John Lewis faced criticism after 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 this weekend to have stopped selling headscarves and other garments by Beirut-based manufacturer Bokitta after The Mail on Sunday uncovered a series of controversial online posts by the company and one of its co-founders.
Bokitta describes itself as a “contemporary hijab and clothing brand for modern and practical Muslim women”. Its £35 hijabs were available through the John Lewis website, alongside a £70 “Premium Prayer Set” containing robes and a headscarf.
However, an investigation by this newspaper found that, 11 days after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, Bokitta’s official Instagram account published an image showing a Hamas terrorist flying a paraglider in front of a Palestinian flag.
The image also showed a Hamas bulldozer breaking through Israel’s border fence, alongside a Palestinian keffiyeh arranged in the shape of Israel.
On October 7 itself, Bokitta co-founder and design director Hala Absi shared a video clip from a news report about the Hamas attack. 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 it had launched an investigation, while both posts were subsequently removed. In a nine-word statement, the retailer said: “We weren’t aware of these comments and are investigating.”
Bokitta’s clothing was no longer available to purchase from the John Lewis website yesterday.
Bokitta, which describes itself as a ‘contemporary hijab and clothing brand for modern and practical Muslim women’, sells its £35 hijabs via John Lewis’s website
Pictured: A post shared by Bokitta depicting a Hamas terrorist flying a paraglider in front of a Palestinian flag
Adam Ma’anit, an Israeli living in the UK whose cousin Tsachi was kidnapped 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 them entangled with a company that celebrated October 7 is a stab to the heart.
“John Lewis claims to have strong ethics. They need to prove it by severing all ties with Bokitta and issuing a public apology.”
John Lewis is understood to have stocked Bokitta’s clothing for at least three years.
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In September 2023, Bokitta opened a temporary pop-up outlet at John Lewis’s flagship department store in Stratford, east London.
Founded in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2009 by Mubde Absi, Bokitta says on its website that it supports a “free Palestine”. The company also sells a sweater featuring the Palestinian flag, with profits from the garment said to “go to Palestine”.
The website contains several contentious blog posts, including one about the Nakba — the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 during the creation of Israel.
The article was, controversially, accessible through a drop-down menu using the labels “Jews” and “Zionist Movement”.
The “Jews” label was removed after it was highlighted by the MoS last week.
Hamas bulldozes through a fence at the start of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023
A free Palestine headscarf sold by Bokitta. The clothing was yesterday no longer available to buy from John Lewis’s website
The post says: “At Bokitta we support a free Palestine,” and adds: “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 the image featuring the bulldozer and paraglider had not been created by the company. It said the image 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 is, and it has been removed.
“Our intention was solidarity with Palestinian civilians, not support for any armed group or for violence against civilians.”
The company said Ms Absi’s post did not express support for the attacks, adding: “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, and 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.”