The BBC World Service’s Reporting Religion draws attention to the “Perfume of Resistance”, a new Lebanese product that is supposed to reflect the sanctity of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah (23:15). The New Republic‘s Annia Ciezadlo answers questions on it:
It’s got a picture of an Israeli boat on fire. Does it smell like that then?
Actually, the guys who made it got a couple of calls asking if it smells of blood or gunpowder. No, actually…it smells quite nice.
The perfume appeared in December, and has had some coverage since then which passed me by. The Daily Star has some background:
“We thought it was a catchy idea, as now the perfume is more than something that smells nice, it is a political statement,” said Mohammad Dekmak, who heads Bint Huda, a chain of stores in Beirut”s southern suburbs that started selling the perfume this month. The $1 perfume is being marketed as a unisex product, but is mainly popular with men. According to Dekmak, the perfume’s designer and producer, Hajj Ali Aaqil Khalil, dropped by the store several weeks ago, carrying 40 samples of the perfume in a plastic bag – and sold them all within minutes
…Several attempts were made by The Daily Star to contact Khalil – who, according to Dekmak, once sold “Hajj Perfume” – but none were successful. Hizbullah “didn’t give license” for the perfume…
According to Reporting Religion, the designer is now pondering a Muqtada al-Sadr perfume.
Although Hezbollah seems happy with this product, Nasrallah’s supporters are not keen on having his name taken in vain: last June, a television satire on him led to riots.
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