Perhaps it was fate that allowed me to participate in my first demonstration, not back home in Malaysia but in London, for a cause that is close to the heart of many Malaysians, especially Muslims.

The 'Don't Attack Iraq, Freedom For Palestine' demonstration was organised by Stop The War coalition (made mostly of socialists, pacifists, trade unions and several MPs) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).

It had put up posters throughout London; plastered on lamp posts and advertisement posters in the Tube, and distributed leaflets.

So, when Rafizi Ramli, the co-ordinating secretary of Keadilan's International Bureau based in London invited me to join, I instantly agreed.

No complaints

The demonstration was supposed to start at Embankment Station on the Underground rail network. When we arrived, it was closed, probably due to the crowd.

This was expected to be the largest anti-war demo in recent years, and it probably was. We had to disembark at another station, where other demonstrators, carrying banners and placards, were walking towards the meeting point as well.

It was the week's second demonstration held in London. The previous Sunday, the Countryside Alliance (composed of those generally on the opposite political spectrum) held another which The Guardian described as being made of those who hardly knew how to demonstrate, as most were from the political right.

Although both demos involved road closure and traffic jams, Londoners did not complain much because they are used to such events which go with their ideals of freedom and democracy.

Interestingly, when I caught a glimpse of a police squad, it did not spark the fear that one associates with encountering policemen at Malaysian political rallies.

A friend had once remarked how the police "took care of the demonstrators, rather than beat them," as one has come to expect in Malaysia.

Diversity of people

It did help obviously that the organisers had well trained stewards to organise, but as we waited, it became clear that even they had not expected a crowd of this size. What was healthy was the crowd and the diverse messages on banners.

There were Muslims wearing skullcaps and tudung chanting Allahu Akbar!; old men and women with a walking stick in one hand and a Socialist Worker newspaper in the other; young middle-class white folk with their children in strollers; and a group of multiracial teenage students with a banner 'School Children Against War'.

There were Jewish socialists, English priests, Catholic nuns and Quakers. Most prominent were the high-profile Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) activists.

They were led to chants based on the pop song 'Who let the dogs out?' 'Who let the bomb down? ... Bush, Bush and Blair!'. Socialist youths wearing earrings and necklaces, shouted "Only one solution, Revolution!".

The crowd also mingled. I saw a Muslim lady draped in purdah chatting happily with a group of Chinese girls, and CND and MAB supporters walking hand-in-hand throughout the march.

With drums beating and whistles being blown, the protestors waited for about an hour, waving the red flags of socialists, la Illah ha Illallah flags of Muslim groups, and carrying banners such as 'Labour Against War' and colourful Green party insignias.

There was no doubt that the British treated demonstrations as a legitimate show of opinion and celebration of democracy, and not as form of unruly behaviour as in Malaysia..

Blair cursed

Finally, amidst cheering and whistling, the crowd walked beside the mighty Thames. For tourists, it must have been some sight, especially as the protestors approached Parliament and Westminster Abbey. < p> Reminiscent of reformasi gatherings, the crowd cheered each time a passing car honked in support.

Blair's name was cursed as we passed No 10 Downing Street but, by the time everyone passed the traditional destination of rallies (Trafalgar Square, where construction work is going on), the pace and the volume had reduced a little.

As we reached Hyde Park, the final destination, a voice in my head asked: "Here you are, sacrificing your Saturday afternoon for this rally, but does it actually count? Will Whitehall and White House actually react to this? The reformasi rallies in Malaysia ... what did they achieve?"

A steward's shout gave me the answer: "If you think this is useless," he cried out encouragingly, "Remember Vietnam! Remember the poll tax! Your voice, your participation, counts!"

I was eager again. At Hyde Park, people sat around as their kids played, couples had their lunch, stewards collected back placards, and Muslims prayed. There was a relaxed atmosphere.

Prominent speakers

The highlight of the demo, were the speeches at Hyde Park. MAB had obviously spent a lot of money to prepare the stage, complete with a big-screen monitor for the benefit of the estimated 350,000 demonstrators. Many famous speakers were present.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, a leading voice of dissent among backbenchers, remarked humorously, "It is good to see a variety of crowd today, Christians, Muslims and Jews; from the left, the right, but mostly the left."

Another notable speaker was Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, who is opposed to the war.

He criticised anti-American sentiments: "For those who said shame on America, I say shame on you! This has nothing to do with America, but with Bush. I am an American and I stand for what America stands for.

"America has laws which are set forth in the Constitution that founded my great country and I reject the policies which Bush is pursuing wholeheartedly."

Apathetic Malaysians

Ironically, we only encountered another Malaysian family among the demonstrators, the family of an activist with Muslim group Majlis Syura Muslimun.

When Rafizi and I made our way to a Malaysian restaurant after the march, we found many Malaysians there. Many probably could not care less about the demonstration, although it is for an issue very much relevant to Malaysians, especially Muslims.

I reflected on the disparity of the mentality between Malaysians and British, on the fundamental rights of the people in a democratic civil society.

As the Malaysians who were busy enjoying their nasi goreng and belacan at the restaurant illustrated, the difference was all about apathy.

While Malay Malaysians speak a lot about Western injustices against the Muslim world, hardly any of us (and there are many in London) turned up to show what we stand for. Instead, the British, most of whom are not Muslims, dared to participate.

With reformasi of 1998 a distant memory, I can only dream of similar demonstrations in Malaysia. When will we stand up and be counted?

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD is the founding editor of SuaraAnum.com