Islamic Education in Thailand Pattani Muslim Minority: What Are the Institutional Continuity and Change?
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Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah 4 (1): 127-134 (2019) DOI: 10.24042/tadris.v4i1.3753 Islamic Education in Thailand Pattani Muslim Minority: What are the Institutional Continuity and Change? Ismail Suardi Wekke12*, Siddin1, Sukree Langputeh3 1Postgraduate Program, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri (STAIN) Sorong, Indonesia 2Academy of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language, University College of Yayasan Pahang, Malaysia 3Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Fatoni University, Thailand ______________ Abstract: National aspiration in different ways effects to the Article History: community response through their condition. This situation reflects th Received: February 19 , 2019 the dynamics of interest in diverse direction. Therefore, this article Revised: May 17th, 2019 will identify the development of Muslim minority in Pattani, Accepted: June 15th, 2019 Published: June 28th, 2019 Thailand. A qualitative approach was applied to conducting research. In-depth interview and non-participant observation was an instrument to collect data. Data triangulation was conducted through twice focus _________ group discussions in a different university. This article discusses the Keywords: portrait of Islamic education in Pattani of Thailand. They face Institutions, dynamic and struggle to maintain a combination of national interest Islamic Education, and local need. National aspiration is the main source to formulate Muslim Minority the institutional design. On the other hand, they embedded local aspiration through ethnic and religious values to combine in national _______________________ education. In keeping with the identities and personal *Correspondence Address: communication, they tried to root the religious value and belief to [email protected] educational form. Finally, this article amplifies the local condition in Pattani Muslim society. The development of Islamic education runs to the situation in extending ethnic, religious expression, and politic. INTRODUCTION acquire some aspects of knowledge Education is a necessity of every according to Islamic parameters through country and is a necessity to modernize the use of a well-designed curriculum people's lives (Putro, 2017; Widiatmaka, (Bafadhol, 2016; Djaelani, 2013). Islamic 2016; Yuristia, 2017). Education is also education is a totality that can lead an important investment and has a students to grow and develop as Islamic strategic role for the realization of human people in the family, community, nation, resources to shape the mindset of citizens and state. so they can develop themselves and build Education of a nation grows and something new in the future (Widiatmaka, develops in line with the nation's history. 2016). In subsequent developments, Islamic Islamic religious education is a educational institutions such as madrasah conscious and planned effort in preparing and integrated Islamic schools start to students to recognize, understand, and emerge. This is in response to the pattern live up to the teachings of Islam (Rahman, of education needed by the community. 2012). Education in the perspective of While in Southeast Asia, each country Islam is a long process which functions formed a pattern of Islamic education are for teaching and helping students to © 2019 URPI Faculty of Education and Teacher Training Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung Islamic Education in Thailand Pattani … | I. S. Wekke, Siddin, S. Langputeh suitable to the aspirations of their dynamics of Islamic education in Pattani respective communities. from its historical roots to its development Likewise, the Islamic education in the contemporary era. system in Pattani, Thailand, which is a country with a predominantly Buddhist METHOD majority, is updating the Islamic This study applied the qualitative education system. The process of Islamic approach. Researchers systematically renewal in Pattani has a very long history. describe the facts and characteristics The position of Muslims as a minority regarding the portrait of the education of religion leaves various turmoil and Thai Muslim communities. The validity problems in the Islamic world. Muslim of the data was determined using Pattani who inhabits Southern Thailand is triangulation of sources. The sampling predominantly consisting of Malay ethnic technique used in this study was the that has strong cultural roots. Since Islam purposive sampling by determining the entered Pattani, Islamic religious sample based on certain considerations. education began to be developed in The consideration was based on the mosques and traditional boarding houses. research subject related to the research Thus, Pattani Malay Muslims have strong problem. The data was obtained through cultural and religious roots. in-depth interviews and observations. For There is a transformation of Islamic triangulation of data, the observation was education driven by the community carried out twice, and interviews were (Wekke, Ashrori, & Hamuddin, 2018). conducted with different informants. Madrasah does not merely teach religious There was also a directed discussion to subjects but also teaches exact sciences. verify the data of both research subjects Three typical educational institutions take and data collection techniques. place today (Medrano, 2007). Thai Islamic education not only maintains RESULT AND DISCUSSION traditions that have lasted for so long, but Minority and Ethnicity of Pattani it also demands a transformation to be Muslim developed following community needs Thailand is one of the countries (Joseph Chinyong Liow, 2010). Managing located in Southeast Asia and is a member Islamic education does not mean that of the ASEAN (Association of South East secular (non-Islamic) education is Asia Nations). The government is a ignored. Precisely, with the existence of kingdom consisting of 76 provinces with Islamic education, it will be an additional a population of 57 million. The majority opportunity for the Thai Muslim of Thailand's population is Buddhist and community to participate in studies on a has dominated the country for 700 years. broader scale (Madmam, 2003). As the majority religion, Buddhism has When the Thai government took the support of the State so that the culture control of the Pattani region after the of Buddhism develops rapidly in Anglo-Siam Agreement in 1909, the Thailand. government began implementing various Meanwhile, Thailand Muslim lives policies. Economic, social, educational, in the southern part of Thailand. The cultural, and religious policies caused Muslim population in southern Thailand turmoil between the Pattani Muslim is around 4 percent of the total population community and the Thai government. The of Thailand. The largest numbers of government’s policy to reform Islamic Muslims are Malay and live in Thailand's education in Pattani is an effort to three southernmost provinces; Pattani, integrate Pattani Muslims as a minority Yala, and Narathiwat. Besides these three part of Thailand. This article identifies the provinces, the Muslim community is also 128 | Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah 4 (1): 127-134 (2019) Islamic Education in Thailand Pattani … | I. S. Wekke, Siddin, S. Langputeh spread in several provinces such as Satun, and Muslim in Southern Thailand were Songkhla, Trang, Krabi, and Phuket. The filled with protracted mistrust, suspicion, Muslim population in southern Thailand and misunderstanding. Chronic upheaval is around 76 percent is in Pattani, Yala, between minority Muslims and the Thai and Narathiwat (Croissant, 2007). government as a result of the combination In the 13th-century, Islam arrived in of fragmented, weak, and insecure Islamic Pattani and became the majority religion institutions and a disillusioned divided the in the region (Wayeekao, 2016). In the Muslim community. As a result, beginning, Pattani was a kingdom located resistance emerged, and the central in the south of Thailand with the Malay as government responded to it as the act of a majority population. But in subsequent separatism until the martial law was developments, the Pattani kingdom was imposed in the region (Joll, 2010). later ruled by the Siamese kingdom. The Apart from the ethnoreligious Pattani Malay Kingdom was then divided conflict, Muslims in Southern Thailand, into 4 provinces, namely Pattani, Yala, in the contemporary period, have Narathiwat, and Satun. Siam's control experienced significant improvements in over the Pattani region came into force various fields, although it remains under after the Malay northern region was pressure and discrimination from the Thai surrendered by the British colonial government. Thai Muslims are neither a government to the Siamese kingdom in new community nor a marginalized 1909. The surrender of the Pattani Malay community. Therefore Muslims in kingdom to the Siamese kingdom was Thailand today is an inseparable part of marked by the Anglo-Siam Agreement Thai society as a whole and remain a which brought the Pattani Malay kingdom minority in various social and political under the control of the Siamese kingdom fields (Jory, 2006). (Joll, 2010). The Anglo-Siam Agreement, which Institution of Pattani Islamic Education recognized Siam's control over the Pattani Islamic education in Pattani began Malay kingdom brought a policy that since Islam came and settled in Pattani in revoked the rights and dignity of Pattani the 15th-century. Basic education began in Muslims. When the ultranationalist the Islamic community by studying the regime of Prime Minister Philbul Quran.