Bahtsul Masail's Results In Java And Madura, Decide The McDonald's Boycott Movement Is Not Right

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - A number of scholars and delegations of Islamic boarding schools throughout Java and Madura recently discussed the polemic of the product boycott movement accused of pro-Israel that developed in society. This movement was initially triggered by the actions of several parties linking certain franchises and support for Israel's genocide against Palestine.

This polemic is one of the topics raised in Bahtsul Masa'il, a discussion forum between Islamic scientists, held at Pondok Buntet Pesantren Cirebon, on October 31, 2024, as part of the commemoration of National Santri Day 2024.

The boycott movement has been going on for more than a year. As a result, the community is now starting to feel it, especially local employees who work at the franchise outlets. One of the companies affected is PT Rekso Nasional Food, a McDonald's franchise holder in Indonesia.

Brand McDonald's is closely associated with boycotts due to news of the support of one of its franchises to the Israeli army. In the Bahtsul Masa'il forum, the scholars conducted an in-depth discussion based on a study of Islamic law (fictih) whose results are expected to provide clarity on the polemics that develop in society and become a reference for Muslims.

The chairman of the Bahtsul Masa'il Se-Java Madura organizer, Abbas Fahim, revealed that in the discussion at the forum the ulama agreed that basically, the law boycotts certain products as an act of protest against injustice is allowed in the Shari'a, as long as they comply with the two main provisions.

First, the boycotted product must have a clear connection and can be proven by the party who commits injustice. Second, the boycott movement should not have a significant negative impact on other parties, such as mass layoffs without adequate solutions.

"In this case, the information circulating on social media regarding McDonald's Indonesia affiliates with genocide in Israel is not strong enough and valid enough to be used as the basis for the boycott," Abbas said, Wednesday, November 13.

Therefore, the results of Bahtsul Masa'il concluded that McDonald's Indonesia boycott did not have an adequate basis for sharia and that muamalah or buying and selling activities with the company were still allowed. The Forum has studied data and information regarding PT Rekso Nasional Food, including the impact felt by the company from the boycott movement.

The Forum also urges the public to be more careful and selective in responding to the information circulating regarding the list of products that are boycotted, so that this action does not harm the Indonesian people themselves. In addition, the forum suggested that decisions related to product boycotts be made through government policies, given its broad impact and concerning the public interest.

Seperti yang diungkapkan Syaikh Dr. Ali Jum'ah, boycott merupakan kewenangan pemerintah, bukan keputusan individu, tambah Abbas.

Syakh Dr. Ali Jum'ah is an Islamic intellectual figure and is an Egyptian Large Mufti for the 2003 - 2013 period. The term Mufti Beesar refers to people who are authorized to produce fatwas by ijtihad (in order to explore a law).

The Bahtsul Masa'il Forum is a tradition for the Nadhlatul Ulama Islamic boarding school to explore deeply the polemics that occur in society based on the point of view of Islamic law.

Previously, the Bahtsul Masa'il forum had several topics that became polemic in the community, namely the law of marijuana for medical treatment, the obscenity of religious courts regarding marriage of different religions, zakat from income from YouTube content, and so on.