At least two McDonald's restaurants in Terengganu saw business plunge by 80 percent recently as a nationwide boycott of the American fast food chain by Gaza sympathisers gained momentum.

 

More than that, the franchise owner of McDonald's Kerteh and Dungun branches, Syed Hussain Tuan Embong, said that his workers were threatened and some wanted to quit out of fear, Sinar Harian reported today.

 

"I can't stop anyone gathering. This is an individual's right but I am upset when some choose to throw rocks at my premises. To prevent such unwanted incidents, I have to lock up my premises tightly," Syed Hussain was quoted as saying by the Malay daily.

 

However he added his restaurants had not been damaged, only dirtied somewhat by the alleged stone throwing.

 

The restaurant employs 80 workers, all of them Malay Muslims, Syed Hussain stressed urging people to be more rational.

 

It was reported that nearly 200 Gaza backers had gathered outside one of his restaurants yesterday, brandishing banners.

 

Online campaign

An online campaign has been on the Internet, calling for a boycott the McDonald chain of restaurants nationwide tomorrow. 

 

The poster is being circulated on Facebook and calls for the boycott to start from 7am to 7pm and it should last until the Israel regime is chased out of Palestine.

 

Many Malaysians are angry as reports now say up to 1,800 Palestinians have been killed in a month of shelling by the Israel military, as it moves against Hamas.

 

On the other hand, Sinar also reported some Muslim NGOs and leaders calling for moderation.

 

Islamic NGO Aqsa Syarif's chairperson Hafidzi Mohd Noor asked people not to go to extremes with the boycott, until it clashed with Islamic values.

 

Kelantan's mufti Mohd Shukri Mohamad meanwhile commented protesters might be against Israel but yet had cigarettes in hand although many tobacco companies had dealings with Israel.

 

McDonald's has also pleaded to the protesters to check the facts. The restaurant has been in Malaysia for 32 years and employs some 12,000 workers of which 85 percent are Muslim.

 

The company plans to expand to 500 restaurants in Malaysia and create 11,500 new jobs, it said.

In 2014 alone, about RM185 million was invested to open 24 new restaurants and renovate 29 outlets.

 

It also put out a full page advertisement in Sinar Harian saying that it was an apolitical business.

After Gaza protest, McD's fears for staff safety