartheid. Because we've experienced apartheid. When we were colonized, even we were ranked lower than dogs... Therefore we have principles, we must be solider, we must defend the oppressed peoples of this world. Therefore, we support the independence of the Palestinian people! ,” he said, which was greeted by a roar from the audience in attendance.

The consistency of the Indonesian Government's support for Palestine has been massively followed by the Muslim community of Indonesia, which since the end of 2023 is compactly boycotting the products affiliated with the Zionist state of Israel.

As a result, many manufacturers whose parent companies were identified as supporting Zionist Israel today suffered quite significant losses. Sales of major western brands ranging from Unilever, McDonald's, to Starbucks and Danone were hit by consumer boycotts in Indonesia plummeted by double digits. Local brand Teh Botol Sosro owned by Rekso Group — McDonald's owner's business octopus in Indonesia — was hit by plummeting sales as a result of the boycott. The biggest impact was especially after the promulgation of the Indonesian Ulema Assembly (MUI) Fatwa No. 83 of 2023 banning Israeli-affiliated products.

The fatwa triggered a massive boycott movement in Indonesia, which was further reinforced by the publication of Fatwa MUI Number 14/Ijtima' Ulama/VIII/2024, on “Priority Use of Domestic Products”, enough to hit a number of multinational companies believed to be affiliated with Israel.

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