Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), based in the UK, has launched a social media drive to encourage Muslim’s boycott Dates from Israel.

"There are around 3 million Muslims in the UK and thus it is not surprising the sales of Dates are particularly high during Ramadan. Israel exports nearly £28million of dates to the UK making it the second-largest importer," said FOA in a press release.

"Most popular is the Medjoul Dates, known for the large size and juicy texture as the King of Dates. It is estimated that Israel produces 50% of the world’s Medjoul Dates. However, most of these Israeli Dates are from illegal Israeli settlements. Israel Settlements and occupation are recognized as illegal under international law," it added.

Meanwhile, FOA is asking everyone to check the label and boycott Dates labelled as produce of Israel, West Bank and Jordan Valley.

To help Muslims this Ramadan not to break their fast with Israeli Dates, FOA has relaunched their #CheckTheLabel campaign. Over this weekend FOA will release digital content to reach out to the Muslim community to boycott Israeli Dates.

"Ramadan is a time of reflection and to think about those who are less fortunate. It would be contradictory to the essence of Ramadan to break your fast with Dates from Israel. Buying Israel Dates supports occupation, colonization of Palestine and increase the suffering of the Palestinian people," said Ismail Patel, Chair of FOA.

The digital campaign for the #CheckTheLabel campaign will start on Friday 2 April and it will be available in Arabic, Bengali, Somali, and Urdu.

Source : Safa