We do not buy Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola thinking that the money we give is used by the Israeli army against Muslims. What will the degree of our responsibility be if we buy them?

We do not buy Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola thinking that the money we give is used by the Israeli army against Muslims. What will the degree of our responsibility be if we buy them?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is permissible to buy and use the products of non-Muslims. Therefore, a Muslim does not commit a haram deed if he buys Coca Cola, which belongs to non-Muslims.  

Nevertheless, we can avoid drinking them but we cannot criticize those who drink them.

It is permissible to drink Nescafe, Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola.

However, some religious scholars say, "It is better not to drink them since it is doubtful." It is always better to avoid doubtful things. Some Hanafi scholars even said that it was haram to drink coffee. However, these kinds of fatwas were not accepted by the majority. 

A Muslim is not regarded to have committed a haram deed when he drinks them. We cannot prohibit anybody from drinking them. It is not haram to drink them. However, we cannot force anyone who does not drink them to drink them.  

As for the second part of the question,

If it is certain that a weapon or product is going to be used against Muslims, it is not permissible to work in the production of it and to buy and sell it. A Muslim who does so will be held responsible according to the rule "A person who causes something is like a person who does it". Therefore, a person will be held responsible if buys or sells something that is definitely known to be used against Muslims. Muslims should be careful about the issue.

What needs to be done and not to be done for Palestine: 

No individual who has not lost his/her consciousness, good manners and humanity, no matter what his religion, language, sect, country is, can justify the founders and administrators of Israel regarding the cause of Palestine. There is an obvious grabbing, invasion, massacre and oppression there.

No conscientious person can criticize the Palestinians whose land, houses, vineyards, gardens, water and positions have been grabbed, who live in refugee camps that are worse than prisons, who were sent to prison and tortured, whose relatives were killed, who were destined to kill in the long run, when they resort to out-of-the-way defense methods; no conscientious person can see them as the cause of the biggest massacre and the most disgusting attacks of our times. The only cause for this oppression is Israel. It is Israel that uses the causes produced by themselves against Palestinians.

The cause of Palestine can be solved only through a just peace. The initial condition of it is to force Israel to accept this just peace. The way to it is as follows: Muslim countries should leave aside separation - through the pressure of the people - and act together; then, they should take necessary measures in time and properly.

As for the issue about what we can do for our Palestinian brothers, who underwent a big disaster, experienced unendurable pains and lost almost all of their belongings, and what we can do to relieve them:

We can divide what we can do into two as what not to do and what to do.

What not to do:

- Not to buy anything from the companies that are definitely known to support Israel. To continue this boycott until Israel accepts a just peace. 

- The state should revise all of the agreements made with Israel; it should not make any new agreements with Israel and should annul or suspend the previous ones if possible. 

- Not to break the commercial ties and human relations with the Jews that are not Zionists, that do not support Israel's unjust practices and that support those who favor justice so that justice will be done and oppression will end.   

What to do: 

- Everyone, whether poor or rich, should try to send financial aid as much as they can to Gaza through reliable ways. This aid is fard until the daily needs of our Palestinian brothers are met.

- It is time we did our best to help them as a requirement of being their religious and human brothers.

(Prof. Dr. Hayrettin KARAMAN)

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