Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
About 4.6% of the population are followers of Islam. The remainder are Christian,
including missionary-converted hill tribes and Vietnamese immigrants, as well as
Confucians, Taoists, Mahayana Buddhists and Hindus.
The majority of Muslims in Thailand live in the southern provinces, though there
are pockets in Bangkok and central and northern Thailand. In the southernmost
provinces the Muslims are ethnic Malays, while northern Thailand's Muslims are
Yunnanese descendants. The form of Islam found in southern Thailand is mixed
with elements of Malay culture and animism, creating a more culturally relaxed reli-
gion than that of Arab nations. Thai Muslim women function in the society as act-
ively as their Buddhist sisters: working outside the home, getting a mainstream edu-
cation and being equal partners with their spouses. There is a degree of separation
of the sexes in the classrooms and at the mosques. Headscarves are prevalent but
not mandatory: sometimes a visitor only realises that someone is is a Muslim when
they decline an offering of pork at the dinner table.
Devout Thai Muslims often encounter spiritual incompatibilities with their identit-
ies as Thai citizens, which is largely defined by the Buddhist majority. The popular
view of the Thai monarch as a god, or at least godlike, is heresy for a monotheistic
religion like Islam, though many Thai Muslims respect and even love the king and
do not voice open criticism of his veneration. Muslims also avoid alcohol and
gambling (in varying degrees) - two pursuits that define much of rural life for
Buddhist Thais. In this way, religious precepts keep the two cultures distinct and
slightly distrustful of each other.
The Deep South
The southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat contain the country's
largest Muslim majority and have long been geographically isolated and culturally
alien to the mainstream society. Historically, parts of these provinces were inde-
pendent sultanates that were conquered by the Bangkok-based kings. During the
ultranationalist era in the 1940s, this region responded with separatist resistance,
later becoming a sanctuary for communist and insurgent activities in the 1980s. Vi-
olence flared again in the early 2000s and has persisted, with no end in sight; most
observers classify the conflict as an ethno-nationalist struggle.
