When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

       Martin Niemöller (1976)

Flags are torched and insults and vulgarities hurled. Harsh statements of boycott are made and the Christian community in Malaysia is in silence.

When I reflect on the ongoing tension in Israel and the response of my fellow Malaysians (mainly the Muslims) I am reminded of the poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller concerning being silent.

In my opinion, Pastor Niemöller was writing against the German Christians who did not respond to the Nazi movements when they should have at the onset of its aggression.

His poem was directed to himself as he sees his own failure as a leader to make an impact in his community and to stand up for the truth. And we can and should certainly learn from him and from history.

The fear of speaking out (especially on political topics) has been in the heart of the Malaysian minorities as a result of the 1969 incident. The generation before me has suffered the trauma of ethnic clashes and the minorities have taken a stand down.

From my perspective, the stand down is Biblical as the Bible teaches us to be at peace with others. (Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy - Hebrews 12:14). But the stand down doesn't mean that we should not speak against injustice and the motives of evildoers.

If the churches continue to be quiet, then we are waiting for the day the church will become altogether insignificant.

Boycott? As the pigeons (in Bolt the movie) put it... it is total redonkulous!

If our ex-Prime Minister (Mahathir) or some illegal groups of Malaysians want to call a boycott on American products and all things American, then guess what? Our whole country will come to a halt!

Yes, a total halt. And that is why it is redonkulous. Imagine all Malaysians boycott Microsoft OS or any of the major brands of PCs for a day.

And has Mahathir or any so-called UMNO leaders who are calling for the boycott consider the US-owned companies that are in Malaysia. These companies provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of people regardless of their ethnicity. There are Malays, Chinese, Indians and all sorts of nationalities working in US-based companies in Malaysia.

As a friend of mine like to put it: "Do we get companies from UAE or Iran coming to create jobs here in Malaysia? Get real! And if you have a choice, would you rather work and stay in the US or stay in Iran?"

A clear and proper understanding of how the tension in Israel started is important before we jump to any conclusion that drinking Starbucks will kill anyone.