The sale of American goods in Doha co-operative supermarkets has gone down by 30 to 60%, the Gulf Times reported. Meanwhile, a report by AFP said that the demand for US products have gone down by a half in the UAE.
According to the paper, this is attributed to the fatwa (edict) issued by Yusuf Qaradawi in the wake of the Palestinian Intifada (uprising), asking the public to boycott American goods.
Officials of the co-operative supermarkets, were quoted by the daily as saying tat "there has been a drop in sales of a wide-range of American goods as follows: American rice 20%; Soaps, cosmetics, cleaning materials 50%; Pampers 40%; potato chips 60%; Pepsi, Coca Cola and cigarettes 20%." -- Albawaba.comThe demand for US goods has dropped 50 percent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the late-September outbreak of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories in response to calls for a boycott, a newspaper reported December 14th.
Meanwhile, Afp quoted al-Ittihad news paper as saying that the UAE decline has been seen most notably in clothing, perfumes and detergents, with German, French and Italian suppliers picking up the slack.
The boycott has also affected American fast-food chains, which have numerous outlets in the Emirates, with demand having dropped more than 35 percent in the past two months.
Appeals for a boycott of US products were launched in reaction to a perception that the United States is biased toward Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.
A blacklist of hundreds of products has been distributed by the thousands in schools and shopping centers throughout the UAE, as well as in neighboring Saudia Arabia and Qatar -- Albawaba.com
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