Ibtihal Aboussad and the expansion of the boycott

The Israeli army has enlisted the help of American telecommunications companies to commit genocide against civilians in the Gaza Strip, including doctors and their families. However, it appears that some employees from these companies have completely rejected this matter, as was the case in the widely circulated video of Moroccan software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad, who was fired from Microsoft. Her case sparked widespread reactions and drew attention to a level of boycott going beyond what has been popular, the level of food and clothing, extending to the world of electronics and software. The same occurred recently with American software engineer (of Indian origin), Vaniya Agrawal, who left Microsoft in support of Gaza at the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations, attended by three CEOs. She interrupted the discussion taking place in protest against the company’s involvement in providing the occupying army with artificial intelligence and cloud computing services in the genocidal war that Israel has been waging against the Gaza Strip since 7 October, 2023.

Microsoft employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration in protest against what they described as Microsoft’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.

‘Stop using AI for genocide,’ one of the protesters said before she was removed from the venue by security.

This… pic.twitter.com/mpRy5QUzkU

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) April 6, 2025

The silent campaign of anger waged by a large part of the Arab population against companies that support the occupying entity has now become part of popular culture, promising that the boycott will be prolonged and will stand the test of time, especially with the emergence of local or Arab alternatives that are spreading. For example, you used to see specific types of soft drinks in popular restaurants in Muscat, but after the boycott, these drinks disappeared and were replaced by other brands produced in Arab or Muslim countries. We can also talk about branches of boycotted restaurants that have closed in Oman and note that those that remain open are like prisoners on death row awaiting their execution. One can easily see that they are generally empty, with no customers, except in rare cases. Previously, you would struggle to find a parking space in front of these same restaurants, but now you can park your car right in front of the door, as long as you like, as the spaces previously reserved for early-arriving customers are now empty.

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Meanwhile, local restaurants are thriving, with branches emerging that are crowded with customers. For example, an Omani woman created a meal she calls “Khubz wa Laban” (Bread and Yogurt – the name is taken from the title of a text the author studied as part of the fourth grade curriculum in Oman). Khubz wa Laban products have become increasingly popular, reaching their peak popularity during Ramadan, when they were available in some grocery stores and malls. While food and drink alternatives can be local, or even Arab, where will software and media alternatives come from, as the Arabs are still so behind in this regard?

After what happened with Ibtihal Aboussad, and especially with the video she posted on Instagram calling on her followers (and others) to boycott Microsoft, a group of writers have begun discussing alternatives. These alternatives are often American, Western, or at the very least, Chinese, but they are not known for their support of the Zionist entity. What Ibtihal did has consequences, through her work and experience she was aware of and closely monitored all the dark doings of the company she worked for. Yet, she chose the right moment to declare her absolute rejection of what was happening, sacrificing her job and future with the company. Ibtihal left the company, but she entered the hearts of those with living consciences.

Ibtihal wasn’t seeking fame, followers, or even having an article written about her. What shook her to her core was this complete lack of humanity from a telecommunications company we thought had some degree of morality and neutrality. We discovered instead that it was a hidden soldier for the Israeli army, which is immersed in the killing of children and innocents, directly contributing to its crimes of genocide. We salute Ibtihal Aboussad, who expanded the boycott map to include new areas.

This article first appeared in Arabic in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on 14 April 2025

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.