For some reason, it’s widely accepted that consumers can demand suppliers be “neutral”—usually expressed as “stay out of politics.” I’ve outlined my view on this in Art with Bias, but recent conversations make me feel I should be more direct: I reject that fiction, especially at a time when official channels continue to suppress, ignore, or shut down voices that don’t align with power.

Neutrality risks becoming complicity, particularly when it is demanded by those uncomfortable with hearing the voices of the oppressed.

Art has never been neutral. Commerce has never been neutral. Media, design, and entertainment are all saturated with ideology, even when they claim otherwise. So no, I will not strip the politics from my reality. If that makes people uneasy, it should.

Recently, a few members of my small but growing community told me that some people had left my brand because I am “political.”

I expected it, but I am indifferent. In fact, through the lens of basic human dignity, I am glad.

I am glad my blends are not used to adorn their world—a world where justice is rationed to the powerful, and privilege is disguised as entitlement.

For me, this is not about comfort or convenience. It is about whether I am willing to bow to the pressure of profit, or to the expectations of those whose moral compass only functions within what is comfortable.

I sometimes wonder if those who argue for separating “politics and business” realize that taking a stance is itself political, just as much as refusing to take one.

Silence is a choice. Indifference is a choice. I made mine. Others can make theirs.

Yes, I have had customers leave. I have had social media accounts banned. I was let go from a job for my stance against war-for-profit and colonization. That is a price—but it is small compared to what is actually at stake. The cost of silence is far greater.

This is about refusing silence, and standing with a collective voice that is pushing against the erasure of Palestine.

Palestine was not “nearly forgotten.” The struggle did not begin in October 2023. It began over 75 years ago and has continued since—with more loss, more violence, more dispossession, and more denial. It is not a recent story.

I am open to discussion. We can talk history, theology, logic, and more. But if the expectation is my silence, then I have nothing further to say beyond this: you are welcome to explore the work of other perfumers.

For those who celebrate the independence of their state, I ask only this: do you also acknowledge the resistance that made it possible? Do you teach your children about the sacrifices of previous generations? Would you not speak against the exploitation or colonization of your own history?

I am not asking anyone to take a stance for Palestine. I am simply stating that I will not abandon mine.

If I have a voice, a platform, and the ability to speak, then, God willing, I will use it.

For me, Palestine is worth it.

EDIT Nov 11 2025. 

I came across this short today, which I felt very much speaks to the same irony: