Voronezh soap 'Rus' renamed over halal scandal
Soap named «Rus» from the Voronezh manufacturer «EFKO Cosmetic» found itself at the center of a scandal. On one of the marketplaces, the product card indicated that the soap was halal — that is, permitted for use by Muslims. This was noticed by a member of the Human Rights Council, Kirill Kabanov.
«Halal Rus... You must agree, it very much resembles a dark prophecy, with a deep subtext or rather a warning. A warning about what the all-Russian halalization of everything could lead to for us and our country,» Kabanov wrote in his Telegram channel on January 15.
His outrage was supported by some other channels. For example, «Sons of Monarchy», authored by writer Roman Antonovsky. Here is what he wrote:
«Essentially, this is segregation on religious grounds and infringement of the rights of the Russian Orthodox majority. I believe that incompetent marketers should be penalized financially. It»s time to start boycotting the products of companies that put halal certificates on products intended for widespread use by people of different faiths.«
However, there were those who thought the scandal around the soap was blown out of proportion. Historian Yevgeny Norin urged «not to engage in nonsense.»
«Here we are, humiliated by cute »halal« soap, whatever that means. Colleagues! Let»s focus on something really important, because it«s impossible anymore, a Russian person must feel constantly on guard. <...> Let»s not engage in nonsense. Let«s engage in non-nonsense.»
The wave of outrage ended with the executive director of EFKO Group, Sergey Ivanov, announcing that the soap will be renamed. Now it will be called «Rosa». Ivanov also explained where the «Halal» sign came from:
«Soap »Rus« appeared in the early 90s and long before the Voronezh plant became part of EFKO. The main volume of this brand is laundry soap. 70% is exported to Central Asian countries. For them and for our Caucasian republics, the certificate was made. The »halal« certificate for soap is a check of composition and production. Without the ritual part. It was made for export, where buyers require such confirmation.»
Now, in the advertisement for soap «Rus» on the marketplace, the message about halal is no longer present.
