The Perception of Buddhists on Islam and Muslims in Rusamilan, Pattani Province, South of Thailand: a Case Study
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THE PERCEPTION OF BUDDHISTS ON ISLAM AND MUSLIMS IN RUSAMILAN, PATTANI PROVINCE, SOUTH OF THAILAND: A CASE STUDY BY RUSNEE DUNTHARA A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences International Islamic University Malaysia JANUARY 2010 ABSTRACT The unrest in southern Thailand particularly in Pattani was stirred up from time to time. The reasons of the conflicts vary from economic deprivation, political problems, cultures and religious differences and the misunderstanding between Muslims and Buddhists in the area. The investigation of the perceptions between the two religious identities; Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists is very important. Thus the main objective of this study is to examine the Buddhists’ perception of Islam and Muslims in Rusamilan, Pattani southern Thailand. The methods adopted in the study are library research and field study. The library study depends on textual analysis where the primary and secondly sources in English, Arabic, Thai, and Malay languages were consulted. Using a convenience sampling technique, a total of one hundred respondents were drawn from Buddhists in Rusamilan district, Pattani. The result showed that the perception of Islam and Muslims among Buddhists in Rusamilan is a positive perception. Majority of Buddhist respondents, ninety percent above knew Islamic features, Islamic rituals and Muslims behaviours. Beside the interaction, the result showed that Buddhist in Rusamilan have a good interaction with Muslims. Most of them have Muslims friends and always spend times together, they try to learn Malay language to communicate with Muslims in the area, and always have consultations with Muslims on Islamic issues, to gain knowledge about Islam and Muslims. ii ﻣﻠﺨﺺ اﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﺗﺜﲑ اﻻﺿﻄﺮاﺑﺎت ﰲ ﺟﻨﻮب ﺗﺎﻳﻼﻧﺪ، وﺧﺼﻮﺻﺎ ﰲ ﻓﻄﺎﱐ، ﻣﻦ وﻗﺖ ﻵﺧﺮ. وأﺳﺒﺎب اﻟﺘﻌﺎرض ﻣﺘﻨﻮﻋﺔ ﻣﻦ اﳌﺸﺎﻛﻞ اﻻﻗﺘﺼﺎدﻳﺔ، واﻟﻘﻀﺎﻳﺎ اﻟﺴﻴﺎﺳﻴﺔ، واﻻﺧﺘﻼﻓﺎت اﻟﺪﻳﻨﻴﺔ واﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻴﺔ، وﻛﺬﻟﻚ ﺳﻮء اﻟﻔﻬﻢ ﺑﲔ اﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ واﻟﺒﻮذﻳﲔ ﰲ ﻫﺬﻩ اﳌﻨﻄﻘﺔ. ﻓﺎﻟﺒﺤﺚ ﻋﻦ اﻟﻨﻈﺮات ﺑﲔ ﻗﻮﻣﻴﱵ اﳌﺴﻠﻢ وـاـﻟـﺒ ﻮذـﻳــﺔ أـﻣـﺮ ﻣـﻬﻢ ﺟــﺪاـ.ـ وـﻟــﺬﻟـﻚ ﻛـﺎنـ اــﳍـﺪفـ اـﻟــﺮﺋـﻴﺴﻲ ﻣـﻦ ﻫـﺬﻩــ اـﻟـﺪرـاــﺳﺔ ﻫـﻮ اـﻟـﻔﺤﺺ ﻋــﻦ ﻧﻈﺮات اﻟﺒﻮذﻳﲔ ﻟﻺﺳﻼم واﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ ﰲ ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ روﺳﺎﻣﻴﻼن – ﻓﻄﺎﱐ، ﺟﻨﻮب ﺗﺎﻳﻼﻧﺪ. اﳌﻨﻬﺞ اﳌﺘﺒﻊ ﰲ ﻫﺬﻩ اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ ﻫﻮ اﻟﺒﺤﺚ اﳌﻜﺘﱯ واﳌﻴﺪاﱐ. اﻟﺒﺤﺚ اﳌﻜﺘﱯ ﻳﻌﺘﻤﺪ ﻋﻠﻰ ﲢﻠﻴﻞ ﻧﺼﻮص اﳌﺼﺎدر اﻷوﻟﻴﺔ واﻟﺜﺎﻧﻮﻳﺔ ﺑﻠﻐﺎت اﻹﻧﻜﻠﻴﺰﻳﺔ، واﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ، واﻟﺘﺎﻳﻼﻧﺪﻳﺔ، واﳌﻼﻳﻮﻳﺔ. وﺑﺎﻻﺳﺘﺨﺪام ﺗــﻘﻨﻴﺔ اــﻟــﺘﻌﻴﲔ اــﳌــﻼﺋــﻢ،ــ اــﲣــﺬتــ ﳎــﻤﻮﻋــﺔ ﻣــﺎﺋــﺔ اــﺠﻤﻟــﻴﺒﲔ ﻣــﻦ اــﻟــﺒﻮذــﻳــﲔ ﰲــ ﻣــﻨﻄﻘﺔ رــوــﺳﺎﻣــﻴﻼنــ – ﻓﻄﺎﱐ. وأﻇﻬﺮت اﻟﻨﺘﻴﺠﺔ أن ﻧﻈﺮة اﻟﺒﻮذﻳﲔ ﰲ ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ روﺳﺎﻣﻴﻼن ﻟﻺﺳﻼم واﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ ﻧﻈ ﺮة اﳚﺎﰊ. وﻏﺎﻟﺒﻴﺔ اﺠﻤﻟﻴﺒﲔ، ﺗﺴﻌﻮن ﺑﺎﳌﺎﺋﺔ وأﻋﻼﻩ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ، ﻳﻌﺮﻓﻮن اﻹﺳﻼم وﺷﻌﺎﺋﺮﻩ وﻛﺬﻟﻚ ﺳﻠﻮك اــﳌــﺴﻠﻤﲔ.ــ إــﱃــ ﺟــﺎﻧــﺐ اــﻟــﺘﻔﺎﻋــﻞ،ــ ﻓــﺈنــ اــﻟــﻨﺘﻴﺠﺔ أــﻋــﺮﺿﺖ أــنــ ﻫــﻨﺎكــ ﺗــﻔﺎﻋــﻞ ﺑــﺸﻜﻞ ﺟــﻴﺪ ﺑــﲔ اﻟﺒﻮذﻳﲔ واﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ ﰲ ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ روﺳﺎﻣﻴﻼن. ﻣﻌﻈﻢ اﻟﺒﻮذﻳﲔ ﻳﺼﺎﺣﺐ اﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ وداﺋﻤﺎ ﻳﻘﻀﻮن أوﻗﺎ廬ﻢ ﻣﻌﺎ، ﺑﻞ ﳛﺎوﻟﻮن ﺗﻌﻠﻢ اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﳉﺎوﻳﺔ أو اﻟﻔﻄﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ اﻻﺗﺼﺎل ﻣﻊ اﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ ﰲ اﳌﻨﻄﻘﺔ، وداﺋﻤﺎ ﻳﺘﺸﺎورون اﳌﺴﻠﻤﲔ ﰲ اﻟﻘﻀﺎﻳﺎ اﻹﺳﻼﻣﻴﺔ، ﻻﻛﺘﺴﺎب اﳌﻌﺮﻓﺔ ﻋﻦ اﻹﺳﻼم وﺗﻘﻮﻳﺔ اﻟﻌﻼﻗﺔ ﺑﻴﻨﻬﻢ. iii APPROVAL PAGE I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion). ……………………………………… Wan Sabri Wan Yusof Supervisor I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion). ……………………………………… Abdul Salam Muhamad Shukri Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion and is accepted as partial fulfilment of the requirements for degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion). ……………………………………… Thameem Ushama Head Department of UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion). ……………………………………… Badri Najib Zubir Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences iv DECLARATION PAGE I hereby declare that is dissertation is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions. Rusnee Dunthara Signature .……………………… Date .………………………. v INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH Copyright © 2010 by Rusnee Dunthara. All rights reserved. THE PERCEPTION OF BUDDHISTS ON ISLAM AND MUSLIMS IN RUSAMILAN, PATTANI PROVINCE, SOUTH OF THAILAND: A CASE STUDY No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below. 1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement. 2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes. 3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries. Affirmed by Rusnee Dunthara. ……………………………. ……………………..….. Signature Date vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All praises are due to Allah (subÍānahu wa taÑāla), the Al-mighty who has continuously blessed and guided me in completing this work. Peace and prayer be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Îallallahu Ñalaihi wasallam), who has guided us to the right path. This study would not have been completed without the intellectual contributions of several people. Firs and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to Asst. Prof. Dr. Wan Sabri Wan Yusof for his unfailing commitment, and invaluable advice in supervising this thesis which has tremendously helped me to develop my intellectual ability and complete this work successfully. His expertise, knowledge, and personal advice are definitely very helpful and invaluable in my study. Only Allah (subÍānahu wa taÑāla) can reward all of his unaccountable kindness to me. I am indebted in various ways to many of my lecturers in the division of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage especially in the Department of UÎËl al- DÊn and Comparative Religion who have guided me throughout this program. Unforgotten, I would like to convey my great appreciation to all my respondents, for their willingness and patience in responding to the questionnaires. Above all, I gratefully acknowledge their assistance, without them this study definitely would be incomplete. I also express my deepest thanks to Sis Zuriaty, all my roommates, Hanadi, Nisrin, Aishah, Ayuni, Najwa and my entire friend whose names and contributions could not be mentioned here. I would like to convey my gratitude and appreciation, May Allah (subÍānahu wa taÑāla) bless and reward us all. I wish to take this opportunity to record my sincere love of my parents Hajjah Rabiyah and Haji Shafi-e Dunthara who are the first teacher in my life, who deep in their hearts cherished the wish to see me succeed. My most heartfelt and deeply indebted thanks go to my beloved brothers and sisters, especially Rahanee and Firdous for their love, support, and understanding throughout my study. Last but not least, my special gratitude goes to my dearly loved husband, Muhammad Haji Hamsah, thank for his helpful and his infinite love. With out their presence I could not finish this study. May Allah (subÍānahu wa taÑāla) pardon them and reward them with His jannah. This work is dedicated for the cause of Islam and may Allah (subÍānahu wa taÑāla) bless it with His Mercy and Acceptance. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................. ii Abstract in Arabic ................................................................................................. iii Approval Page ....................................................................................................... iv Declaration Page ................................................................................................... v Copyright Page ...................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... vii List of Tables ........................................................................................................ x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the Study ..................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of Problems ......................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives of