Asri extends his 'buy Muslim-first products' call to international level

Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, who advocated the "buy Muslim-made products first" campaign nationwide, has now extended his call to the international level.

Speaking at the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 today, he said Muslims worldwide - be they individuals, countries or those at the international level - had an obligation to buy Muslim-made products first.

For this purpose, he called for the formation of a Muslim trade bloc.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who attended the summit yesterday, had mooted a Muslim trade market where Muslims buy and sell products among themselves.

Asri, however, denied that his call was an act of racism.

"When we called on Muslims to help one another, some quarters disagreed out of fear that it was seen as promoting racism. Actually, we never asked anyone to boycott the goods and services of the non-Muslims," he said.

"What we are doing is mainly advising the Muslims to consider the economic condition of the ummah when spending for goods and service," he told a dialogue on the redistribution of wealth.

While noting the Muslims enjoy a strong purchasing power, he said Muslim society was relatively backward in terms of production and market share for goods and services, this even in Malaysia and Indonesia.

"Muslims in this country remain generally weak in the business sectors. Muslim traders are facing fear (in) competition and the economy. It is very difficult for them to market Muslim goods and services," he said.

Muslim countries are dependent on the West to the extent they become puppets controlled by the West, he added.

"It is our duty to buy Muslim products and to patronise shops and markets owned by Muslims. It is our duty to fulfil this obligation.

"We are obliged (to do this) at the international level, to trade among Muslim nations is the duty of all Muslims.

"Given the miserable condition that we are (in) now, the ummah at all levels, individually, nationally, internationally, is responsible to foster Islamic solidarity (by) providing goods and services of high quality and it is an obligation so that we might achieve economic freedom and no more dependent on others," he said.

Asri had previously advocated the call to buy Muslim-made products first but not to boycott non-Muslim-made products. - Mkini