I don’t want blood money: Huda Beauty founder shuts down pro-Israel troll

Huda Kattan, the Iraqi-American makeup guru and chief executive of Huda Beauty, has divided fans with her stance on the ongoing Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause. 

Kattan’s social media posts outlining the humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories have prompted her critics to call for a boycott of Huda Beauty products. However, this recent confrontation unfolded in the comment section of a heartfelt post about her 40th birthday.

The beauty influencer shared a post about celebrating her 40th birthday at the luxurious Dubai resort, Atlantis The Royal. Amid fans sending birthday wishes, one Instagram user commented, “I don’t know if you noticed, but Israelis from all over the world love you and your products. With most of their money, you chose Gaza. So remember this as soon as no Israeli buys from you again, anywhere in the world. And it’s a shame because we buy a lot.” 

The troll further added, “Gaza doesn’t have money to invest in it in my opinion because they prefer to invest in weapons. But have a lovely day! That’s how a company’s shares drop and supporting murder is not cool.” While calls to boycott Israeli brands under the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement have been heavily criticized by pro-Israel actors for hurting the market, the same cannot be said for supporting Palestine. Major names in the fashion industry from Bella Hadid to Mia Khalifa are looking at diminishing prospects for expressing their opinion.

Amid this intensifying censorship, Kattan appears unfazed. “I don’t want blood money,” the billionaire replied. Kattan has been a consistently outspoken voice against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. In response to the hostile escalations in Al-Aqsa compound in May 2021, Huda Beauty published a blog entry titled, “5 Ways You Can Support Palestine Right Now.” 

Backstory

At least 1,900 Palestinians have been killed in the blockaded enclave of Gaza in a brutal air campaign of reprisal attacks by Israel as infantry forces from the IDF made their first raids into the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a campaign of retaliation had 'only just begun'. Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after its fighters burst out of Gaza a week ago and carried out the operation in southern Israel.

Since then, Israel has placed the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. As heart-wrenching reports and videos continue to emerge from Palestine, several celebrities and public figures from around the world, including Pakistan, have taken a strong stance to raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinian people and condemn the atrocities inflicted upon them.