Can you pick the odd one out?
a) Keffiyeh
b) Kufiya
c) Shemagh
d) Australian Outback Tactical Scarf
And the answer is…
… none. They are all words to describe the item in the photo – at least according to some shop on Amazon Australia called Sunbilien.
It gets even better. They describe the scarf as – amongst other things – “perfect for law enforcement.”
More like perfect for those trying to avoid law enforcement.
By the way, the exact colors of this – black and white – are those of the palestinian Arab keffiyeh aka the symbol of palestinian Arab terrorism.
This bizarre labeling forces us to consider the underlying intent. Is this a case of a clueless Amazon seller throwing every possible keyword, no matter how absurd, onto a product listing just to catch an extra sale from a demographic that wouldn’t otherwise touch a keffiyeh? Or is there a more deliberate, even symbolic, attempt to subtly normalize or commercialize a garment intrinsically linked to palestinian Arab terrorism by rebranding it for a Western audience?
And will Nasser Mashni consider this “cultural appropriation” or rather actually be happy it could align with his “Australia is ours” philosophy?
Head of the Palestinian Lobby, @iamthenas , declared that “Melbourne is ours. Australia is ours. The world is ours.”
— Keren Zelwer (@KerenZelwer) February 17, 2025
Whose? #melbourne #australia pic.twitter.com/YSpC1Nk8vk
