Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture

Contesting Religious Identity in the Marketplace: Consumption Ideology and the Boycott Halal Movement
Elizabeth C. Hirschman, Mourad Touzani

Abstract
Consumer behavior is often intimately tied to contemporary ethno-religious conflict, as for example the sale of African 'blood diamonds', Somali piracy of international shipping and the use of economic sanctions by Western countries against Iran. Yet much current inquiry in the field remains cast at the domestic, individual level. The present study directs attention to the multinational Boycott Halal movement This consumer movement is presently active in Australia, Denmark, France, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. Run largely through social media, the Boycott Halal movement aims to restrict the presence of halal-certified products in what are deemed to be Judeo-Christian countries. We use political theories drawn from Fox and Fukuyama to characterize this movement. Drawing from the religious conflict theories of Moss, we also present parallel historical movements which share similarities with Boycott Halal. We propose a consumption demonization thesis to explain the commonalities across these exemplars.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v4n1a3