While our Gazan brothers, sisters, and children are being slaughtered, starved, and oppressed, we are being entertained to death — literally. Entertainment has become a tool to dull our senses and disengage us from their pain… investing in entertainment that is complicit in genocide.
Since October 2023, it’s been hard for me to be proud of the current cohort of Muslims, other than the noble sentinels of Gaza and their few supporters scattered around the world. I ask myself, how can so many of us be capable of so little? Are we pleased to be the incapable ‘foam of the sea’ foretold by our messenger, peace and blessings be upon him?
But our faith teaches us to have faith, and to be ever optimistic and to look for the good around us. And indeed, while withholding our cash donations to the cause of Zionism isn’t exactly the greatest act of defiance, I have noticed a heartening commitment among many Muslims around the world to the boycott efforts.
In many believers, I have seen a strict, conscious boycott of brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Unilever, Procter and Gamble, and other food and beverage giants umbilically tied to the genocidal Zionist apparatus. Alhamdulillah, awareness is growing, commitments are being reforged, and belts are being tightened. People are inspecting labels, checking websites like bdnaash.com, changing their shopping habits, and making sacrifices for the sake of Palestine.
But there’s a blind spot I think we need to address urgently. Many of those same brothers and sisters who refuse to drink a can of Pepsi are still paying monthly subscriptions to Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, hosting websites on Wix, or purchasing Microsoft products and subscribing to Xbox Game Pass, and so on.
This isn’t just a small inconsistency. Financially speaking, one Netflix subscription can do more damage than an entire shopping cart of boycotted FMCG goods.
The Economics Behind It
So, I’m not renowned for my skill with numbers. But check my math and tell me if it doesn’t track. When you buy a can of Coke for £1, Coca-Cola might earn just a few pennies after all the production, transportation, and retail costs are paid. Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies operate on razor-thin margins, often between 2% and 10%.
In contrast, when you buy a £40 digital game, the platform (like Steam or PlayStation) takes a 30% cut, but the game studio keeps about £28. To earn that same £28 from FMCG sales, a company would need to sell between €280 and €1,400 worth of goods depending on the margin. And that’s if it’s not from a digital store which boycotts in its own right, like the Microsoft and Xbox store – in which case, they get the whole pie!
In other words, one digital subscription or purchase can equal the impact of hundreds of FMCG products combined.
My Own Boycott Journey
For me, boycotting unhealthy brands like McDonald’s and Burger King was no sweat — it was easy, and honestly, my body is better off without them (by the way I live in a country where they use ‘Halal’ meat in a very limited sense of the word). Ditching Pepsi and processed snacks was also a blessing rather than a curse. Let’s just say my body needs to take a break – not a Kit Kat.
I often hear people say that boycotting Starbucks is difficult, and I have no idea what black magic has befallen these poor victims. Starbucks’ excuse for coffee is so bad that I wouldn’t even pour it on a Zionist war criminal if he were on fire. Costa was hard, though I won’t lie.
Replacing personal care, hygiene, and cleaning products took more effort. I had to search, experiment, and sometimes pay a little more to find Halal, ethical alternatives. But I did—and now there are entire marketplaces offering reliable and occasionally better alternatives. But in the end, the principle is the same: we leave what harms our brothers sand sisters, no matter the personal cost. We do not fund the slaughter of our own children.
For me, nerd that I am, the real challenge was giving up Xbox. Gaming was a big part of how I would unwind; it was my way to relax, connect with friends, and escape for a few hours a week. Honestly, I loved it. I don’t see gaming as a commendable trait for a believer trying to live with purpose. But this was a flaw that I allowed myself.
But Gaza opened my eyes to reality.
The Blood on Microsoft’s Hands
Microsoft’s involvement in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians is both direct and extensive. The BDS Movement calls Microsoft “the most complicit” tech company involved in Israel’s genocide.1 The company has provided the Israeli military with Azure Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and data storage services, which have been instrumental in automating Israel’s military operations in Gaza. These technologies support systems like ‘Lavender’ and ‘Where’s Daddy,’ AI-driven tools used to identify and target individuals, contributing to the mass killing of civilians.2
In 2021, Microsoft signed a three-year, $133 million contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defence, making it the company’s second-largest military client after the U.S. Department of Defence. Microsoft employees are embedded within Israeli military units, including the elite Unit 8200, providing technical support and consulting services. Between October 2023 and June 2024, the Israeli military spent $10 million on 19,000 hours of engineering support from Microsoft.3
Internally, Microsoft has faced significant unrest over its role in the genocide. Employees have protested the company’s contracts with the Israeli military, leading to the formation of the ‘No Azure for Apartheid’ campaign. Despite these protests, Microsoft has continued its operations and even fired a few pesky anti-genocide activists4 with reports indicating a 200-fold increase in the Israeli military’s use of Microsoft’s AI tools between October 2023 and March 2024.5 6 7 Boycotting Microsoft and its products, including Xbox, LinkedIn, and Office 365, is a necessary step in opposing the ongoing genocide and apartheid.
While our Gazan brothers, sisters, and children are being slaughtered, starved, and oppressed, we are being entertained to death — literally. Entertainment has become a tool to dull our senses and disengage us from their pain. Overnight, I started to hate my Xbox after having loved it. Every time I walked into my living room and caught a glimpse of the console, it was as if I had seen an idol in my home. For me, quitting Xbox wasn’t just a financial boycott; it was a spiritual awakening from a senselessness I had volunteered upon myself.
Our Islamic Duty
Allah commands us in the Qur’an:
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.”8
Any living heart should know instinctually that supporting companies that finance the killing of Muslims — whether directly or indirectly — is rowing the boat in the wrong direction.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us a golden principle:
“You will never leave something for the sake of Allah except that Allah will replace it with something better for you.”9
Leaving these products, even if difficult at first, is not a loss — it is a trade with Allah. And no trade with Allah ever results in regret or loss. No sir. You can expect ROI beyond anything you can imagine, in the hereafter as well as this worldly life.
And it’s not like we’re giving up wholesome good things. The opposite in fact. Never forget that subscribing to these entertainment platforms is not merely spending money: It is volunteering ourselves and our families to be the recipients of Zionist, demonic messaging that normalises indecency, immorality, disbelief and (obviously) Zionism.
Even if it were free, we would be wise to save ourselves and our children from their corruption.
In fact, all of what we are boycotting, from the fizzy drinks to the mindless entertainment is just evil in the form of consumer goods. We are not losing anything of real value. We are purifying ourselves. We’re being selective about what we allow into our bodies, our homes, our souls.
In conclusion, boycotting food and beverage giants is necessary — but it’s not enough. Digital products and entertainment are where the real money — and the real influence — flows. For those who have yet to subscribe to ‘boycott pro’ It’s time to elevate our commitment: to cut off the entertainment that numbs us, to refuse to finance companies that arm our oppressors, and to protect our souls and families from the moral decay being force-fed to us.
And when we leave something for Allah’s sake, He promises to give us better.
References:
- https://www.bdsmovement.net/microsoft ↩︎
- [PDF] Microsoft Company Complicity Profile – BDS Movement ↩︎
- [PDF] Microsoft Company Complicity Profile – BDS Movement ↩︎
- https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/microsoft-fired-her-for-defending-palestine-ibtihal-aboussad-gaza-diaries ↩︎
- Microsoft faces growing unrest over role in Israel’s war on Gaza: ‘Close to a tipping point’ ↩︎
- Microsoft employee escorted out of 50th anniversary event after protesting sales to Israel: ‘You have blood on your hands. All of Microsoft has blood on its hands’ ↩︎
- Fired Microsoft employees accuse company of enabling Israel’s ↩︎
- Qur’an 5:2 ↩︎
- Reported by Ahmad ↩︎
SarimBlog 