By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
DETROIT, November 5, 2007, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Detroit, which is the Chaldean Catholic diocese for the eastern half of the United States, played a significant role in the successful boycott forcing Miller Brewing of Milwaukee to agree not to support events offensive to religious beliefs.
Miller was boycotted when it became known that the company was helping to fund the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, an event organized by San Francisco’s homosexual community to “celebrate” sado-masochistic sexual deviancy that is a part of the homosexual subculture.
The boycott was initiated by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Catholic League president Bill Donohue called for the more than 200 Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu organizations that work with the League to boycott the company.
In a report by The Michigan Catholic, Chaldean Catholic Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim said that the support of Chaldean Catholics in metro Detroit for the boycott played a major role in convincing the huge brewer to pledge to never again support events that insult and offend religious sensibilities.
Chaldeans are Catholics of Iraqi descent, of whom more than 100,000 live in metropolitan Detroit and own about 90 percent of the area’s party stores – more than 2000 stores.
Under Bishop Ibrahim’s direction, Chaldean business owner groups united to join the boycott and “put teeth” in the initiative by “threatening to almost freeze the brewer out of one of America’s largest markets.” “I told our people, if they are really believers in Jesus Christ, to boycott Miller products,” the bishop said.
“Our religion is important for us. I told our people Sunday (Oct. 28), ‘Look how it is in Iraq, with all the pressure on them, not one (Chaldean) family has changed their religion. And here we are in the United States, and someone is mocking our religion, and we are going to do nothing?’ I told them that if they support someone who is supporting such activities, it is just as if they were doing those activities too,” Bishop Ibrahim said.
One store owner, who had not ordered any Miller products for three weeks, said in the Michigan Catholic report, “They disrespected my religion. It’s not right; it wouldn’t be right to do it with any religion.” His wife added that when they explained the reasons behind the boycott to customers, “99 percent of our customers are agreeing with it.”
The couple stated that the boycott was all about standing up for one’s beliefs: “I believe in my faith, and I think people should fight for what they believe in.”
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Boycott of Miller Beer Launched Because of Sponsorship of Sadomasochistic, Anti-Christian Gay Parade
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/sep/07092705.html
Boycott on Miller Beer Working, Keep Up Pressure Urges Catholic League
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07100107.html
Miller Beer Boycott Still in Full Force as Miller Refuses to Halt S&M Gay Parade Sponsorship
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/oct/07102904.html
Miller Brewery Withdraws Support for Homosexual Festival; Catholic League Ends Boycott
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07110103.html