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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is one of the most outspoken world leaders<\/a> over the conflict in Gaza. The Southeast Asian leader has condemned Israel\u2019s actions and vocally supported<\/a> both Palestine and Hamas.<\/p>\n But Anwar\u2019s public support for Hamas leadership is putting him at odds with global social media platforms, particularly Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. <\/p>\n Last week, Meta removed posts from Anwar where the prime minister expressed condolences<\/a> over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Anwar\u2019s office blasted Meta\u2019s decision as \u201cdiscriminatory, unjust, and a blatant suppression of free expression.\u201d <\/p>\n On Tuesday, Meta apologized. In a statement, the social media giant said the takedown was an \u201coperational error,\u201d and that it has restored the post on Anwar\u2019s Facebook and Instagram pages with a \u201cnewsworthy\u201d label. The decision followed a Monday meeting<\/a> between Meta representatives and officials from both the Prime Minister\u2019s office and Malaysia\u2019s communications ministry.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s transparency center notes that, in rare cases, the social media company will permit content<\/a> that violates community guidelines if the content is newsworthy and keeping it visible is in the public interest.<\/p>\n Prior to the apology, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office said<\/a> the removal of Anwar\u2019s posts \u201cdeeply impacted the people of Malaysia\u2026who are well aware of the suffering of the Palestinian people\u201d and that Meta\u2019s decision to censor Anwar called the social media firm\u2019s content moderation policies into question.<\/p>\n On Monday, Malaysia\u2019s communications minister said the country<\/a> will \u201clook into\u201d developing its own social media platform for Malaysians, following a suggestion from a celebrity host. \u201cLast year, it was estimated that Facebook alone earned $600 million from Malaysia, but what have they done to ensure that the condition and use of their platform in Malaysia are safe?,\u201d communications minister Fahmi Fadzil told reporters. <\/p>\n Fahmi also said he\u2019ll work to ensure Meta does not censor any content from a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday.<\/p>\n Malaysia and Indonesia, both Muslim-majority countries, have repeatedly condemned Israel\u2019s actions in the conflict in Gaza and urged for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n Indonesian president Joko Widodo criticized the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, calling it<\/a> a \u201cmurder that cannot be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n But opposition to Israel is stronger in Malaysia, to the point where the U.S. has expressed its concerns to Malaysia\u2019s ambassador in Washington. Anwar met Ismail Haniyeh in May<\/a>, after previous meetings<\/a> in 2019 and 2020, before he became prime minister. Malaysia has blocked<\/a> Israeli-owned vessels from using Malaysian ports as well.<\/p>\n Even Malaysia\u2019s plan to privatize airport operator Malaysia Airports Holding has been affected by the conflict after lawmakers attacked<\/a> Global Infrastructure Partners, a bidder for the firm, for its ties to BlackRock and its significant investments in Israel. (Anwar eventually selected<\/a> GIP as part of a consortium led by Malaysia\u2019s sovereign wealth fund to take over Malaysia Airports, after GIP said BlackRock will not be involved in its operations.)<\/p>\n Malaysians have also called for boycotts of Western brands like McDonald\u2019s, KFC and Starbucks. <\/p>\n Western brands are suggesting that global boycotts are hurting their earnings. <\/p>\n In a recent earnings call<\/a>, McDonald\u2019s CEO Chris Kempczinski suggested that a boycott helped contribute to the fast food company\u2019s first quarterly decline in same-store sales since early 2020. <\/p>\n Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, on a July earnings call<\/a>, hinted that \u201cheadwinds persist in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, parts of Europe driven by widely discussed misperceptions of our brand.\u201d<\/p>\n The boycotts are a headache not just for the big Western brands, but for the local licensees that manage things on the ground. Earlier this year, QSR Brands, which operates KFC in the Southeast Asian country, temporarily closed<\/a> over 100 outlets due to the boycott. <\/p>\n In March, Starbucks franchisee Berjaya Food blamed<\/a> an almost 40% drop in fourth-quarter revenue on boycotts. \u201cIn stores, 80 to 85% of employees are Muslims,\u201d said founder Vincent Tan. \u201cThis boycott doesn\u2019t benefit anyone.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n CEO Daily provides key context for the news leaders need to know from across the world of business. Every weekday morning, more than 125,000 readers trust CEO Daily for insights about\u2013and from inside\u2013the C-suite. Subscribe Now<\/a>.<\/div>\n\nMalaysia\u2019s view of the war in Gaza<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How are Western brands handling the boycotts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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