Okay, should we even try to settle this debate?
While the creators of Spongebob Squarepants may not have thought twice before posting the beloved characters from the franchise wishing fellow Muslims a blessed Ramadhan, the seemingly innocent posting has already sparked a debate between Malaysians and Indonesians about the garments Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star are wearing!
wishing everyone a Happy Ramadan! pic.twitter.com/iHz1OuYRq7
— SpongeBob (@SpongeBob) April 23, 2020
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In the visual posted on its official Twitter, Spongebob and Patrick were seen sporting traditional wear that looks like your typical Baju Melayu, with Ramadhan decorations all over Spongebob’s house.
The tweet has since gone viral with over 168K retweets, possibly from Muslims who were excited to see their beloved cartoons in relatable clothes, but that’s not without some people ruining the fun by arguing over the origins of their clothing!
Malaysians obviously claimed the tell-tale signs of the two wearing Malaysian traditional clothing, complete with samping to complete the look.
OH MY GOD, BAJU MELAYU, SONGKET AND EVERYTHING
— Fazri (@tenoq) April 23, 2020
FOR ONCE, IT'S NOT ARAB
Oh,,, my god,,,, I am LIVING FOR THE BAJU MELAYU and SONGKET,,,, it’s like spongebob and Patrick KNOWS MALAYSIA EXISTS,,,, https://t.co/HmxyNA1Qv9
— Paggie Tan (@paggietan) April 23, 2020
Yesterday Spongebob twitter posted Happy Ramadhan with them wearing Malaysia's traditional clothing Melayu, Malaysia IS conquering the world
— yyxy (@ireneshoulders) April 24, 2020
While Indonesians clapped back at Malaysians who can’t see that there the outfits actually came from their country.
Thats batik from Indonesia
— Aiman Hakim (@aimanasnil) April 23, 2020
My favourite thing about this @SpongeBob Ramadan greeting is that they are wearing Indonesian clothes. You'd never guess it based on Muslim Twitter's demographics, but Indonesia has the largest percentage of Muslims in the world. https://t.co/0uijVFzsMV
— Euoplocephalus (@Euoplocephalus3) April 23, 2020
Lov u Spongebob, oh btw they wearing CLOTHES from Indonesia, so proud !1! 1! https://t.co/GETQJ2AxP3
— 🚭 (@kirikkko) April 23, 2020
Obviously this has sparked an online war between the two countries (again)...
Thats not batik.. its songket!! Hand woven.. its not belong to indonesia!! But its belong to malays!!!
— ao (@iamirulomar) April 23, 2020
Riau and Riau Island people uses that and yeah we're part of indonesia too! :) its called baju melayu/baju kurung and kain songket here
— 𝑲𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒛𝒆𝒓 (@ekurei_) April 24, 2020
Rest assured, there are some of us who are sick of arguing and would not want to ruin this special Ramadhan dedication, what more on the first day of the Muslim holy month.
Quit the arguing. The clothes are known as Baju Melayu or Malay Cloth in Malaysia, and there are Malays in Indonesia too.
— head pats enthusiast (@nnvnx) April 23, 2020
Ramadhan Kareem, Spongebob x Patrick! https://t.co/CWTosy20eU
Can Malaysian and Indonesia stop claiming and arguing who owned the traditional attire. We are all have the same ancestry and one nusantara region.
— lady syafinaz (@JamainSyafinaz) April 23, 2020
Look at the replies tho. Its 1st Ramadhan and they legit fighting over “Baju Melayu is from Indonesia.” “Baju Melayu is from Malaysia.” Guys, this is not the time to fight over petty things.
— lé purr #StayAtHome (@annelepurr_) April 24, 2020
And Spongebob sweetie, Ramadhan Mubarak to you and your family 💛 Love from Malaysia. https://t.co/f66fJ8dCGU
Just one question though... Does anybody from Malaysia/Indonesia works at Spongebob? 😂 Since you know the traditional outfit 😁 #proudMalaysian
— شف (@randomlysyaf) April 23, 2020
Have blessed Ramadhan, everyone!
By: Siti Farhana Sheikh Yahya
