Re: hakka: Re: Hakka

["Dylan W.H. Sung" <mabr12@dial.pipex.com>]

Hello Pitt,

: I am glad my simple enquiry has turned 
: into a lively discussion issue. Hakkas
: were called the Jews of the orient. 
: Jewishness however is defined by the
: practice of Judaism as a religion and 
: the language Hebrew. Anyone who practise
: neither perhaps will have a difficult 
: time calling oneself a Jew. 

The stereotypes of Jews that persist in some places are fundamentally racist and
therefore we should move away from such things. I think the Jews would object to
this description of Hakka people based on the fact that they are forbidden to eat
any pig related foodstuffs. 

However, there have been media broadcasts through radio and tv which showed that
Jews are also becoming more secular, and beginning to eat pork, or men not having
circumcision performed on their sons, though this is only a small minority.

HagGaNgin is a good label if we still want to recognise our ancestors' past. From
private mail with Dr. Lau, we both agree that that the HagGa identity is best
served if we base it upon facts rather than the notion that we are in some way
superior to the other Chinese dialect speakers. By treating each other as equals,
we can enjoy better understanding of ourselves and others.

Dylan.