Boycotting U.S. products?

Strong protests against U.S. strikes on Afghanistan should not involve acts that will harm ourselves. Calls for boycotts of U.S. products, for example, should not be exaggerated. If this takes place, I fear we will all have to remove our clothes, as most of them are made of materials imported from the U.S. Also, the technology used to make these clothes comes from the U.S.

As for franchised fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Pizza Hut and the like, they do not belong to any U.S. businesspeople or companies, as some might believe. These outlets are fully owned by Indonesians.

It may be necessary to explain that under a franchising system, a franchised business and the principal belong to different owners. Take, for example, franchised restaurants in Indonesia. All their assets, including restaurant equipment, and most of the raw materials, are locally obtained. Boycotting or destroying U.S.-enfranchised businesses simply means that national companies will be put out of business. If these fast food restaurants are closed down, the losses incurred, both materially and morally, will disadvantage Indonesians, including Muslims themselves.

AMIR KARAMOY

Jakarta