(COLUMBUS, OH 3/20/23) – CAIR-Ohio is calling on all Americans to join American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP) campaign this Ramadan and beyond to boycott Israeli dates, many of which are grown and packaged in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.
AMP’s nationwide boycott of dates produced in Israeli settlements first launched in Ramadan 2012 by urging grocery store owners to remove Israeli dates from their shelves. The government of Israel purposefully does not distinguish whether dates sold overseas were grown in Israel or illegally occupied territories. Since then, AMP has distributed tens of thousands of postcards and brochures to stores, mosques, and communities nationwide.
With Ramadan beginning this week, CAIR-Ohio is standing in solidarity with AMP and other advocacy groups for the date boycott campaign and is urging all Americans who oppose illegal profiteering from stolen Palestinian land to take action today.
TAKE ACTION:
1. Sign AMP’s petition to join in solidarity with this boycott of Israeli dates to support justice for the Palestinian people.
2. Inspect date packages for indication of origin. If the origin is not listed or is vague, Google the distributor or packer to find out their true origin.
What else can you do?
1. Share AMP’s boycott campaign website with your family and friends, and ask them to sign their pledge and join in solidarity with this boycott of Israeli dates to support justice for the Palestinian people.
2. Download the campaign posters below. Select your preferred language(s), print and share with your local stores.
- English (Download here)
- Arabic (Download here)
- Spanish (Download here)
- Bosnian (Download here)
- Urdu (Download here)
- Turkish (Download here)
- Somali (Download here)
3. Follow CAIR and AMP on social media (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) and share our campaign posts using the hashtag #BoycottIsraeliDates.
4. Find alternative date companies that you can buy from! Palestinian dates are often labeled “Grown in Palestine,” and there are a plethora of Algerian, Tunisian, Emirati, and Californian varieties to choose from.
Why this campaign?
Dates are considered the “black gold” of Palestine. They are an important natural product of Palestine’s pure and blessed land. With the holy month of Ramadan knocking on the doors, this “black gold” is especially sacred due to the Muslim ritual of breaking fasts with them. But the Israeli colonial enterprise has produced its own industry of dates in a manner that is much more sinister.
Israeli date farms profit off of theft and abuse. They are predominantly grown in illegal Israeli settlements and are grown using stolen natural resources like water. Palestinian laborers, who are often forced by economic necessity to work in these illegal settlements, are forced to work in grueling physical conditions. Israeli labor laws are scarcely enforced when it pertains to Palestinian workers, leaving these Palestinians underpaid and un-compensated for their back-breaking work.
American Muslims for Palestine firmly believes that educating the American public is key to bringing about change in the Middle East.