Bangkok’s Muslim enclaves: A cultural mosaic amid Buddhist temples

Like other Islamic communities in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district, most of the residents of Phetchaburi Soi 7 migrated from the South of Thailand. Muslim communities in other parts of Bangkok mostly comprise people from other areas and even neighbouring countries like Cambodia.

Imam Manit Farooq Thongsang, who has been overseeing the mosque for some 25 years now, said Darul Aman Mosque was once a premier Islamic school, and in those days, people used to travel for days to gain knowledge and later share it with others.

Heart of the community

Mosques are usually at the centre of communities, and each Muslim is urged to visit their local mosque as often as possible, especially for the five daily prayers.

On Fridays, the day Islam says the first man descended on Earth, all Muslim men are required to pray at the mosque – a regulation that is optional for women.

Apart from serving as a centre for prayer and worship, mosques also serve as centres for marriage, funerals or to shelter travellers and those in need.

The devout also gather at mosques to mark auspicious days like Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (Mawlid al-Nabi), the holy month of Ramadan or fasting, Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha or the “feast of the sacrifice”.

Mosques also serve as an assembly point for Muslims from different parts of the world.

“The way of life for Muslims from different countries is quite similar. Plus, Thailand is a multicultural society, and we all live with one another in peace and harmony,” Imam Manit explained.

He said people in the Thai-Muslim community attend local schools and grow up with non-Muslim neighbours, which gives them a chance to learn about other cultures from a very early age.

However, he said, they still need to attend classes at their mosques to understand Islam.

“It also varies from community to community. If the community’s principles and ethics are strong, then its members will not pull away from Islam,” he said.

Growing up in a mixed environment

As for education, Muslims in Thailand have three main options – attending Islamic integrated schools where both Islam and basic subjects are taught, attending Islamic school and taking non-formal classes in other subjects, or attending ordinary public schools and taking lessons on Islam for a few hours in the evening.

The Darul Aman Mosque holds its own evening classes that are also open to non-Muslims.

“Both systems are necessary. You cannot learn religion without getting basic knowledge in other important subjects. You can also learn about other religions. Knowledge and faith are two separate things,” the imam said referring to mandatory lessons on Buddhism in school.

One conflict between the Buddhists and Muslims is the sound of chanting from temples and the muezzin’s call to prayer from mosques. The imam said people who recently moved to Phetchaburi Soi 7 filed police reports against the mosque for azan or the call to prayer that is made five times a day.

“They can’t stand it, but the azan calls are short, though made five times a day … just like the sound of bells and chants from Buddhist temples. Living together means you need to stand by one another and when we live in a community, we must communicate,” he said.

What’s in a name?

However, no matter how peaceful and understanding people from different cultures may be, all sides still need to make adjustments. One example of this adjustment is Muslims in Thailand having two names – one is a Thai name and the other a Muslim name.

Supha, whose Muslim name is Sara, said that having a Thai name makes things easier as Thai people are more familiar with it.

While Muslim names are used in personal and religious places, Thai names are used for official purposes such as in school, on the national ID or the passport.

A similar separation exists for Muslims in Myanmar, except there it is more stringent. Yu-Thinzar “Sherim” Aung, a Burmese woman living in Thailand, told us that life as a Muslim in Bangkok is far easier than in her motherland.

In Myanmar, Muslims account for 4% of the country’s population and discrimination is extreme. In fact, the Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State are considered the most persecuted minorities in the world.

Muslims in Myanmar do not just need two names but everything, be it a passport or a national ID card, also costs more. Women choose not to wear a hijab to protect themselves from bullying and discrimination.

Plus, Sherim says, it is impossible for Burmese Muslims to be identified as just “Burmese” on their national IDs. Her ID card says “Indian-Burmese” even though she has never stepped foot in India.

Life as a Muslim

Though life as a Muslim in Thailand is easier than in Myanmar, it’s still tougher compared to Indonesia, says Andy “Aulia” Fadhilah Romas, an Indonesian university student in Thailand.

In Indonesia, 87% of the population is Muslim, and most of them follow the Sharia canon of the Koran.

Andy, who regularly joins prayers at Darul Aman Mosque, says it is still tough to find halal restaurants in Thailand, though there are more available now than a few years ago.

Meanwhile, Somsak “Hasal” Waenprasert, a 68-year-old Thai-Muslim living in the Phetchaburi Soi 7 community said: “Some people are still prejudiced against Muslims, but I just don’t argue with them. Mostly they just avoid socialising with us.”

Somsak said he has not faced any problems getting his national ID or passport as a Muslim living in Thailand and doesn’t feel like he’s treated any differently than others.

“It’s strange in Thailand. Here all the cultures and religions are so distinctly different, yet we live together happily. That’s because we know each other well,” said Imam Manit.