The thread sarcastically referring to Islam being the "religion of peace" frustrated me. It frustrated so much that I finally created an account here an decided to clear up some thing.
The specific subject of the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand particularly interested me because I had spent a few hours today studying it. For such an ignorant post to be made, and that ignorance not to be pointed out, seemed wrong to me.
In 1899 the Thai king Rama V ordered Pattani to come under Thai control. After some resistence by 1902 it was under Thai control, and with that came Thai laws, which replaced Sharia law. The locals believed Sharia law to be mandatory to follow and enforce, as according to their religious practices, and also believed it was their duty to resist a non-Muslim occupier.
The Thais and the Malays are different ethnically, culturally, or religiously. However during the past century Thailand has had a consistent policy of forced assimilation of the Malay people. In 1921 they instituted a law that made it mandatory for Malay children to attend Thai primary schools, primarily for the purpose of teaching them Thai language. Prior to this the Malays of Pattani had been renowned for their muslim schools which were considered the best in Southeast Asia.
This law led to protests which led to Thai forces coming down south to supress those protests, which led to violence. This cycle would be repeated many times in the last century and still today.
In 1938 or so the Malays were by law not allowed to dress in their traditional fashions, instead they had to wear western clothing. Under an ultra-nationalist prime minister more brute force was used to supress the separatists.
By the 1960s the Thai government further interfered with traditional muslim schooling to the point where Malay families sent their children overseas to learn. Overseas to places like the Middle East, which caused them to more closely identify themselves with the muslim world.
By the 1970s there are guerilla groups fighting for independence. After a few ups an downs in the cycles of violence, and the implementation of more tolerant policies by the Thai government, the Malays still do not identify with the Thais. They are still different ethnically, culturally, and religiously.
So before you bring up the Malay separatist movement recognize it is the creation of injustice perpetrated by the Thai government over the last one hundred years. The acts of the terrorists are brutal but one must first recognize the source of terrorism before condemning the terrorists.
Any group, no matter what religion, will violently resist annexation by a group of people they cannot identify with in any way. For that reason please refrain from using the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand as a target for your bigotry.
The specific subject of the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand particularly interested me because I had spent a few hours today studying it. For such an ignorant post to be made, and that ignorance not to be pointed out, seemed wrong to me.
In 1899 the Thai king Rama V ordered Pattani to come under Thai control. After some resistence by 1902 it was under Thai control, and with that came Thai laws, which replaced Sharia law. The locals believed Sharia law to be mandatory to follow and enforce, as according to their religious practices, and also believed it was their duty to resist a non-Muslim occupier.
The Thais and the Malays are different ethnically, culturally, or religiously. However during the past century Thailand has had a consistent policy of forced assimilation of the Malay people. In 1921 they instituted a law that made it mandatory for Malay children to attend Thai primary schools, primarily for the purpose of teaching them Thai language. Prior to this the Malays of Pattani had been renowned for their muslim schools which were considered the best in Southeast Asia.
This law led to protests which led to Thai forces coming down south to supress those protests, which led to violence. This cycle would be repeated many times in the last century and still today.
In 1938 or so the Malays were by law not allowed to dress in their traditional fashions, instead they had to wear western clothing. Under an ultra-nationalist prime minister more brute force was used to supress the separatists.
By the 1960s the Thai government further interfered with traditional muslim schooling to the point where Malay families sent their children overseas to learn. Overseas to places like the Middle East, which caused them to more closely identify themselves with the muslim world.
By the 1970s there are guerilla groups fighting for independence. After a few ups an downs in the cycles of violence, and the implementation of more tolerant policies by the Thai government, the Malays still do not identify with the Thais. They are still different ethnically, culturally, and religiously.
So before you bring up the Malay separatist movement recognize it is the creation of injustice perpetrated by the Thai government over the last one hundred years. The acts of the terrorists are brutal but one must first recognize the source of terrorism before condemning the terrorists.
Any group, no matter what religion, will violently resist annexation by a group of people they cannot identify with in any way. For that reason please refrain from using the Malay-Muslims of southern Thailand as a target for your bigotry.
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