Failed Boycott of Campbell Soup

The anti-Islam zealots are at it again. The buzzword of the bigoted right is "Shari'a". This vague term, which means different thing to different Muslims and is a philosophy rather than an inflexible set of laws, has now become the catch-all term for Islamophobes warning about a nonexistent "Islamization" threat to America.

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These bigots argue that any appearance of Islam in public or recognition of Islam by, say, a business constitutes an alliance with militant and radical Wahhabi Muslims and their alleged agenda to impose strict Islamic law or "Shari'a" on Americans.

The new version of the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' speaks about a Muslim conspiracy to make America "Islamic", whatever that means, from the inside out. And just like antisemitic persons whose warnings about some Jewish conspiracy to rule the world was never voiced by any Jews but was all fabricated by bigots, the only people speaking about "Shari'a" are anti-Muslim bigots. You'd look in vain to find any mainstream Muslims working for the imposition of "Shari'a" in America. The idea that this is some nefarious scheme by Muslims is a delusional, due to ignorance or malice it does not matter, created by its cheerleaders.

For the anti-Islam right, this truly is the FUBU of causes: For Us, By Us. They have created a narrative of hate only to stir prejudice against Muslims because for them all Muslims are suspect and Islam in toto is a violent and intolerant faith which must be condemned.

Ergo, Campbell Soup. The American soup maker has become the new cause célèbre for Islamophobes. Campbell's Canadian branch has released a Halal line of soups. And - wait for it - Campbell is now part of an Islamist conspiracy. The mere offering of soups according to Muslim dietary laws, no different than Jewish kosher, is offensive because for bigots it is not about "only the terrorists" that they claim to oppose but also any and all Muslims, to belabor the point. So any regard for Muslim custom is to be condemned. Their hatred for Muslims is so deranged, unhinged and obsessive that they can't stand the sight of an American company offering Muslims soups.

And when confronted with such abhorrent bigotry they claim that it is not about Halal per se, but about the certification board employed by Campbell. The doyen of American bigots Pamela Geller:

"No one is suggesting they refrain from this line. No one is suggesting they not have halal food. I'm not against halal food any more than I'm against kosher food. My issue is who's doing the certifying."

The issue, a defensive Geller states, is simply that Campbell employed the Islamic Society of North America to certify and that means, according to this nut, that Campbell is in bed with a pro-Jihad outfit. Just like they demonize all Muslim organizations as being terrorist fronts. But this is bull:

And it is further bull that this is not about simply a respect for Muslim practices. As their own Facebook page makes clear:

The Facebook page simply urges consumers to "Boycott Campbell Soup for their certification of their products as halal and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood."

Since its introduction on Oct. 5, the page has attracted nearly 3,500 "friends," many of whom have posted anti-Muslim comments and articles unrelated to the boycott. The postings range from aggressive to hostile. "No to Campbell," reads one of the tamer comments. "They cater to Muslims."

The mere thought of an ISNA pretext is a second issue, this is about unadulterated hatred of all Muslims pure and simple. Any catering towards Muslims they dislike because they are opposed to anything related to Muslims, because they are bigoted, see? This is the lowest form of prejudice no different from white racism against blacks and antisemitism. But their boycott effort has failed:

Campbell hasn't noticed any effect on its sales since the boycott began.

Let them eat soup!

Washington Post.