Indonesia’s religious affairs minister says boycotts of Israel are “not a solution.” He’s wrong

It is a strange moment when a nonviolent act of conscience—refusing to buy a burger, skipping a cup of coffee—draws more concern from public officials than the devastation that inspired it. Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, recently argued that boycotts of companies linked to Israel are “not a solution,” pointing instead to layoffs and economic disruption at home. His remarks reveal a troubling misreading of both history and moral responsibility. Boycotts are not a new or reckless invention of modern activism. They are among the oldest tools available to ordinary people seeking to exert pressure when governments fail to act. From the anti-war protests in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s to the global campaign against […]