We all have Chinese blood at different degreesPosted byUser: No to racismFrom: 202.161.157.11 On: October 09, 1999 at 05:26:44 In Reply to: Yes, I see the evidence of Sunan gn Jati tomb complex in Cirebon where the Antique Ming ceramic put on the wall, posted by justice on October 08, 1999 at 20:31:26: The term 'pribumi' and 'keturunan' are actually banal ones that should not be used, in fact according to Inpres/VI/mei/1999, President Habibie, whose father is Arab, instructed all government offices to stop discrimination and to prohibit the usage of the above terms. As to Gus Dur, he's Javanese of mixed Arab-Persian-Chinese origins, from his paternal line he's descended from a well-known Chinese Muslim missionary from China named Abdul Qadir Tan Kiem Han -- a disciple of Sunan Ampel (Raden Rahmat Bong Swie Hoo); therefore Gus Dur or Abdurrahman Wahid could use his ancestor's surname Tan if he wants to, anyway he's family evolved to become Javanese. You see, many Indonesians are a result of miscegenation between different peoples, in fact the so-called 'pribumi' Javanese never called themselves Javanese until after the coming of Islam which was coupled with the arrival of Chinese, Arabs, Persians, Portuguese, Dutch and so on. As to Sunan Gunung Jati (I know this because a descendant of him is a friend of mine) , he is just an example of so many Islamic rulers who came from China, there are a few from Persia, Turkey and Egypt as well, However, since the Dutch colonial period until the Orde Baru regime, there has been much distortion of historical facts to deceive people into thinking that Indonesians of outside origins have no place in this country. This does not only affect Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Europeans and so on as there are ethnic groups such as Betawi, Palembang, Manado and Sunda (Priangan) and so on who are descended from different ethnicities which intermingled together. The Wali Songos are a good example for our nation-building process, the integrative and assimilative spirit of these great men should serve as ag guideline for us to follow, only then can there be true unity in diversity - Binneka Tunggal Ika, Tat Twam Asi.
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