Anyway, we've made an ever-so-small switch around the Dog Farm, and we did not initiate it. Helping us make up our minds was Majdi Wadi. Wadi owns Holy Land; a bakery, grocery and deli in Minneapolis. Other local grocery stores, including our regular store, also sell Holy Land products, including pita bread, which is pretty darn good and usually in our 'fridge.
Until now.
"Dear Customer. The Denmark newspaper published a cartoon degrading the Prophet Mohammed. The Denmark government refuses to apologize to the Muslim world for this; therefore Holy Land management decided to join the other business leaders in the world to boycott all products made in Denmark." In addition, Wadi asks customers to boycott Danish goods wherever they shop.Well Wadi, we believe your boycott of everything Danish is misguided. The government of Denmark doesn't owe you an apology, and if you can't grasp that, I suggest a visit to a library. I don't doubt your conviction, but you're barking up the wrong tree.
"I respect freedom of speech," he continued, "but I think there must be limits. I think there should be an international law to protect beliefs. It is wrong not to respect Jesus. It is wrong not to respect Buddha. And it is wrong to not respect the Prophet Mohammed."Actually Wadi, you may think you respect freedom of speech, but you don't. You seek protection for yourself and your prophet by limiting the freedoms of people worldwide, including, ironically, the welcoming and tolerant culture to which you chose to immigrate.
This is a wee bit sad because we here at Ravenscroft Dog Farm prefer to buy local goods when the option presents itself, but next time we need pita bread in our home, it'll be something other than the Holy Land brand. We wish Wadi no ill will, and we support people with the conviction to put their money where their mouths are. Optimistically perhaps, we expect Wadi would reciprocate and support our decision to stop using his products.
No comments:
Post a Comment