Arabs 'boycotting Ariel washing powder'

[OneFootInTheGrave]

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_740416.html

Arabs 'boycotting Ariel washing powder'

Arabs are reportedly boycotting Ariel washing powder, in the belief that it is named after Israeli leader Ariel Sharon.

Pravda says spiritual leaders in Egypt have called on citizens to boycott Ariel, which is made by US firm Procter and Gamble.

Pravda claims the Egyptians believe the name is associated with the Israeli prime minister, and say the product label includes a Star of David.

A number of US companies, including Coca Cola and McDonalds, have seen sales suffer from Arab boycotts in the Middle East.

can this be true?

[RGBVideo]

Ariel washing powder - it literally blows the dirt away!

[Boris Godunov]

Way to have an ineffectual, stupid boycott!

[Bereta_Eder]

That was funny

[Sandman]

Ethnically cleanses at only 40C!

[Eli]

Well... That thingie at the top can be viewed as a Star of David... It has six, errrm, endings, and... what the hell am I doing? Trying to justify them?

[Traianvs]

LOL, yea now you mentioned it....

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Perhaps they will not watch Little Mermaid either

[Al'Kimiya]

Arabs using washing powder? Well that's new!

[Datajack Franit]

Ariel: sweeps terrorist bacteria!

[Provost Harrison]

Perhaps a rebrand for the middle east is in order

[red_jon]

More evidence of how stupid Egypt is.

[Dauphin]

I thought it was named after the Little Mermaid.

[Kropotkin]

Maybe Ariel Sharon is the little Murmaid!

After all, he's old enough to have meet H.C. Andersen...

[Dauphin]

This is actually old news. I read it in the Guardian a couple of months ago. I wonder why ananova has only just got wind of it.

Edit -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,835732,00.html

A spokesman for P&G is less convinced. He said: "It's ridiculous, Ariel was around long before the Israeli leader. Our logo represents an atom's path, not a religion."