Posted on 02/11/2006 4:56:41 AM PST by beaversmom
You have to squint at the fine print on a box of Lego to know that it comes from Denmark. But in the Middle East these days, Lego's international style branding is not enough to escape the fast-spreading consumer boycott of Danish goods.
Much of the world's attention in the past week has been on the violent protests - including those in Kenya, Malaysia and Turkey yesterday - against the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that first appeared in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper. But in big parts of the Arab world, the consumer boycott of Danish goods is by far the most widespread popular reaction to the cartoons.
Previous consumer boycotts in the Middle East have been only briefly successful. The recent boycott of American goods petered out, perhaps because of the ubiquitous nature of US products. By contrast, Danish goods, limited in the Middle East to a few items including dairy products, pharmaceuticals and Lego, have proved far easier to target.
The mobilisation has been impressive. Starting with calls from influential clerics in Saudi Arabia - as well as Sheikh Youssel al-Qardawi, the Qatar-based Egyptian preacher with a big following across the region - the boycott call was quickly taken up by newspapers and businesses in the Middle East and supported by chambers of commerce and other professional and religious groups.
According to Khaled al-Maena, editor of the Jeddah-based Arab News, the boycott spread with postings on the internet and chain letters sent through telephone text messages. "People also wrote letters to the editors demanding that we support the boycott and businessmen decided to stop buying and selling Danish products," he says.
At the Alpha supermarket in the upmarket neighbourhood of Zamalek in Cairo, the boycott has been successful - all the Lego has been swept off the shelves. The manager of the supermarket says a decision was made by members of the general union of Egyptian chambers of commerce to adhere to the boycott.
The owner of another Egyptian toyshop that was still stocking Lego says she has not sold a single item in a week. But several people have come in with leaflets with listed Danish products including Lego, urging her to join the boycott. "They asked why am I stocking Lego. Am I not a Muslim?"
The boycott appears aimed at soliciting apologies from Europe, particularly the Danish government, for what many Muslims view as a deliberate western attempt to denigrate the image of the prophet.
"We'll wait and see what happens on the political front," says Mahmoud Amr, the general manager of Mansh, the Egyptian distributor of Lego. "The Danish newspaper has apologised. Now let us see if the [Danish] government will too and if these apologies will be accepted or not."
Raising awareness about the greatness of the prophet seems to be another objective of the protest. Religious edicts on websites dedicated to promoting Islam back the boycott but have also recommended that Muslim organisations arrange lectures, buy television time and send preachers abroad to teach the virtues of Mohammed. A new organisation dedicated to defending the prophet was set up in Saudi Arabia this week and, in addition to keeping the boycott going, it is reportedly bringing legal action against Jyllands-Posten.
The impact on the Danish companies has yet to become fully apparent.Lego says the region represents only 1 per cent of its global sales. Some shops in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have removed products from their shelves but the company says there is "no evidence this represents a wider phenomenon".
But Mr Amr says a week after the boycott began to take hold he halted import orders of Lego because of a collapse in demand. "The extent to which we have been affected is still not apparent. But many of our clients are calling and are bringing back the products. This is not the case with all shops but still means we are badly affected."
Meanwhile, Arla, Danish-Swedish dairy products supplier, says it has been losing about £1m ($1.8m, €1.5m) a day because of the boycott with total losses close to £10m so far. But the boycott is also hurting local businesses that produce Danish products. Arla, for example, has now halted a £40m project for a dairy plant in Saudi Arabia, endangering 800 jobs.
An opinion piece this week in Arab News, suggested escalating the boycott to all western products to give the west time "to back down and apologise for the insults they have heaped upon our beloved prophet and to make sure it never, ever happens again". If Muslims failed to take this proposal seriously, the writer concluded, they should be prepared to eat not only Danish cheese "but their own pride as well".
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004455.htm
http://www.danelink.com/locations/intprod.html
http://buydanish.home.comcast.net/
Food & Beverages
* Arla Foods - milk and dairy products * Danish meat * Carlsberg - beer and softdrinks * Tuborg - beer and softdrinks * Danish Butter Cookies - Remember to check for Country of Origin!
Danish design
* Lego - Toys * Bang & Olufsen - Music systems and televisions * K.I.S.S. - DVD Recorders * Stelton - Danish design * Jacob Jensen - Danish design * Alfi - Danish design * Rosendahl - Danish design * Louis Poulsen - Lightning * Skagen Watches - Danish watches * Danish Furniture Online * Piet Hein - Fritz Hansen furniture * Arne Jacobsen - Fritz Hansen furniture
Candy
* Toms * Galle & Jessen * Stimorol Chewing Gum
Cigarettes
* Prince
Healthcare
* Novo Nordisk - Healthcare
Clothes, textile & Shoes
* H2O * Jysk - Quilts, pillows, mattresses * Hummel * Ecco * Jaco * Inwear * Matinique
Culture
* VisitDenmark - Danish tourism * Danish film * Danish art * HC Andersen * Roskilde Festival - Super rock festival * Night of Culture - Copenhagen Culture Festival * Legoland - Amusement park
Business-to-business
* Danfoss * Grundfoss * Vestas * Novo * Danish Crown * Invest in Denmark * Danisco * Lundbeck
http://www.danish.com/
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004455.htm
http://www.danelink.com/locations/intprod.html
http://buydanish.home.comcast.net/
http://www.buydanish.dk/index.php/the-clean-list/
I think 2006 is going to be one of the most profitable years the Danes ever had.
I hope so. I forgot to look last night at Wal-Mart for Danish food. That's where I regularly shop so I hope they have something there for me to buy. I don't want to buy Legos because we have enough toys with one thousand pieces in the home already.
Cookies. Cookies. Lots of cookies. The kids will be in ecstasy.
Wife brought home a nice chunk of Danish Blue yesterday. Said the cheese counter was stacked high with it.
Maybe I'll pick up some Tuborg at the packy.
A small gesture, but if enough people buy Danish....
> the alleged prophet being eternally molested by a thousand syphilitic pigs.
That's the spirit!
I'm a bit old for Legos but I have a couple of grandkids that would love them.
3 sets of Legos just went on my shopping list.
Also added a case of Tuborg for my amusement.
Thanks for the post
The key line in the article was:
Only 1% of Lego sales came from the entire Muslim world.
This is a lot! For most companies, the entire Muslim world represents less than 1% of sales.
Muslim countries have to get their act together. They have no economic clout except for the oil they control.
Arla Foods had taken advantage of the fact that American dairies weren't popular..and they got burnt for not realizing that whereever childish Islamists have sway...business is not OK.
If Middle East boycotts Denmark, WE will buy Denmark products in support if Denmanrk and Freedom of Speech.
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!
Too bad its too long for a tag line! Maybe that could be Lego's new slogan!
I just purchased a lovely Skagen watch as a Valentine's Day present for my wife. Thank you, Denmark!
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