Mahira Khan’s brand Mashion faces backlash for collaborating with pro-Israel brand

Renowned actor Mahira Khan's lifestyle brand, Mashion, came under fire due to its collaboration with a brand owned by the global consumer goods giant, Unilever, which has faced boycott calls for its pro-Israel stance.  

Mashion shared a reel created by Dove for Mother's Day on Instagram, hinting at a collaboration between the two brands. 

However, the post received heavy criticism from social media users who found it contradictory, given Mahira's vocal stance on Palestine.

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement aims to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories and respect international law. This movement has targeted companies operating in settlements, which are seen as a key obstacle to peace.

BDS advocates have urged consumers for a boycott of Unilever.

Entrepreneur and founder of Soul Sisters Pakistan slammed Pakistani fashion brand for partnering with Dove for Mother’s Day “a brand that supports the killing of mothers in Gaza - and is deleting any pro-Palestinian comments on that video.

Similarly Mashion in Pakistan is collaborating with Dove today for Mother’s Day - a brand that supports the killing of mothers in Gaza - and is deleting any pro Palestinian comments on that video. 💔🇵🇸 https://t.co/y6JcI012NE

— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) May 11, 2024

After facing backlash for its collaboration with the pro-Israel brand, Mashion removed the promotional post from its Instagram account, but it remains on Facebook, attracting criticism in the comments section.

“Why are you collaborating with genocide supports? You're a Muslim Pakistani platform and this is what you do?? What a shame. Mansion and Mahira Khan are now added to the #boycott list,” a comment read. 

"Boycott Mashion for collaborating with brands supporting genocide. So heartbreaking to see that they didn’t find a local brand worthy of this collaboration. Shame on Mashion," a user wrote.

Mashion has not yet addressed the controversy regarding its partnership with Dove.

In July 2021, a rift emerged between Unilever, and its Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand. 

After Ben & Jerry's announced a boycott of the occupied West Bank territories, Unilever stated that it remains “fully committed" to operating in Israel and sold its ice cream brand to a local Israeli company.

Recently, Unilever also sold its stake in a food factory located in a West Bank settlement owing to the fear of facing a lawsuit by human rights groups for violating international law.

A Dutch human rights group, United Civilians for Peace, raised concerns about the legality of the industrial zone. They alleged that the Israeli military confiscated the land from Palestinian villages in 1981.