Asalaamu Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatu

Islam is referred to as the ‘minority faith’ in Thailand. However when one looks at the statistics
we find that Muslims make up 90% of the two million people located within the provinces of
Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla. These provinces were annexed into the nation of
Thailand in 1902. Since then the Muslim population within Southern Thailand has repeatedly
cried out to the Ummah with reports of the second class citizen treatment that is being inflicted
on the indigenous Muslim population. We have seen our brothers and sisters in Thailand make
the headlines once again in the past weeks from various media outlets. The main focus being on
the recruiting efforts of the Mujahideen who since 2004 have leaded a strenuous struggle against
the Colonialist Imperialistic Thai regime. After seeing these New reports and knowing that there
is very little awareness of the condition of our brothers and sisters in Thailand among the
international Muslim community, I have decided to give a brief insight to the history behind the
present movement taking place in Southern Thailand and how it is the duty upon each and every
Muslim to support our brothers and sisters on all levels of Iman.

A Brief History:
The Jihad in Thailand began in early morning hours of January 2006 when a small group of
Mujahideen led a guerrilla offensive against an illegal Thai military base located in southern
Narathiwat. It is reported they killed a total of four Thai soldiers and collected large amounts of
ghaneema (i.e. spoils of war). Following this event there were countless incidents in the
provinces of Yala, Pattani, and of course the continuance of the efforts in Narathiwat. Soon the
attacks were not only focused on military targets, but also police authorities who had been
working for the government. The Thai government’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
responded to the attacks by declaring martial law on several districts located within the provinces
of Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani believing this would put an end to the uprisings, but instead the
people witnessed a surge of violent resistance throughout the southernmost provinces of
Thailand. The events gained little international attention and the Mujahideen were classified as
simple separatist terrorists leading a ‘campaign of hate and anarchy’.

This did not discourage the Muslims in southern Thailand. They were no strangers to armed
conflict against uneven odds. There have been several violent uprisings that had taken place in
southern Thailand, mainly in the Pattani province. Each uprising ended as quickly as it began.
However the Thai military had failed on a catastrophic level to subdue the most recent 2004
uprising. It is much like the famous metaphor we hear so often. That you can beat a dog into the
corner, but you can only beat it so much. At one point or another that dog will have had enough
and will strike back. It is at that point the dog can no longer be subdued, but only put down. The
same can be said for human beings. If you illegally occupy a land and subject the indigenous
people to your rule against their will while at the same time treating them as second class citizens
within their own land, there will come a point in which those people will see you in the exact
same way that dog saw its master and they will strike back. This is what we witnessed with the
Muslims in southern Thailand. They were determined to change the condition of their people, by
any means necessary.

Throughout 2004 the ranks of the Mujahideen increased on magnificent levels. Historical
moments took place. Such as the battle of Krue-Se Masjid where in a reported 30 Mujahideen
took refuge and battled Thai soldiers from the inside. They were all eventually made Shaheed
insha’Allah after the Thai soldiers bombarded the Masjid with grenades. The tactics of the Thai
military in the battle of Krue-Se Masjid were questioned and lead to sympathy among the people
for the Mujahideen and their struggle against the Thai Occupation. This resulted in countless
protests throughout Southern Thailand revealing that the conflict was not only a armed struggle,
but now it had become a ideological struggle among the people. Over 1000 Protestors were
arrested during a demonstration outside the Tak Bai Police Station. They were jammed into
trucks and tanks creating literal piles of human bodies. As a result a reported 78 Muslim
protestors were made Shaheed insha’Allah as a result of smothering. Events such as these caused
the armed conflict to escalate and the Mujahideen intensified their efforts. The Thai government
responded by intensifying its military efforts to subdue to resistance.

By the second half of 2006 it became clear to those who were paying attention, that the Thai
government was failing repeatedly in their attempts to subdue Mujahideen and had very few
options left on the table. Government officials were growing weary and soon became fed up with
the failures of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The bombings in Hat Yai, the main city of
the South, on the night of September 16, 2006 caused the death of the first ‘western tourist’ in
the so far 2 year long conflict. Suddenly it dawned on them that there was a chance the conflict
could spread to tourists resorts such as Koh Samui and Phuket. Now all of a sudden the conflict
had become a ‘major concern’. Three days later those among the Thai military loyal to Privy
Council President Prem Tinsulanonda led a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s
regime. This had given many people hope of a fresh start for efforts to resolve the conflict within
Southern Thailand. This was because the man who led the coup was Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the
first ‘Muslim’ army commander-in-chief in Thai history and was considered a ‘sympathetic’ to
the condition of the Muslims in Southern Thailand.

Before when Thaksin was still in power, Sonthi was put in charge of the counter-insurgency
efforts in Southern Thailand. However Sonthi wanted to attempt a more conciliatory approach.
Thaksin saw this as an act of political interference and strictly prohibited Sonthi from changing
the course that had already been set. Thus why hope filled the hearts and minds of the people
after news reached that a coup had been lead by the leadership of Commander Sonthi
Boonyaratglin. However this hope did not last long. Commander Sonthi stabbed the Muslims of
Southern Thailand in the back and continued with the already established policies for the
Southern Thailand conflict. The efforts of the Mujahideen increased and the resistance to the
laws of kufr waged on.

It was then that the Thai government took the only option they had left. An option many
countries jumped on as soon as it became available. They declared the military efforts taking
place in Southern Thailand as part of the ‘Global War on Terrorism’. Many may not understand
what that means. It means you as a Nation could launch a bombardment killing at the least 150
innocent civilians, mainly women and children, but then at the same time add into the report you
killed 10-15 ‘insurgents’ as part of the global effort in the ‘War on Terror’ and face no
international criticism nor condemnation. What was once known as genocide becomes known as
collateral damage, what was once called raped becomes known the subduing of hostile civilians,
and what was once known as murder becomes known as war. Soon after Thailand’s decisions to
declare this a war against terrorism the people witnessed the usual rhetoric that we have all at
one point or another heard. The Thai government publicly condemned the efforts of the
Mujahideen and claimed that they wanted to establish a Islamist dictatorship and was a threat to
the free world. We now not only saw the armed conflict intensify, but now the ideological war
intensified as well. Thai ‘Muslim’ official were sent to spy in the Masjids and to indoctrinate a
more ‘moderate’ version of Islam in the hearts and minds of the youth. Imams and Scholars were
encouraged to teach their followers Thai or even Malay nationalism. While all at the same time
the Thai government has done excellent job in keeping the events taking place in Southern
Thailand out of the ears and eyes of the international Muslim community.

Southern Thailand Today and The Crime of Silence:

As a result of the Thai government’s decision to make the Southern Thailand conflict as part of
the ‘War on Terrorism’ we have seen unimaginable crimes being committed against our brothers
and sisters in Southern Thailand. However, the worse crime which has been committed in
regards to the conflict in Southern Thailand is the crime of silence. The perpetrators of this crime
are none other than each and every one of you. In fact if you wanted to see the face of those who
have committed this crime you would have to do nothing more then look into mirror. All of us
with the exception of very few are guilty of this crime of silence. We have been silent in regards
to the conflict in Southern Thailand and have shown very little vocal and moral support for our
brothers and sisters involved.

When we speak out against injustice of our brothers and sisters it must be universal. We must
move towards a universal political movement, not limited to a specific region. As I had already
stated in the introduction of this article, the conflict in Southern Thailand has made the headlines
in various media outlets around the world. Each one filled with the usual anti-Islamist rhetoric
that we have heard so much of. It is the duty of each and every one of us that we counter this
rhetoric with facts and accurate political analysis. To spread awareness and refute the lies of the
enemies of Islam is just as important as picking up a gun or grenade and silencing them through
other means. My advice to our brothers and sisters out there is to educate themselves on the
political history and current condition of each and every Muslim region. Then to create an outlet
delivering news, political analysis, and intellectual reviews of the current events taking place in
those regions in order to crush the lies and rhetoric of Neo-Imperialists. All in pursuit of Allah’s
pleasure.

- Abdullah ‘as-Sayf’ Jones