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[abuali]

Before you continue reading this thread, I would recommend you read and familiarize yourself with the history of Palestine since the occupation by Israel. A simple google search would list for you a lot of resources.

A good resource is http://www.informationclearinghouse.info and a good eye-witness reporter to read is Robert Fisk.

Also have a look at http://ask.or.tz/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2344 to read on the current murder of Palestinians in the guise of war and so called 'defense'

Having familiarized oneself on the oppression (there can be no doubt that Palestinians are being oppressed by a ruthless oppressive regime), a truth-loving and god-fearing person will instinctively ask, 'How can I help the oppressed?'. Surely the palestinians who fear their lives and honour every minute are sending out cries of help. Are we going to respond?

The question is, How can I (an average person) help?

This thread is dedicated to ideas on things that can be done as our response to the cries of help of innocent human lives being inhumanely murdered.

Feel free to submit your ideas on what can be done

[abuali]

Dua/Prayer is a very powerful tool.

If we can all make a habit to recite atleast one dua a day for the people of Palestine, it would hardly take a few minutes, and yet our prayers will reach the All Mighty, All Powerful (La haulla wala Quwwat Illa billa). Especially if our duas use the wasila of those who are Purest and Sinless i.e the Ahl Bayt, and especially our Imam Asr (atfs), the effect can not be comprehended by our humble intellects.

Does anyone know of any specific duas to be recited? Please list them here

Sura Fatah (Sura 48) can be recited with the above intention, beseeching the Almighty.

[abuali]

Boycotting Israeli products is another strong weapon available to us (the average persons). For every unit of product that we choose not purchase, that company is deprived of that small amount of profit, which means lesser finance available to finance the war and the oppression.

So, how to know which products to boycott?



A very good resource is http://www.inminds.co.uk

Here is a quote from their 'boycott israel' page

People of good conscience have chosen to boycott israeli products and companies supporting the zionist entity. Their ethical purchasing decision however is frustrated by the lack of accurate information as to which companies to boycott.

We have carried out extensive research to identify the guilty companies. All our findings are provided here. Where ever possible, we have included full references for the source of our information so that you may independently verify its accuracy and understand exactly how each company is contributing its support to israel. We thank all those organizations who's research we have utilized.

Our research is on going and we encourage you to help us with it - If you have any information regarding guilty companies please e-mail us this information with source references. Thank you.

[abuali]

"Each riyal, dirham …etc. used to buy their goods eventually becomes bullets to be fired at the hearts of brothers and children in Palestine.. To buy their goods is to support tyranny, oppression and aggression." -Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

COMPANIES TO BOYCOTT as found at http://inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.php#companies


* AOL Time Warner
Time Life magazine, CNN, ICQ

* Apax Partners
Jonny Rockets, Sunglass Hut.

* Arsenal Football Club

* Coca-Cola
Fruitopia, Fanta, Kia Orange, Lilt, Sprite, Sunkist..

* Caterpillar

* Danone
HP foods, Evian, Volvic, Jacob

* Delta Galil
Hema, Barbie, Carrefour, Auchan, Tchibo, Victoria's Secret, GAP, Banana Republic, Structure, J-Crew, JC Penny, Pryca, Lindex, DIM, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Playtex, cK, Hugo Boss, M&S

* Disney

* Emblaze

* Estée Lauder
Aramis, Clinique, DKNY, Prescriptives, Origins, MAC, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Jane, Donna Karan, Aveda, Stila, Jo Malone, Bumble & Bumble, Kate Spade

* Home Depot
Villager's Hardware, Georgia Lighting, Apex Supply, EXPO Design Centres

* IBM

* Intel

* Johnson & Johnson

* Kimberly-Clark
Kleenex, Kotex, Huggies, Andrex

* Lewis Trust Group
River Island, Isrotel hotels, Britannia Pacific

* The Limited Inc
Express stores, Lerner New York, Structure, New York & Company, Mast Industries, Intimate Brands, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, White Barn Candle Company, Henri Bendel



* L'Oreal
Giorgio Armani, Redken 5th Avenue, Lancome Paris, Vichy, Cacharel, La Roche-Posay, Garnier, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren, Carson

* Marks & Spencer
M&S, St.Michaels

* McDonald's

* Motorola

* Nestle
Nescafé, Perrier, Vittel, Pure Life, Carnation, Libby's, Milkmaid, Nesquik, Maggi, Buitoni, Cross & Blackwell, KitKat, Milkybar, Quality Street, Smarties, After Eight, Aero, Polo, Lion, Felix cat food, L'Oréal

* News Corporation
TV: Fox, Sky, Star, Phoenix, Granada, CNBC. UK newspapers: Standard Newspaper, News of the World, The Sun, The Times. Australian Newspapers: The Telegraph , Gold Coast Bulletin, Herald Sun, Independent, Sunday Mail. US newspapers: New York Post. Publishers: Harper Collins Ragan, Zondervan, National Geographical. Nursery World, Rawkus, NDS, Mushroom Records, ChinaByte.com, Festival Records

* Nokia

* Revlon
New World Entertainment, Forbes

* Sara Lee
Hanes, Playtex, Champion, Leggs, Douwe Egberts, Bryan, DIM, Ambi Pur, Bali, Superior Coffee, Just My Size, Kiwi, Maison Cafe, Nur die, Pilao, Lovable, Outer Banks, Wonderbra, Sanex, Pickwick, Gossard, Body Mist, Brylcreem, Aqua Velva, Radox

* Siemens

* Selfridges

* Starbucks
Seattle Coffee, Pasqua, Hear Music, Tazo

* Timberland

[abuali]

The website above has presented their research on each company which it has listed as supporting 'apartheid israel'.

If you want to read up on their research and convince yourself why such and such company should be boycotted, just visit the page and click on the company you wish to read up on.

I will paste an example of their research:

Why should ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB be boycotted?

CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORT FOR APARTHEID ISRAEL

1 March 2006

Innovative Minds and the Islamic Human Rights Commission are calling on campaigners to contact Arsenal Football Club and protest their decision to signed a sponsorship deal to promote Israel as a tourist destination.


Palestinian children play football in fear of israeli snipers
who may at any time decide to "have some fun" and target them
from from inside the fortified Israeli settlement built illegally on their land.

"The Israeli army claimed that the soldiers shot dead 11 year old Khalil in self-defense. However, a report issued by the Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, denies the Israeli army’s claims and accuses it of lying. Its investigation confirms that the 11 year old victim was playing football with his friends when he was fatally shot. The report further proves that he did not pose any threat to the Israeli soldiers’ lives, who were positioned in a watchtower a kilometer away..." [5]

BACKGROUND:


Arsenal Football Club has just signed (26th February) a sponsorship deal to promote Israel as a tourist destination.


The £350,000 agreement makes Israel Arsenal's "official and exclusive travel destination." Israel will be featured on digital perimeter boards and 450 high-definition LCD screens at the stadium on game days.[1] The tourism ministry will also have access to the club's official website Arsenal.com, database and magazine to promote Israel as a holiday destination [2]

The televised ads will reach audiences of up to 700 million in an estimated 198 countries. The Israeli Tourism Ministry will also receive intellectual property rights, the use of the team logo and the right to use photos of the team and its players in ads. For an additional fee, Arsenal players will also appear in the ads.[3]

The deal doesn't stop with promoting Israel but actually grants Israel a physical presence in the stadium. The Israeli Tourism Ministry can use the stadium's banquet hall twice a year and can organize an exhibition at the end of the playing season.[3] The stadium will also feature permanent sales tables for t-shirts.[4]

The two-year sponsorship deal begins at the start of next football season in six months' time.

Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson and Arsenal's Keith Edelman
at a press conference at the David Intercontinental hotel in Tel Aviv

With the world boycotting Israel as a tourist destination Israeli tourism minister Abraham Hirchson admitted employing Ernst & Young financial advisers to help develop a new strategy to entice people to Israel. He estimated that the sponsorship deal will bring in an additional 2 million tourist to Israel annually.[3]

Arsenal's managing director, Keith Edelman at a press conference in Israel explained how Arsenal could help sell apartheid Israel: "We are the largest club in London and have 30 million fans around the world. We are in the forefront of the anti-racism campaign in England and have an excellent brand that can promote any product... we will assist Israel become a more popular destination". He also promised "when we find the time, club representatives and players will come to visit Israel,".[3]

A grieving father Hussein Maqanen holds a poster of his two sons killed by the Israelis.
Ibrahim was aged 14, and Adel was aged 17. Adel was killed whilst playing football.
Israeli snipers targeted him from inside a military bunker on a hill overlooking
the patch of dirt which was his football field near Khan Younis.[5]

The Jerusalem Post has hinted that Arsenal's chief shareholder, Danny Fiszman, vice chairman David Dein and managing director Edelman have used their Jewish backgrounds to steer the club towards Israeli causes including setting up football academies in Israel [3] at a time when when Palestinian children are routinely targeted by israeli snipers whilst they play football.[5]

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed this, quoting Uzi Gafni, a director of the Israeli Tourism ministry on the Arsenal deal as saying "I knew I needed someone with ties to Judaism, Edelman may not go to synagogue every Friday, but there are warm Jews at Arsenal who wanted to give something to Israel.".[6]

16 year old Jaser recovering after being shot
with an Israeli M-16 machine gun whilst playing football.
The bullet left an 8 cm hole in Jaser's liver.[5]

[1] Israel joins Emirates on Arsenal's books
John Plunkett, Monday February 27, 2006
http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/ ... ?gusrc=rss

[2] Arsenal signs two-year stadium ad deal with Israel tourism authority
by Daniel Farey-Jones Brand Republic 27 Feb 2006
http://www.brandrepublic.co.uk/login/in ... useaction=
Login&resource=BR_News&articleType=news&article=543440

[3] Israel scores Arsenal sponsorship, Feb. 27, 2006 4:28 | Updated Feb. 27, 2006 19:30
By FRANKIE SACHS, Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? ... &pagename=
JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[4] Israel seeking goal with Arsenal, 26 February 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4753546.stm

[5] A few example of Palestinian children being shot dead by the Israeli army whilst playing football:

* "Among the latest victims of apparently indiscriminate shooting were three teenagers and an eight-year-old, Yousef Abu Jaza, hit in the knee when soldiers shot at a group of children playing football in Khan Yunis."
'I can't imagine anyone who considers himself a human being can do this'
Chris McGreal, Monday July 28, 2003. The Guardian

* B’Tselem Exposes Israeli Army Lies - Its investigation confirms that the 11 year old victim was playing football with his friends when he was fatally shot, 14 November 2001
http://www.pna.gov.ps/subject_details2.asp?DocId=562

* Killing of three Gaza youths puts ceasefire under strain - Teenagers playing football shot in border zone.
Chris McGreal in Rafah, Monday April 11, 2005. The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/ ... 66,00.html

* Israeli forces shoot Palestinian boy dead as he plays football
By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem, 02 July 2004. The Independent, UK
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/mid ... ory=537262

* Loving football to death, by I. Sulaiman
http://electronicintifada.net/features/ ... aiman.html
* Several of the photos used in this feature were taken by I. Sulaiman, a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza.

[6]'I knew I needed someone with ties to Judaism,'February 28, 2006, Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/687490.html


Poster of 11 year old Ali who was shot dead by an israeli army sniper
on 18 June 2001. He bled to death on the football field
where we was playing football with his friends when the sniper struck. [5]

SOURCE: http://inminds.co.uk/boycott-arsenal.html
(THERE IS MORE ON THE PAGE TO READ IF YOU ARE INTERESTED)

[abuali]

BOYCOTT ISRAELI DATES


Did you know that every Ramadan Europes Muslims are unknowingly bankrolling the suffering of their brothers and sisters in Palestine?

Every year at Ramadan Israel especially produces an early crop of dates in time for Ramadan which with the collaboration of Muslim shops serving the Muslim community in this country it sells to Muslims who unaware break their fasts with stolen dates - grown on land stolen from the Palestinians, making a mockery of their faith – their act of worship in opening their fast is perverted in to financing the suffering of their brothers and sisters in Palestine who are starving this Ramadan caged behind apartheid walls.

[abuali]

From SISTANI.ORG

1
Question: I know there is a company which is helping Israel monthly. What is the fatwa about working in such a company and purchasing its products?
Answer: If it allocates part of its income for supporting Israel, it is not permissible.

2
Question: Is it permissible to buy or sell Israeli products?
Answer: It is not permissible.

http://www.sistani.org/index.php?p=2513 ... 6&pid=2053 [look at fatwa 249]
http://www.sistani.org/index.php?p=2513 ... 6&pid=2054 [look at fatwa 265]

[abuali]

http://gazajustice.org

1/17/09 UPDATE: Now that Israel has decided to pause its assault on Gaza in honor of Obama's inauguration. We must continue to pressure the Media in America and Britain to report and expose Israel's war crimes in Gaza. WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE DEAD? We witnessed some of the atrocities via the internet, those images must make to the front pages of newspapers and prime time new. KEEP THE DRIVE, ASK EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO SIGN BELOW AND SEND.

http://action.gazajustice.org/t/4436/ca ... gn_KEY=905

[abuali]

I came across a site for 'Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East' who are running a boycott campaign

read more @ http://www.cjpme.org/

[Reyhana]

Hasin wrote :

Boycotting Israeli products is another strong weapon available to us (the average persons). For every unit of product that we choose not purchase, that company is deprived of that small amount of profit, which means lesser finance available to finance the war and the oppression.

To boycott their products is an obligation on all muslims.The problem lies when we find lame excuses not to boycott, as if we would die without these products.In news channels, when we see how palestinian people are masaccred, we wail and lament while at the same time we contribute towards their plight. Many of us say ''what difference will it make if I boycott while other muslims are into it'', now imagine if each one of us had thought like this !!!

Have we forgotten the greatest lesson taught to us by a small bird or frog who was now and then bringing water in its small mouth, and trying to put out the RAGING FIRE which was made for burning Prophet Ibrahim? When his fellow companions laughed at him and told him that he was stupid to think that he can put out such an IMMENSE FIRE, by pouring few drops from his small mouth on it.He replied that he knew that he wont be able to put out such a BIG FIRE, with his little mouthfulls of water, but then Allah wouldnt ask him about the RESULTS of his efforts but would question him regarding his DUTY/EFFORTS [what did he do to help Allah's prophet].
Alas, such a small and humble creature of Almighty, taught '' mankind'' the biggest lesson .He taught us, that we will be questioned regarding discharging of our duties according to our capability ,and we wont be asked whether the results were fruitful or not.

WAKE UP ''O SILENT ONLOOKERS'' IF WE CANT DISCHARGE OUR OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS OUR FELLOW MUSLIMS THEN HOW WILL WE DISCHARGE OUR DUTIES TOWARDS OUR PRESENT IMAM???
IF WE DONT EVEN HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO FOREGO SOME OF THE PETTY WORLDLY PLEASURES FOR THE SAKE OF OUR FELLOW MUSLIMS, THEN HOW WILL WE SACRIFICE OUR ALL FOR THE IMAM OF OUR TIME[as we claim]???

[abuali]

You are very right about the petty issues we raise as reasons not to boycott. Perhaps the spread of awareness about the reason for the boycott can help in assisting the boycott movement.

Have a look at 'Zaynab's story'

[Reyhana]

How many times have we heard this again and again??? ALAS,this is the mentality of those muslims who do not want to boycott zionist products for their own selfish reasons! WAKE UP O MUSLIMS AND START BOYCOTTING NOW IF YOU HAVENT YET STARTED.