Malaysia, Indonesia Muslim groups call for Starbucks boycott over LGBT stance – Washington Examiner

Muslim groups in Malaysia and Indonesia are calling for a Starbucks boycott due to the company's support of LGBT issues.

The Muslim Malaysian group Perkasa called on its members to boycott Starbucks coffee shops this week, the Associated Press reported.

"Our objection is because they are promoting something that is against human instinct, against human behavior and against religion," Amini Amir Abdullah, Perkasa's Islamic affairs bureau chief, told Reuters. "That's why we are against it."

Perkasa called on the Malaysian government to revoke trading licenses for Starbucks, as well as other companies like Microsoft and Apple.

The call came days after an Indonesian Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, also denounced the coffee chain in the nation with the world's largest Muslim population.

According to the Associated Press, shares in the company that operates Starbucks in Indonesia fell and a boycott Starbucks hashtag was popular for a short time.

Amini said the call for boycott stemmed from a report that Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz supports gay marriage. In 2013 Schultz, who was Starbucks CEO at the time, responded to a question from a shareholder who suggested that Starbucks had lost customers due to its support of LGBT rights by saying, "Not every decision is an economic decision. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people."

"Though we are founded in the United States, we are a global company with over 300,000 partners and 26,000 stores in 75 markets around the world," a Starbucks spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. "In all countries where we do business, we are proud to be a part of the fabric of the local community, and we strive to be respectful of local customs and traditions while staying true to Starbucks long-standing values and purpose."

Sodomy is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison in Malaysia and, while homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, Indonesia's Constitutional Court is looking to make homosexual sex and sex out of wedlock a criminal activity, the Associated Press reported.

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Malaysia, Indonesia Muslim groups call for Starbucks boycott over LGBT stance - Washington Examiner

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