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Viewing cable 09RIYADH71, GRASSROOTS BOYCOTT OF AMERICAN GOODS GAINING

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09RIYADH71 2009-01-12 14:37 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Riyadh
VZCZCXRO4765
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHRH #0071 0121437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121437Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9803
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 4844
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 0057
RUEHJI/AMCONSUL JEDDAH 9972
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 4346
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS RIYADH 000071 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EEB, NEA/ARP, AND NEA/IPA 
COMMERCE FOR ITA AND BIS/OFFICE OF ANTIBOYCOTT COMPLIANCE 
TREASURY FOR OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD EINV ECON EFIN KWBG KBCT KPAL SA IS
SUBJECT: GRASSROOTS BOYCOTT OF AMERICAN GOODS GAINING 
TRACTION 
 
REF: RIYADH 17 
 
Key Points 
---------- 
 
1. (SBU) -- A grassroots campaign to boycott U.S. goods and 
franchises, with the notable exception of automobiles and 
hotels, is gaining ground in the Kingdom. 
 
-- This campaign is bolstered by endorsements from local and 
foreign Islamic scholars. 
 
-- Comment:  This campaign is broader than similar attempts 
in 2002 and 2006, but it is unclear how many will 
participate.  We do not believe it will have a long-term 
impact on U.S. - Saudi bilateral trade. 
 
-- These efforts seem to be an embryonic attempt at mass 
organization through the use of modern technologies.  End key 
points and comment. 
 
Boycott targeting American brands and franchises 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
2. (U) One effort to encourage Arabs and Muslims to boycott 
American and Israeli goods, called 'Gaza is burning - put out 
the flames with a boycott', is spreading through text 
messages (SMS messages), e-mails, paper fliers, popular 
blogs, and by word of mouth at mosques.  One common SMS 
message reads, "Please boycott US/Israeli products.  Make it 
a habit, not a short-term response."  Lists of specific 
brands and franchises to target are being circulated by 
e-mail and include Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, 
CocaCola, Kraft, Kelloggs, and numerous fashion and household 
product brands.  A notable omission from the list given their 
popularity in the Kingdom are U.S. automobile brands such as 
Ford and Chevrolet, and hotels such as the Marriott. 
 
Background on Islamic scholars supporting boycott 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
3. (SBU) The recent Saudi Gazette article cites Dr. Yousuf Al 
Qaradawi, a prominent Egyptian Islamic scholar currently at 
the University of Qatar, as calling for the boycott. 
Qaradawi recently generated some controversy in the media 
when he issued a fatwa stating it is acceptable for Muslims 
to consume small quantities of alchohol.  He has been accused 
in the past of condoning the killing of American civilians in 
Iraq, although he denies these allegations; but he has been 
outspoken in support of suicide bombings against Israeli 
soldiers and civilians.  In 2004, Qaradawi issued a fatwa 
supporting the boycott of American goods, stating, "American 
goods, exactly like 'Israeli' goods, are forbidden.  It is 
also forbidden to advertise these goods." 
 
4. (SBU) Dr. Nasser Al Omar, a Saudi radical fundamentalist 
scholar, was identified by the Emirati blog Al Saha as 
another proponent of this boycott.  Omar is a member of the 
Bin Khaled tribe in Buraidah and teaches at Al Imam Mohamed 
bin Saud Islamic University.  He was one of 26 Saudi clerics 
to sign a 2004 fatwa saying Iraqis should rise up and oppose 
the U.S. presence in Iraq.  He also strongly opposed our 
efforts to revise fundamentalist school text books in Saudi 
Arabia.  Omar first called for a boycott of American goods in 
2002, saying such a boycott was "a virtue, not an obligation." 
FRAKER