#8 Cold Turkey

10 June 2025

Entry #8

10 June 2025

Status: Mind is at the Mediterranean sea

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I had another post scheduled for today but I just couldn’t bring myself to proceed with that and not address the Freedom Flotilla boat on the way to Gaza that was intercepted by the IOF yesterday. On board was Greta Thundberg and eleven other heroes. And you know how it is with social media – the more you click on something, the more of that content gets shown. So I’ve been looking a lot at these heroes and making lots of prayers for them not to feel an ounce of fear or pain while being captives.

I sat and thought about how their days were like a day before boarding the boat weeks ago. Fully aware, I’m sure, that this interception will happen and they will most likely be taken. Did they spend the day before with their families? Did they take their kids to the playground to enjoy the smiles, not knowing if they might return? Thiago Avila from Brazil has a seven-month-old baby that he had to say goodbye to before he sailed. Did they have their last games night with their friends? Did their spouses or parents even get a good night sleep, worried for their loved ones going on this journey? And tears fell down my cheeks.

We won’t know, of course. But what the world knows is that these twelve people are such beacons of courage. Inspirations for the rest of us to follow. To carry nothing but aid to Gaza, no weapons nothing, and sail on with hearts full of hope and selflessness. You have already carved such a deep mark in history and thank you for literally risking your lives for the world.

I looked at Fadza yesterday and asked him, “How is this really happening in 2025? That they can kill so many people (and BABIES!), use the self-defence card and get away with it?” Yes we know there are politics and business involved, but how do they still get away with it? And anyone who speaks up against these killings are quickly labeled anti-semitic.

We don’t feel this divide much in Malaysia because generally everyone is on the same page about Palestine, but my friends in other countries literally fight to be on the right side of history. They risk their lives too walking down the streets in keffiyahs around their shoulder (I see you, Ainul!), taking a stand in front of others who don’t agree with them. Another friend was traveling overseas and carried with her the Palestine dUCk scarf in her luggage and she was so scared passing customs in fear they’d detain her. There was this one time Fadza and I joined a Palestinian rally in Amsterdam. Right next to us were Zionist supporters setting up their rally with flags and vehicles to oppose our side. It would be a lie to say I didn’t have a little bit of anxiety that they might have weapons or guns to shoot all of us in the Palestinian rally. That’s something we don’t really feel in Malaysia. That is when our courage really gets tested.

Yes, it does feel like we can’t seem to change the world. The world has rallied. The world has spoken. The university students have given graduation speeches. The media has reported truths. Even when we zoom in to personal levels - we’ve been reposting Palestinian content for years now, and the bombings still happen. We did fundraisers of millions collected to send to Gaza, and the bombings still happen. We did Instagram Lives with Palestinians in Gaza and many of them have died in the bombings. We have been boycotting brands related to Zionism, and it doesn’t seem to affect the genocide efforts even one bit.

So what do we do?

We do this…

We remember this powerful quote:

“But what can I do, I am just one person” - said seven billion people.

We are not powerless.

Collectively, we are so so powerful.

Maybe we can’t change the law yet. Maybe our rallies fall to deaf ears and blind eyes at the top. But there is one thing we can do almost immediately.

Stop funding Zionism.

Stop buying their brands.

Stop buying brands that support them.

Stop buying brands that donate to them.

I have been vocal about this for a while now, and it’s disappointing to see many agree but keep quiet. They still want to carry these items that show “status”. Thing is, they don’t realise these items don’t show status anymore – those days are over. They now carry invisible blood stains – funded by brands whose donations support the bombing of children. Why on God’s earth would you want to be seen in them?

I have been an avid fan of these brands for decades. I’ve paraded them, I’ve given my money to them, I’ve even collaborated with them for business. Then when I realized where that money goes to or may go to, I stopped. I stopped cold turkey. I stopped advocating and stopped wearing these brands for almost two years now, because the veil has been lifted from my eyes. The brainwash we’ve been under to think these Western brands are superior – they are not. Of course, you can enjoy any brand you want in this world, Western or not, luxury or not – but please, choose the ones that don’t fund Zionism. You do not want your hard-earned money to be a contributing factor to a murdered child. It’s not a small thing to carry into the afterlife – and ignorance can no longer be an excuse in this digital world. You can research by just a few clicks of the fingers.

I used to be shy to tell people off, but I no longer am. If I see it, I’ll call it out especially with my family and friends. “You’re still drinking that?!” whenever I see them holding drinks on the boycott list. Don’t be ashamed to call it out - we are supposed to invite our loved ones to do good and reject evil. They can ignore it, that’s fine. But if you invoked even a 1% of doubt in their heart and they go home to do their own research that night, that’s still a win.

“Bought long time ago,” most of them will say. “I’m not contributing anymore.”

Yes, but you’re still parading it. You’re still carrying them around like items of pride. You’re still giving your nod of approval to the brands and influencing others to follow.

Stop.

Sacrifice just a little bit for the oppressed and shed these items from your homes and bodies, and most importantly your hearts.

If you’re uncomfortable with the term boycott, you can always reframe the perspective and think “I’m not boycotting. I just feel like supporting local brands instead,” or brands that support the causes you support. It’s simply a shift of preference, that’s all.

The industries that have an abundance of choice – f&b, fashion, beauty – makes it easy for us to shift to other brands. But there are brands that we just find difficulty to not consume directly or indirectly – Google, Meta, Disney, banks, credit cards and more. I mean how do you not use them? I am with you, I also feel the struggle here. A little secret – Fadza even developed an app to compete with Whatsapp, but it was so difficult to get people to move away from what they’re used to. That’s reality. May God see our efforts and struggles to do the right thing.

But for the ones you can shift away from, please do so starting today.

It’s hard to do a blanket clean sweep of course. And once you start advocating, people will look at you and start pointing at the cracks. “But you’re not that good, look you’re still using X or Y. Look, you’re still using Whatsapp, you’re still using Instagram, you’re still using Gmail.” And some in Malay might even come, “Dia ingat dia bagus sangat la tu.” Don’t get mad at them, it’s good that we keep each other in check. And God knows we are all trying to do good to the best of our abilities. So don’t let comments like those diminish your efforts. We’re not perfect but God sees. Keep trying.

Look at your home and start auditing your belongings. Go to the websites that show you the brands’ stance (with evidence) and start your own personal jihad.

Don’t punish every brand. Do your research first. And for the ones you’re unsure of, just avoid anyway. Because there are other choices.

We may not sit on thrones of power but we hold something just as mighty – our choices. So let’s choose the right one, to the best of our abilities.

Shift.

Cold turkey.

Today.

And tell everyone about your efforts.

Imagine if seven billion people did this together.

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Before you go…

I’d like to share some websites I use to check brands before I buy. Especially at the supermarket or pharmacy. Even my kids use them:

1. Bdnaash - https://bdnaash.com

2. Disoccupied - https://disoccupied.com

3. The Witness - https://boycott.thewitness.news/

Bookmark them!

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Before you really go…

Let me know you’ve read this. Comment “Today.” on my latest post at @sincerelyvivy.

See you there! :)