COMMENT | I bought a few keffiyehs in New Delhi years ago for my millennial son. Back then, many perceived the keffiyeh as simply a neck warmer, a casual fashion wear. It was nothing more than a soft black-and-white chequered fabric.

Yet today, a keffiyeh carries different meanings. To some, the scarf affirms one’s solidarity with oppressed Palestinians. To others, it signals anti-Semitism. A hostility towards the occupier Israel.

Likewise, flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down - a traditional gesture to mark distress - is quickly condemned as an affront to ketuanan melayu, an insult to national pride, hence a prosecutable offence. And the yellow Bersih T-shirt, a reformasi marker, is also a signal of anti-government activism.

All these examples share a simple truth...