Episode 88 - Ahmed Bashbash

In times of genocide, when silence is complicity, some courageous people are stepping forward to take action, and empowering others to do the same. This week, I had the honor of speaking with Ahmed Bashbash, a Palestinian developer using his skills to build tools that help people around the world take a stand against atrocity. Ahmed is the creator of No Thanks, a free mobile app designed to support the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement: one of the most visible and effective non-violent civil resistance campaigns of the past two decades. The movement's goal is to pressure governments and corporations to end their complicity in Israel’s violations of international law by shifting public discourse, influencing corporate decisions, and isolating Israel diplomatically. The No Thanks app lets users scan barcodes while shopping or search a database to see whether a company or product supports Israel — economically, militarily, through surveillance technology, government contracts, or by operating in illegal settlements, like Coca-Cola does. While many people know about brands like McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Microsoft, I was stunned to learn that even major German supermarket chains like Aldi, Lidl, and Edeka are on the list. In our conversation, you’ll hear Ahmed’s story and the inspiration behind the app, the personal risks and threats he’s faced, the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, the ongoing failure of international law to protect human rights, and much more. Please download this app to make more informed purchasing decisions. You can find Ahmed on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/afb_1999/ or on Twitter at https://x.com/ahmedbashbash You can find the No Thanks app on the Apple App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/no-thanks-app/id6476206516 You can also find it on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bashsoftware.boycott&hl=en&pli=1 Follow No Thanks on Twitter at https://x.com/NoThanksBoycott