For the past few weeks, I've been watching the global cartoon debacle with great interest and hoping that it would all be over sooner rather than later. As a matter of fact, I was proud of my fellow Muslims back home; in the early days when violent protests erupted in many Muslim nations, including our next door neighbour Indonesia, Malaysian Muslims held (somewhat) a peaceful demonstration and delivered protest memo to the Danish embassy peacefully.

Since then, numerous protest demonstrations have been organised and attendees have grown from a mere hundred to thousands. Though on one hand I'm still very much proud of their non-violent conduct, I'm still troubled by their placards, shouts and burning of flag and effigies.

'Boikot Barangan Denmark' looks like the loudest shout among the protesters. I believe Denmark has about 200,000 Muslims and they are mainly economic migrants from developing countries trying to find better life as well as getting better incomes to be channelled back to their motherlands. As in other part of the world, majority of economic migrants work in the blue collar sector; factories are normally favourite places.

The effects of boycott

Imagine what the immediate effect would be if we do boycott Danish products:

An olive skin Muslim man on his way back home from his workplace. Normally, he would make his way home late in the afternoon when his shift ended, but today he finished early. Together with many of his friends, they were told their hard work and sweat were no longer needed. The company they had been working for the past few years since they arrived in their adopted land could no longer sustain its business as their products are being sidelined by many of its usual customers.

As he sat in the packed bus on his way home, he closed his eyes and rehearsed the words he would tell his family - that they would have to belt up and learn to live more frugally than before. He would have to tell his young daughter that she would not be getting that new dress he promised, in spite of her good grades and stading up to the bullies in school. To his son, he would have to convince him that his football boots were still okay, and that men wore tight shoes to work everyday, it was a part of being a real man. To his wife, the coming wedding anniversary would have to be a quiet affair, without the trip to countryside they planned. And to his mother back home, she would have to bear the pain of her illness with even more strength and leave everything to Allah, as the money he promised to send for her medication would not be arriving just yet. His father? He would have to apologise for not being able to help him fund the new roof for their old, leaking home.

Above all, he was at a loss. How was he going to explain that this was due to a boycott by their fellow believers worldwide? A boycott because of an unfortunate event of which neither he nor his employer were at all involved? And even he himself couldn't understand why his fellow brothers and sisters decided to punish him and took away his normal life all in the name of their religion.

Every Ramadan, I will receive emails urging me not to buy a few brands of dates as they're produced by Israeli companies. I have been made to understand that a good number of Palestinian Muslims make their living by working in Israel. Just look at what happens each time, for whatever reasons, when Israel decided to close their borders to the Palestinians. Thousands suffer due to their inability to get work and earn some money. And many of them do work in various agricultural sectors including dates' plantations and factories.

Walk the talk

'Bunuh Bush, Hancur Amerika' says another placard. I'm wondering, who are they urging to do so? If they're so extremely passionate about the cause, instead of spending money on placards (they aren't cheap) why don't they organise themselves to execute such mission? If they were inciting others to do so, and some poor misled person gets caught and is sent to Guantanamo to be treated like dirt, would the placard bearers be willing to volunteer themselves to be there too? I guess, sitting on comfy sofas in their modern houses, they would just shake their heads, shout more abusive slogans and continue to write more placards and pray that they would triumph.

And what happens after such demonstrations? The leaders, for certain, are ushered into their leather seated air-conditioned 4x4 SUV to another place for an afternoon refreshment. Enjoying their teh tarik, kuih-kuih and what not they must have felt holier. And the rest of the crowd, scattered to various mamak stalls they felt holier too.

Frankly, these demonstrations, violent and deadly in other places, which initially did gain some support and sympathy from many non-Muslims have now become big annoyances. Many non-Muslims are asking, "They've made their point and we all understood. What more do they want?" Sadly, some even said, "This is just strengthening my point that it is just simply an intolerant religion."

We have read so many accounts illustrating the compassion and tolerance showed by our Prophet to his many abusers and tormentors. I just can't help imagining what would happen if he is to be with us now. Probably, he would visit all those cartoonists, have tea and make friends with them. He would probably learn how to draw too.

I am not unsympathetic to the cause. You must remember, and if you read this column regularly, you would know that in a dark past, I too was a renegade. Maybe it was youthful exuberance or stupidity but then, I would have died for the cause. Today, when I buy my mangoes and dates with stickers that says 'Produce of Israel''at my local supermarket, I know a small fraction of my money will go to a Palestinian family so that they can retire comfortably for the night, as the coming dawn will bring another hard day in their already troubled land it's the least I can do.

ANONYMOUS lives in a western country but still keeps his Malaysian passport and enjoys teh tarik and keow teow goreng . He earns his living by day dreaming, fantasizing and mapping out better future environments.