Un-HolyLand? An Arab Muslim Reckoning With Racism : Code Switch

You may not have heard of Majdi Wadi, but he's pretty well known in Minneapolis, Minn. He's Palestinian American, a devout Muslim and the CEO of the HolyLand brand — a family owned grocery store, restaurant and hummus factory.

But recently, Wadi's business received the kind of attention that's now threatening his business's existence. Just a few days after police in Minneapolis killed George Floyd and protests erupted, his daughter Lianne Wadi's anti-Black, anti-Semitic and anti-gay social media posts from 2012 and 2016 surfaced.

The backlash was swift: Wadi fired his daughter from her position as the company's catering director, and HolyLand lost lucrative contracts that resulted in layoffs and a factory shutdown. They've also been evicted from one location and are the target of a boycott campaign.