A few bloggers are leading the charge to boycott that traditional comfort food, Campbell's Soup. What could a 3,500-member Facebook group have against the purveyor of homey soups? In January, the company released a line of soups that are Halal-certified (prepared according to Islamic dietary laws) in Canada. The protesters, led by firebrand blogger Pamela Geller, are not strictly boycotting the soup because of the Halal label itself. Instead, Geller attacks the fact that Campbell's certified the product via the Islamic Society of North America, which she alleges has ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

"No one is suggesting they refrain from this line," Geller said. "No one is suggesting they not have halal food. I'm not against halal food any more than I'm against kosher food. My issue is who's doing the certifying."

For their part, ISNA has denied "any ties to Hamas" and "condemned religious extremism and violence." Since the boycott officially began on October 5th, a Campbell's spokesperson says the company has not noticed "any effect" on sales. Which leads Mother Jones blogger Kevin Drum to call into question the whole premise of the report:

Even if we agree on nothing else, can't we agree never again to pursue a story that begins with those words ["Blogger Pamela Geller began calling for a boycott"]? Especially one that has produced only a Facebook page with 3,500 friends — about as many as my cat could get if I set up a fan page for him — and, according to Campbell, hasn't had the slightest actual effect on sales? Come on, people.

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Erik Hayden