The Muslims of Thailand

Abstract

Thailand is about the last place one would associate with Muslims. One imagines Buddhist wats, saffron-robed monks, and fun-loving people. One does not imagine women in headscarves, minarets, and the call to prayer. Indeed, 90 percent of Thais are Buddhists. However, the majority of the remainder is Muslim (about 8 percent of the total population). In this slim volume, Gilquin provides a solid introduction to the Muslim communities of Thailand. It is a sweeping overview, and in that task it does its job very well. Personally, I would have preferred a more detailed analysis of the everyday lives of Thai Muslims. Gilquin calls Thailand’s Muslims a heterogeneous minority. Although one might imagine that Islam is limited to the provinces closest to Malaysia, the author demonstrates that this is far from true. However, 85 percent of the Muslim population lives in the south, and so their issues and concerns figure prominently in this account. Since the country’s Muslims have different national origins, legal/ritual schools, and levels of commitment or interest in Sufism, the only characteristic that seems to define them is their more reserved approach to socializing. He notes that in a country noted for its fun (sanuk) and merry-making outings, Muslims are conspicuously absent in ...