John Lewis faced criticism last night after it emerged that the retailer had been selling hijabs made by a fashion company whose social-media account shared a disturbing image showing Hamas terrorists attacking Israel on October 7 with a paraglider and bulldozer.
The retailer appeared to pause sales this weekend of headscarves and other garments produced by Beirut-based Bokitta, following an investigation by The Mail on Sunday into a number of controversial posts linked to the company and its co-founder.
Bokitta describes itself as a ‘contemporary hijab and clothing brand for modern and practical Muslim women’. Its £35 hijabs were sold through the John Lewis website, alongside a £70 ‘Premium Prayer Set’ containing robes and a headscarf.
The newspaper found that, 11 days after Hamas carried out its October 7, 2023 attacks, Bokitta’s official Instagram account published an image showing a Hamas terrorist flying a paraglider against the backdrop of a Palestinian flag.
The graphic also depicted a Hamas bulldozer breaking through Israel’s border fence, together with a Palestinian keffiyeh arranged in the shape of Israel.
On the day of the October 7 attacks, Bokitta co-founder and design director Hala Absi also shared a news clip about the Hamas assault. In an accompanying caption, she referred to Israelis as ‘oppressors’. ‘May God protect our brothers and sisters in Palestine and grant us victory over the oppressors,’ she wrote.
John Lewis said this weekend that it had begun an investigation, while both posts were subsequently removed. The retailer said in a nine-word statement: ‘We weren’t aware of these comments and are investigating.’
By yesterday, Bokitta’s products were no longer listed for sale on the John Lewis website.
Bokitta calls itself a ‘contemporary hijab and clothing brand for modern and practical Muslim women’ and sold £35 hijabs through the John Lewis website
A Bokitta post showed a Hamas terrorist flying a paraglider in front of a Palestinian flag
Adam Ma’anit, an Israeli based in Britain whose cousin Tsachi was abducted on October 7 and later killed by Hamas, urged John Lewis to apologise and end its relationship with Bokitta.
‘John Lewis is a national treasure,’ he said. ‘When our daughter was born, we bought her buggy and baby clothes there.
‘To see the retailer connected to a company that celebrated October 7 is heartbreaking.
‘John Lewis says it operates according to strong ethical principles. It now needs to demonstrate that by cutting all ties with Bokitta and issuing a public apology.’
John Lewis is believed to have stocked Bokitta’s clothing for at least three years. In September 2023, the brand opened a temporary pop-up shop at John Lewis’s flagship department store in Stratford, east London.
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Bokitta was founded in Beirut in 2009 by Mubde Absi. The company says on its website that it supports a ‘free Palestine’ and sells a jumper featuring the Palestinian flag, with profits from the item intended to ‘go to Palestine’.
The company website also features several contentious blog posts, including one discussing the Nakba, the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 during the creation of Israel.
The article was reportedly accessible through a drop-down menu using the labels ‘Jews’ and ‘Zionist Movement’. The ‘Jews’ heading was removed after The Mail on Sunday raised the issue last week.
Hamas paragliders pictured during the October 7 attacks
A Hamas bulldozer breaks through a fence at the beginning of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel
A ‘free Palestine’ headscarf sold by Bokitta; the item was no longer listed on the John Lewis website yesterday
The post says: ‘At Bokitta we support a free Palestine,’ and claims that ‘Israel is doing nothing short of long-term ethnic cleansing that aims to remove Palestinians, their culture, and their traditions from their land.’
Bokitta said yesterday that it had not created the graphic featuring the bulldozer and paraglider, describing it as an image that was ‘shared quickly and without the scrutiny it required’.
‘We recognise that it contains imagery associated with the events of 7 October, during which civilians were attacked and killed,’ the company said.
‘We condemn those attacks on civilians. The image should not have been shared as it was, and it has now been removed.
‘Our intention was to express solidarity with Palestinian civilians, not to support any armed group or violence against civilians.’
The company said Ms Absi’s post was not intended to endorse the attacks, explaining: ‘The caption [on the Instagram post] was a prayer for the protection of the Palestinian people… not an endorsement of violence.’
It added: ‘Bokitta and its co-founder Hala Absi support the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and dignity, as well as peaceful advocacy on their behalf, including boycotts. We do not support terrorism, and we condemn the deliberate killing of civilians, whether Israeli or Palestinian, before, on and since 7 October 2023.’
Ms Absi said: ‘I do not support terrorism, and I condemn the killing of civilians, whether Israeli or Palestinian, before, on and since 7 October 2023.’
