Rather than giving a knee-jerk reaction by boycotting American goods, Muslims will be in a better position to fight oppression by strengthening their economic position. Johor Corporation Berhad (JCorp) chief executive officer Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said this when asked about the drive to boycott American products in protest against Israel's
He was speaking at the Intelligent Chess Challenge 2008/2009 at Persada Johor Convention Centre here yesterday. He had earlier presented prizes to the winners of the challenge.
Ali said Arab countries were unable to fight Israel because of their economic dependence on the United States. "If we go to war with Israel, we will be wiped out because of its superior technology and weaponry. We can only afford the same level of technology and weaponry if our economy is on par with it." He said the business jihad advocated by JCorp could be the foundation to improve the economic position of Muslim countries although it might take a long time.
On the possibility of KFC Holdings (KFCH) Berhad being boycotted, Ali said the bulk of Malaysia's trade with the United States consisted of non-food products such as aircraft and computer software. He said it was unlikely that Malaysia or other Muslim countries could do without these products. "Are we going to drive Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to the ground just because they use Boeing aircraft? Can we afford to dump our computers because they use Microsoft software?"
Ali said although the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise originated in the United States, the owners in Malaysia were locals. He said there was no drop in KFCH sales following the call to boycott American brands.