Islam in Zimbabwe

The arrival of Islam in Zimbabwe dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established emirates on the coast of East Africa. During that period slave merchants extended their business to the interior regions reaching Zimbabwe. Over a period of hundreds of years more than four million slaves were stolen from Zimbabwe and surrounding countries and exported from Swahili ports by traders to India.

Many Muslims entered Zimbabwe during the colonial period, primarily from the Indian subcontinent.

There are many Muslims in Zimbabwe who are considered to be people of mixed race.

Estimates on the number of Muslims in Zimbabwe vary from as low as 50.000 to as many as 120.000, according to the United States State Department.

There have been rumours that say that Arab traders played a major role in the construction of Great Zimbabwe. The proof given for this is that there are a number of indigenous people,in the city of Masvingo who have Muslim names and whose culture is similar to that of Muslims. A great number of Muslims have also arrived since the discovery of diamonds in the Manicaland area from north and western African regions. The Islamic migrants are largely coming from the Yao tribe of neighboring Malawi.

Prophet Idris(PBUH)

As a result of the efforts of the Prophet Sheth (peace be upon him) some people began to believe in Allah. As the time passed they began to worship the statue of their prophet. They became polytheists, irreligious and faithless. They adopted indecent ways of life. Under such circumstances Allah sent the Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) for the reformation and guidance of those who had gone astray. The Holy Quran makes mention of him in the following Verse:

“Commemorate Idris in the Book, verily he was a man of truth and a Prophet and We raised him to a lofty station.” (Surah 19: Verse 56)

Preaching and Opposition

The Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) preached monotheism. He directed his people to abandon idol-worship. He emphasized them not to be captivated by the love of wealth and property. He advised them to abstain from drinking wine and other intoxicants. Only a few men paid heed to his teachings but majority of the people opposed him bitterly. The Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) did not lose heart and continued preaching with unshakeable constancy. He is appreciated for his firm faith and forbearance in the following Verses of the Holy Quran:

“All (Isma’il, Dhul-Kifl and Idris) were men of constancy and patience. We admitted them into Our mercy, for they were of the righteous ones.” (Surah 21: Verse 85-86)

Migration to Egypt

In spite of untiring efforts the Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) could not attain considerable success and felt disgusted with the indifferent attitude of the public. He was directed to migrate to Egypt and settle on the bank of the river Nile. He preached the religion of Allah among various tribes and admonished them to be good and civilized. Consequently he brought about a remarkable change in the moral and social life of the people.

Some Sayings of the Prophet Idris

His lectures were full of admonition and good advice. Some of his sayings are given below:

1. Do not feel jealous of the prosperity of others.
2. He who has unlimited desires, is deprived of the wealth of contentment.
3. One should be sincere in acts of devotion.
4. It is an act of grave sin to take false oaths.
5. Patience is a key to victory.
6. He who controls his passions, is fortunate. Only a good act will be a living intercessor before Allah on the Day of Judgment.
7. One who is desirous of attaining perfection in knowledge, should have no concern with immoral acts.

The Learned Prophet

The Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) was born one hundred years after the death of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). He was the first man who learnt to write. It is said that thirty portions of Allah’s sacred scriptures were revealed to him. He was the inventor of the science of astronomy and arithmetic.

Death Event

The Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) was taken alive to Heavens at the age of 365 years. Ibn Jarir relates in Rauzatul Ahbab that the Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) was the special friend of one of the angels of heaven. The angel took him up into the heavens and when they arrived in the fourth heaven, they met the Angel of Death. The angel questioned the Angel of Death how many years there were remaining of the life of the Prophet Idris (peace be upon him). The Angel of Death said: Where is Idris because I have been commanded to end his life. The Prophet Idris (peace be upon him) then remained in the fourth heaven and he died in the wings of his angel friend who had taken him from earth. Mutwaslah was one of his distinguished son who made his mark.

Source : https://spreadislam.wordpress.com/prophet-idrispbuh/

Syrian state TV says troops enter ISIL-held Palmyra

Russian commando reported killed in Palmyra as Syrian army attempts to seize ancient city from ISIL's grip.

A Russian special forces soldier was killed near the ancient city of Palmyra as battles raged on Thursday between Syrian army troops and ISIL fighters. 

Syrian state TV broadcast video of government forces inside the historic and strategic city, which has been under the control of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) since May last year.

Footage showed Syrian army vehicles and soldiers moving around areas of the city with some of its famed ruins clearly visible.

The Syrian advance comes amid a government offensive to capture Palmyra that began earlier this month with support from Russian fighter jets.

A Russian commando who was calling in coordinates for air strikes was killed, said an unidentified Russian military spokesman from the Hmeymim base in Latakia. 

"The soldier died heroically, distracting fire onto himself after being discovered by terrorists and surrounded by them," he was quoted as saying in Russian media on Thursday. 

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting was still ongoing outside the city after a rapid advance the day before brought the army and its allies right up to its outskirts.

ISIL captured the city, also known as Tadmur, in May last year and began a campaign of destroying some ancient sites and using others to stage mass executions.

Syria is in the midst of cessation of hostilities between government forces and opposition rebel factions, which has significantly reduced violence in the country.

The agreement excludes al-Nusra Front and ISIL, which are considered "terrorist" groups by the Syrian government.

The uprising that turned into a civil war in Syria began five years ago. More than 250,000 people have since been killed, according to the UN, and millions have fled to neighbouring countries and Europe.

WATCH: Why is ISIL targeting cultural heritage

ISIL began capturing large swaths of territory in Syria in 2013 after wrestling territory off rebel groups and later through its own offensives against both the opposition and government.

The group has held on to most its gains but has lost areas in northern Syria to Kurdish groups backed by US air strikes and Syrian forces backed by Russia.

Russia's top commander in Syria, General Alexander Dvornikov, said in an interview published on Wednesday that if Palmyra falls, it could deal a devastating blow to ISIL.

Dvornikov said the ongoing Syrian army offensive will "cut the Islamic State group of forces in two and open the road to Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, and create conditions for reaching the border with Iraq and establishing control over it".

Source : http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/syria-palmyra-160324104418510.html

Islam in the Nordic and Baltic Countries

Although Muslims are now an important presence in Europe, little is known about the Muslim communities that exist in the Nordic and Baltic regions of Europe. This is the first comprehensive and detailed study of the history, context and development of Islamic institutions and Muslim groups in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, and includes chapters on Islam in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

With contributions by academics with long experience of the Muslim communities in question based on original research, this volume presents new and important perspectives within a comparative and regional framework. Islam in Nordic and Baltic Countries will be an important reference work for students of European history and Islamology, and will be valuable to all researchers and scholars interested in the development of Islam and Muslim communities at the strategic heart of Northern Europe.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
1. Islam and Muslims in the Nordic and Baltic Countries 2. The Faroe Islands and Iceland 3. Norway 4. Denmark 5. Sweden 6. Finland 7. Estonia 8. Latvia 9. Lithuania List of Contributors

Contributors
Aysha Özkan is a PhD student in Religious Studies at Södertörn University College in Sweden. She is currently writing her doctorate thesis about Muslim women in Estonia. Her main scholarly interests are contemporary expressions of Islam in Europe and issues concerning identity.

Tuomas Martikainen, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher of the Academy of Finland working at the Department of Comparative Religion in Åbo Akademi University, Finland. His areas of speciality include religion in modern Europe, especially Finland, and religion in diaspora. His current project is from First to Second Generation Islam in Finland (2007-2010). His publications include Immigrant Religions in Local Society (2004, Åbo Akademi University Press) and several articles in international journals and books.

Christine M. Jacobsen is a post doctoral fellow at the department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo. Her work is in the field of international migration and ethnic relations with a focus on Muslim minorities in Europe. Jacobsen has published Tilhørighetens mange former. Unge muslimer i Norge (Pax: Oslo, 2002), and several articles the role of Islam in the lives of young Muslims in Norway. She defended her thesis Staying on the Straight Path: Religious Identities and Practices among Young Muslims in Norway in 2006.

Göran Larsson is post-doctoral researcher in the national research program, LearnIT, funded by the Knowledge Foundation. He earned his Ph.D in religious studies at Göteborg University, Sweden, in 2000. He has published several articles and books on Muslim in the West (both in history and present time), media and religion, youth culture and religion in Swedish and English. His book, Ibn García’s shu’ubiyya, Letter: Ethnic and Theological Tensions in Medieval al-Andalus, appeared from Brill Academic Press in the spring of 2003 and in 2006 he published an introductory book on the Koran in Swedish. Currently Larsson is an associate professor in the history of religions at the department of religious studies and theology, Göteborg University

Ingvar Svanberg is Lecturer at Södertörn University College and Senior Research Fellow at Department of Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University. His research interests includes Eurasian culture, religion and history. He has written numerous books and articles.

Emin Poljarevic is a Ph.D. student in Political and Social Science at the European University Institute (Italy) and a junior research fellow at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Silk Road Studies Program (Sweden). His primary research field is the development of Islamic movements in the post-Soviet space. He has previously published reports and articles on security and organized crime in Central Asia, Baltic region and the Balkans.

Egdunas Racius is currently an Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University, Lithuania, where he chairs Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies section. He also is an Adjunct Professor in Islamic Studies at the Baltic Defence College, Tartu, Estonia. Racius earned his PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Source : http://www.euro-islam.info/2009/04/30/islam-in-the-nordic-and-baltic-countries/

Jafar ibn Abi Talib

In spite of his noble standing among the Quraysh, Abu Talib, an uncle of the Prophet, was quite poor. He had a large family and did not have enough means to support them adequately. His poverty-stricken situation became much worse when a severe drought hit the Arabian peninsula. The drought destroyed vegetation and livestock and, it is said, people were driven to eat bones in the struggle for survival.

It was during this time of drought, before his call to prophethood, that Muhammad said to his uncle, al Abbas: "Your brother, Abu Talib, has a large family. People as you see have been afflicted by this severe drought and are facing starvation. Let us go to Abu Talib and take over responsibility for some of his family. It will take one of his sons and you can taken another and we will look after them."

"What you suggest is certainly righteous and commendable," replied al-Abbas, and together they went to Abu Talib and said to him: "We want to ease some of the burden of your family until such time as this distressing period has gone." Abu Talib agreed.

"If you allow me to keep Aqeel (one of his sons older than Ali), then you may do whatever you like ," he said.

It was in this way that Muhammad took Ali into his household and al-Abbas took Jafar into his. Jafar had a very close resemblance to the Prophet. It is said there were five men from the Hashim clan who resembled the Prophet so much, they were often mistaken for him. They were: Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith and Qutham ibn al-Abbas both of whom were cousins of his. As-Saib ibn Ubayd, the grandfather of Imam ash Shafi: al-Hasan ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet, who resembled him most of all; and Jafar ibn Abi Talib.

Jafar stayed with his uncle, al-Abbas, until he was a young man. Then he married Asma bint Umays, a sister of Maymunah who was later to become a wife of the Prophet. After his marriage, Jafar went to live on his own. He and his wife were among the first persons to accept Islam. He became a Muslim at the hands of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may God be pleased with him.

The young Jafar and his wife were devoted followers of Islam. They bore the harsh treatment and the persecution of the Quraysh with patience and steadfastness because they both realized that the road to Paradise was strewn with. thorns and paved with pain and hardship.

The Quraysh made life intolerable for them both and for their brethren in faith. They tried to obstruct them from observing or performing the duties and rites of Islam. They prevented them from tasting the full sweetness of worship undisturbed. The Quraysh waylaid them at every turn and severely restricted their freedom of movement.

Jafar eventually went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and sought permission for himself and a small group of the Sahabah, including his wife, to make hijrah to the land of Abyssinia. With great sadness, the Prophet gave his permission. It pained him that these pure and righteous souls should be forced to leave their homes and the familiar and cherished scenes and memories of their childhood and youth, not for any crime but only because they said, "Our Lord is One. Allah is our Lord."

The group of Muhajirin left Makkah bound for the land of Abyssinia. Leading them was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. Soon they settled down in this new land under the care and protection of the Negus, the just and righteous ruler of Abyssinia. For the first time since they became Muslims, they savoured the taste of freedom and security and enjoyed the sweetness of worship undisturbed.

When the Quraysh learnt of the departure of the small group of Muslims and the peaceful life they enjoyed under the protection of the Negus, they made plans to secure their extradition and their return to the great prison that was Makkah. They sent two of their most formidable men, Amr ibn al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah, to accomplish this task and loaded them with valuable and much sought after presents for the Negus and his bishops.

In Abyssinia, the two Quraysh emissaries first presented their girls to the bishops and to each of them they said: "There are some wicked young people moving about freely in the King's land. They have attacked the religion of their forefathers and caused disunity among their people. When we speak to the King about them, advise him to surrender them to us without his asking them about their religion. The respected leaders of their own people are more aware of them and know better what they believe."

The bishops agreed.

Amr and Abdullah then went to the Negus himself and presented him with gifts which he greatly admired. They said to him: "O King, there is a group of evil persons from among our youth who have escaped to your kingdom. They practice a religion which neither we nor you know. They have forsaken our religion and have not entered into your religion. The respected leaders of their people - from among their own parents and uncles. and from their own clans - have sent us to you to request you to return them. They know best what trouble they have caused."

The Negus looked towards his bishops who said: "They speak the truth, O King. Their own people know them better and are better acquainted with what they have done. Send them back so that they themselves might judge them."

The Negus was quite angry with this suggestion and said: "No. By God, I won't surrender them to anyone until I myself call them and question them about what they have been accused. If what these two men have said is true, then I will hand them over to you. If however it is not so, then I shall protect them so long as they desire to remain under my protection."

The Negus then summoned the Muslims to meet him. Before going, they consulted with one another as a group and agreed that Jafar ibn Abi Talib and no one else should speak on their behalf.

In the court of the Negus, the bishops, dressed in green surplises and impressive headgear, were seated on his right and on his left. The Qurayshite emissaries were also seated when the Muslims entered and took their seats. The Negus turned to them and asked:

"What is this religion which you have introduced for yourself and which has served to cut you off from the religion of your people? You also did not enter my religion nor the religion of any other community."

Jafar ibn Abi Talib then advanced and made a speech that was moving and eloquent and which is still one of the most compelling descriptions of Islam. the appeal of the noble Prophet and the condition of Makkan society at the time. He said: "O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds. breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong among us exploited the weak. "We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. "He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.

"He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed. to avoid obscenities and false witness, not to appropriate an orphan's property nor slander chaste women.

"He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakat and fast in the month of Ramadan.

"We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from doing.

"Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols.

"They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in Justice and in peace m your midst."

The Negus was impressed and was eager to hear more. He asked Jafar: "Do you have with you something of what your

Prophet brought concerning God?" "Yes," replied Jafar.

"Then read it to me," requested the Negus. Jafar, in his rich, melodious voice recited for him the first portion of Surah Maryam which deals with the story of Jesus and his mother Mary.

On hearing the words of the Quran, the Negus was moved to tears. To the Muslims, he said: "The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source..." To Amr and his companion, he said:" Go. For, by God, I will never surrender them to you." That, however, was not the end of the matter. The wily Amr made up his mind to go to the King the following day "to mention something about the Muslims belief which will certainly fill his heart with anger and make him detest them" On the morrow, Amr went to the Negus and said:

"O King. these people to whom you have given refuge and whom you protect say something terrible about Jesus the son of Mary (that he is a slave). Send for them and ask them what they say about him."

The Negus summoned the Muslims once more and Jafar acted as their spokesman. The Negus put the question: "What do you say about Jesus, the son of Mary?"

"Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet ," replied Jaffar. "And what is that?" enquired the Negus.

"Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of God and His Prophet. His spirit and His word which He cast into Mary the Virgin."

The Negus was obviously excited by this reply and exclaimed: "By God, Jesus the son of Mary was exactly as your Prophet has described him"

The bishops around the Negus grunted in disgust at what they had heard and were reprimanded by the Negus. He turned to the Muslims and said:

"Go, for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for it and whoever opposes you will be punished. For, by God, I would rather not have a mountain of gold than that anyone of you should come to any harm."

Turning to Amr and his companion, he instructed his attendants: "Return their gifts to these two men. I have no need of them." Amr and his companion left broken and frustrated. The Muslims stayed on in the land of the Negus who proved to be most generous and kind to his guests.

Jafar and his wife Asma spent about ten years in Abyssinia which became a second home for them. There, Asma gave birth to three children whom they named Abdullah, Muhammad and Awn. Their second child was possibly the first child in the history of the Muslim Ummah to be given the name Muhammad after the noble Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace.

In the seventh year of the hijrah, Jafar and his family left Abyssinia with a group of Muslims and headed for Madinah. When they arrived the Prophet was just returning from the successful conquest of Khaybar. He was so overjoyed at meeting Jafar that he said: "I do not know what fills me with more happiness, the conquest of Khaybar or the coming of Jafar."

Muslims in general and the poor among them especially were just as happy with the return of Jafar as the Prophet was. Jafar quickly became known as a person who was much concerned for the welfare of the poor and indigent. For this he was nicknamed, the "Father of the Poor". Abu Hurayrah said of him: "The best of men towards us indigent folk was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. He would pass by us on his way home and give us whatever food he had. Even if his own food had run out, he would send us a pot in which he had placed some butterfat and nothing more. We would open it and lick it clean..."

Jafar's stay in Madinah was not long. At the beginning of the eighth year of the hijrah, the Prophet mobilized an army to confront Byzantine forces in Syria because one of his emissaries who had gone in peace had been treacherously killed by a Byzantine governor. He appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as commander of the army and gave the following instructions: "If Zayd is wounded or killed, Jafar ibn Abi Talib would take over the command. If Jafar is killed or wounded, then your commander would be Abdullah ibn Rawahah. If Abdullah ibn Rawahah is killed, then let the Muslims choose for themselves a commander."

The Prophet had never given such instructions to an army before and the Muslims took this as an indication that he expected the battle to be tough and that they would even suffer major losses.

When the Muslim army reached Mutah, a small village situated among hills in Jordan, they discovered that the Byzantines had amassed a hundred thousand men backed up by a massive number of Christian Arabs from the tribes of Lakhm, Judham, Qudaah and others. The Muslim army only numbered three thousand.

Despite the great odds against them, the Muslim forces engaged the Byzantines in battle. Zayd ibn al-Harithah, the beloved companion of the Prophet, was among the first to fall. Jafar ibn Abi Talib then assumed command. Mounted on his ruddy-complexioned horse, he penetrated deep into the Byzantine ranks. As he spurred his horse on, he called out: "How wonderful is Paradise as it draws near! How pleasant and cool is its drink! Punishment for the Byzantines is not far away!" Jafar continued to fight vigorously but was eventually slain. The third in command, Abdullah ibn Rawahah, also fell. Khalid ibn al-Walid, the inveterate fighter who had recently accepted Islam, was then chosen as the commander. He made a tactical withdrawal, redeployed the Muslims and renewed the attack from several directions. Eventually, the bulk of the Byzantine forces fled in disarray.

The news of the death of his three commanders reached the Prophet in Madinah. The pain and grief he felt was intense. He went to Jafar's house and met his wife Asma. She was getting ready to receive her absent husband. She had prepared dough and bathed and clothed the children. Asma said: "When the Messenger of God approached us, I saw a veil of sadness shrouding his noble face and I became very apprehensive. But I did not dare ask him about Jafar for fear that I would hear some unpleasant news. He greeted and asked, 'Where are Jaffar's children?' I called them for him and they came and crowded around him happily, each one wanting to claim him for himself. He leaned over and hugged them while tears flowed from his eyes.

'O Messenger of God,' I asked, 'why do you cry? Have you heard anything about Jafar and his two companions?'

'Yes,' he replied. 'They have attained martyrdom.' The smiles and the laughter vanished from the faces of the little children when they heard their mother crying and wailing. Women came and gathered around Asma.

"O Asma," said the Prophet, "don't say anything objectionable and don't beat your breast." He then prayed to God to protect and sustain the family of Jafar and assured them that he had attained Paradise.

The Prophet left Asma's house and went to his daughter Fatimah who was also weeping. To her, he said: "For such as Jafar, you can (easily) cry yourself to death. Prepare food for Jafar's family for today they are beside themselves with grief."

Source : http://www.sunnah.org/history/Sahaba/jafar.html

Syria death toll from Russian airstrikes rises, say activists

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 55 people have been killed, including 13 children and a pregnant woman

The death toll from purported Russian airstrikes on the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa has climbed in the past 24 hours to at least 55, mostly civilians, Syrian opposition activists have said.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents the conflict through activists on the ground, said 55 people have been killed, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, in what it said were Russian airstrikes that hit residential areas.

The anti-Isis activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently also said the attacks were by Russian warplanes and put the number of deaths at 60.

The Isis-affiliated news agency Aamaq said 43 people were killed and 60 others wounded. It released a video that purports to show the “massacre committed by Russian aircraft in one of Raqqa’s most congested streets”.

Airstrikes on the city in northern Syria were continued on Sunday. The activist group on Saturday said the air raids struck near the national hospital, a former army base and other neighbourhoods.

Isis has controlled the city since 2013 and considers it the capital of its self-styled caliphate. A Kurdish-led force supported by the US and Russia has said it is planning to liberate Raqqa in the next few months.

The alliance, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, has had success fighting against Isis in northern Syria, and expelled its militants from their stronghold in Hassakeh – the town of Shaddadeh – last month.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since 30 September. Moscow began drawing down its military presence in Syria over the past week after Vladimir Putin ordered a partial pullout of Russian aircraft and forces in support of indirect peace talks in Geneva.

The Russian president said Moscow would keep enough forces in Syria to continue the fight against Isis, the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front and other extremist organisations not included in a truce brokered by Russia and the US that came into effect on 27 February.

Source : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/20/death-toll-russian-airstrikes-in-syria-rises-say-activists

Islam in Thailand

Islam is a minority faith in Thailand, with recent statistics suggesting a population of around 4 million, or almost 6% of the population.[1][2] Figures as high as 10% of Thailand's population have also been mentioned.[3][4][5] Most Thai Muslims belong to the Sunni branch, although Thailand has a very diverse and developing population which includes immigrants from around the world.

Demographics and geography

Popular opinion seems to hold that a vast majority of the country's Muslims are found in the Thailand's three Southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, where they make up majority of the population.[8] However, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs' research indicates that only 18% of Thai Muslims live in those three provinces. The rest are scattered throughout Thailand, with the largest concentrations being in Bangkok and throughout the larger Southern region. The population in Satun Province, which borders Malaysia as well, is also predominantly Muslim.

According to the National Statistics Office, in 2005, Muslims in Southern Thailand made up 30.4% of general population above the age 15, while less than 3% in other parts of the country.[9]

History

In Siam (modern Thailand) Indian Muslims from the Coromandel Coast served as eunuchs in the Thai palace and court.

Ethnicity and identity

Thailand's Muslim population is diverse, with ethnic groups having migrated from as far as China, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as comprising indigenous Thais, while about two-third of Muslims in Thailand are ethnically Malay.[12]

Indigenous Thai

Many Thai Muslims are ethnically and linguistically Thai, who are either hereditary Muslims, Muslims by intermarriage, or recent converts to the faith. Ethnic Thai Muslims live mainly in the Central and Southern provinces - varying from entire Muslim communities to mixed settlements.[13] Former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army General Sonthi Boonyaratglin is an example of an indigenous Thai Muslim. Sonthi is of remote Persian ancestry. His ancestor, Sheikh Ahmad Qomi,[14][15] was an Iranian expatriate trader who lived in the Ayutthaya Kingdom for 26 years. Many Thais, including those of the Bunnag and Ahmadchula families trace their ancestry back to him.

Malay Muslims

In the three Southernmost border provinces, the vast majority of the local Muslim population is predominantly Malay in origin, which comprise more than 80% of the region's population.[16] These people, known colloquially as Yawi, speak a dialect of Malay that is not mutually understood by Thai speakers.[17] This adds to the culturally unique identity of Thai Malay Muslims.

The high number of Malay origin inhabitants in the Southern region is due the historical nature of the area, which was once known as the Pattani Kingdom, an Islamic Malay kingdom established in the nineteenth century, but later annexed to Siam (the older name of Thailand).[18] Similarly, there is an ethnic Thai minority in Northern Malaysia.

Chinese Muslims

In the far North, as well as in select Central and Southern urban areas, there are pockets of Thai Muslims of Chinese Hui origin.[19] Most Chinese Muslims belong to a group of people called Chin Ho or Haw in the Thai Language, although most of the Chin Ho are not Muslim. Some historians believed that the name Chin Ho can be explained to be a combination of "Chin" (China) and "Ho" (Hui). The Chin Ho people, thus, can be seen as traders and emigres who carried with them Hui Muslim traditions from China. One of the most famous Chinese mosque is Baan Haw Mosque, located in Chiang Mai Province.

Muslim groups

Ethnic groups, such as the Rohingya are refugees who are scattered throughout Thailand's refugee camps, rural fishing villages, as well as in many small towns and cities close to the Myanmar border. Since the Myanmar Nation expelling the Rohingyas,the Rohingya population increasingly at the Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. The half of Rohingya go to the Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Northern Thailand, as well as being home to many Chinese Muslims, also is home to many Burmese, and mixed Chinese-Burmese or Pakistani-Burmese peoples.

Other Asian Muslim groups

Other represented groups include Cham Muslims, originally from Cambodia who can be found between the mutual border and Bangkok as well as the deep south.

South Asians, including Indians, Bangladeshi, and Pakistanis can be found throughout Thailand working in professions ranging from wealthy business owners to lowly paid labourers.

Other groups include Indonesian Muslims, especially Bugis, Javanese and Minangkabau.

According to a 1685 account of a Persian diplomat as well as notes of the French traveller Guy Tachard, there was a substantial Shi'a Persian community in Siam at the time, with the ritual ta'zieh performances subsidised by the Siamese king.[20]

Distinctiveness of Thai Islam

Generally there is a small circle of theologically trained believers of the Islamic faith in Thailand and large general Muslim masses which follow certain customs and traditions associated with traditional Islam influenced by Sufism.

For Thai Muslims, like their co-coreligionists in Southeast Asia's other Buddhist-majority countries, Mawlid is a symbolic reminder of the historical presence of Islam in the country. It is also represents an annual opportunity to reaffirm Muslims' status as Thai citizens and their allegiance to the monarchy.[21]

The Islamic faith in Thailand, is integrated with Sufi beliefs and practices, as in other Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Ministry of Culture's Islamic Department gives awards to Muslims who have contributed to the promotion and development of Thai life in their roles as citizens, as educators and as social workers. In Bangkok, the Ngarn Mawlid Klang main festival is a vibrant showcase for the Thai Muslim community and their lifestyles.[21][22]

Places of worship

According to National Statistic Office of Thailand in 2007, the country has 3,494 mosques, with the largest number (636) in Pattani province.[23] According to the Religious Affairs Department (RAD), 99% of the mosques are associated with the Sunni branch of Islam with the remaining 1% Shi'a.

Governance and education

Chularatchamontri (จุฬาราชมนตรี) is the title of Shaykh al-Islām in Thailand. The title was first used in the Ayutthaya Kingdom when King Songtham (1611–1628) appointed Sheikh Ahmad to the office. Pursuant to the current Islamic Organ Administration Act, BE 2540 (1997), Chularatchamontri is appointed by the King upon advice of the Prime Minister. He has the authority to administer all Islamic affairs in the Nation and to provide advice on Islamic affairs to government agencies. Chularatchamontri vacates his office upon death, resignation and removal by the King upon advice of the Prime Minister.

There is also a Central Islamic Council of Thailand (คณะกรรมการกลางอิสลามแห่งประเทศไทย) or CICOT (กอท.), consisting of at least five Councillors appointed by the King from amongst Muslims. The CICOT advises the Minister of Education and the Minister of Interior on Islamic matters. Its presiding officer is Chularatchamontri. Provincial Islamic Councils (คณะกรรมการอิสลามประจำจังหวัด) exist in the provinces that had substantial Muslim minorities. There are other links between the government and the Muslim community, including government financial assistance to Islamic education institutions, assistance with construction of some of the larger mosques, and the funding of pilgrimages by Thai Muslims to Mecca, both Bangkok and Hat Yai being primary gateway cities.

Thailand also maintains several hundred Islamic schools at the primary and secondary levels, as well as Islamic banks, including the Islamic Bank of Thailand, shops and other institutions. Much of the packaged food marketed is tested and labelled halal (unless it has pork), regardless of who eats it.