THE DUTCH ON SIAM (1737)

Daily Register kept by Theodorus Jacobus van den Heuvel, koopman in the service of the Honourable Company and opperhoofd over its interests in the empire of Siam, on the journey to Prabat, whither he by special order was to follow the King.

Wednesday 6th March 1737-wednesday

Then came the regalia in a gilded vessel as described above, which was followed by two empty ones, as well as the Crown's seal, and finally the King, before whom as well as before the said ornaments and seal we bent down and raised our hands three times above our heads according to the custom of the country. And the parade ended with the remaining forty vessels, all of which, as well as those which had been rowed in the van, were in the charge of mandarins,and two empty gilded ones and as many as five hundred ordinary oared barges.

Since the King (Sultan Muhiyuddin Mansor Shah @ Boromokot) passed us very close by and had the kindness to turn his face entirely towards us, we had the opportunity to see His Highness quite well and to observe that he was already fairly old, hollow-checked and thin-faced and carried himself well. On his head he wore a crown of massive gold, its shape was reminiscent of that of the Roman popes, three layers wrought with flowers, and he was dressed in a garment of red velvet with gold embroidery, with narrow sleeves, and buttoned up to his chin to hide his goitre. Furthermore, he held in his hand a short broadsword, well set with gold and precious stones (keris le, ape lagi !!) , on which he leaned, but we were unable to see the clothing of the lower part of his body because he was seated.

We went this morning with four mandarins, who were expressly sent to guide us, to just beyond the Prabat pagoda, where a location was assigned to us by express royal command, to welcome the King who was about to arrive, which place had formerly been destined for the Cambodian king to pay such compliments, and further orders were given that the same honours should be paid to us as to that potentate. Having waited there for about an hour, His Highness passed us at a distance of more than two roods, seated in a small gilded house on a large and big-tusked elephant, and dressed in a white garment and white mandarin's cap (berjubah putih dan memakai songkok lebai. Hari ini pun jika kita lihat dibahagian dalam songkok lebai, akan tertulis disitu "Made in China", ini lah mandarins cap).

In front went as many as a thousand men in two columns at the side of the road, two by two, of various nationalities, such as highlanders, Cochin-Chinese, Cambodians, and Malays, each among his kind, armed with musket, bow and arrow, broadswords, and assagais. They were followed by nine large elephants, each carrying three men, and then came the King. Behind His Highness four Persian horses were led by hand, caparisoned with golden saddles and bridles, then followed the King's children and a great mass of mandarins, all also seated on elephants and horses, who concluded the cavalcade.

The reference to the crown is unclear. Nothing is known about a royal head gear of this type. Abraham Bogaert, in his Abraham Bogaerts historische reizen door d'Oostersche deelen van Asia (Amsterdam 1711) 238, visited Siam in 1690 and saw the king carrying a 'gold, towering crown' beset with precious stones; while Gervaise, Natural and Political History, 215, writes in 1688 about the king wearing a 'pointed cap ... adorned with two diamond crowns'.

(Nota : inilah mahkota yang dicari oleh thai selepas menawan Ayuthia dalam tahun 1767 . Dalam tahun 1821, mereka menyerang Kedah dan membunuh Khalifah Sharif Abu Bakar Syah, Kaha Ekataat, Boromoraja V, Maharaja Islam Siam Ayuthia terakhir di Istana Kota Meang Kuang,Bandar Darul Aman.Mereka tidak menjumpai mahkota di situ. Sebaliknya mereka merampas buku-buku, rekod salsilah, hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, perabot dan dibawa balik dengan gajah ke Bangkok. Semasa penjajahan keatas Kedah oleh thai, 1876-1881, mereka telah membakar lagi 15 istana lama Maharaja Besar Siam di Kedah dalam usaha mencari mahkota tersebut. Pada lilitan kepala ditulis kalimah, “La illahaillallah, Muhamadan Rasullullah”, sekaligus membuktikan bahawa Ayuthia itu beragama Islam. Ini lah yang akan membocorkan rahsia mereka. Mahkota Maharaja Ayuthia disimpan oleh keturunan pengawal peribadi Maharaja Siam Islam sewaktu berundur dari Ayutthia dahulu dan sekarang berada di Kedah.

This procession having passed, and we having been ordered to follow, we did so immediately, but at the moment we cast off a young deer sprang in front of us into the water from the other side of the river, being chased by dogs (sini pun banyak anjing), and we could have easily captured it, but we allowed this pleasure to the above-mentioned son of the Tjauw Fanarin, who had remained with us and subsequently also sailed on with us.

In the afternoon having proceeded to a village named Banarrejek we stayed there and the King, who that afternoon had rested and eaten in the pagoda Prana Coenlouang, passed us even more closely than in the morning, but the order of the vessels which rowed ahead and followed was now quite irregular and confused. There also passed by us amidst the bustle of many oared barges the two queens in ordinary barges, which were however draped with blue chintz curtains, whom we greeted in like manner to the king and paid honour according to the custom of the country. Thereafter we rowed on further and landed that night in Terrouwa, where we found our tent pitched at the riverside by the mandoor who had sailed ahead in a galley prow, in which tent after disembarking we took our night's rest.

(Nota : Raja Chakri Thai hari ini, Bhumiphol Adulyadej dikatakan mempunyai sebuah bilik khas yang dijadikan arkib. Orang yang tidak berkenaan dilarang memasukki bilik itu. Walau bagaimanapun menurut seorang akademik sejarah Malaysia yang dijemput menjadi penceramah "Forum Sejarah Realiti Kedah", 2006, seorang pelajar beliau (mungkin pelajar thai,yg menuntut di Malaysia?) dibenarkan memasukki bilik tersebut. Didalamnya, didapati tersimpan segala buku-buku , manuskrip tulisan tangan termasuk Al Quran, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, peta-peta, bunga mas, perabot serta peralatan istana yang dirampas hampir 200 tahun dahulu dari Istana Maharaja Benua Islam Siam).

Seperti kata seorang penyelidik barat yang beragama Islam,
"Apparently there exist other fragments of Thai (bermaksud siam)chronicles which survived the sack of the Ayutthaya in 1767 at the hands of Burmese invaders but to which the present author has had no access".
-Dr Ismail Marcinkowski

HISTORICAL REALITY : SIAMESE MUSLIMS KINGS OF NAGARA KEDAH AND AYUTTAHAYA

The mistake by researchers on Pattani and Ayutthaya is that they always thought that Thais are descendent of the Siamese and all Thais themselves today think they are Siamese. In terms of people to country relationship this is correct but in term of monarchy to country relationship this is not so. The ruling Thai monarchy only came into power when Rama I, a Buddhist general was nominated as King after the attacked by Burmese Alaungphaya in 1767. Before this date, Siam was a Muslim empire ruling from Ayutthaya to the tip of peninsular Malaya and from Cambodia to Acheh. It form part of the Muslim Monggol Empire in India which is tributary to the Emperor of China (see map below, "Empire of the Great Monggol,1744")



Today, the Malays of peninsular Malaysia especially in the northern state of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Pattani in Thailand are the descendent of that Siamese Kingdom, before Ayutthaya was attacked. Siamese language, not thai is still spoken in this state, up to Haadyai in Thailand. Meanwhile, the Thai's originate from Lannathai where the Sukhothai Kingdom, led by their king, Alaungpaya (and later on by Prince Hsinbyushin) was allowed to set up their small kingdom within Ayutthaya borders as a tributary state to Siam. They then attacked the Toung Oo Kingdom (in Burma) which is tributary to Siam in 1758, then in 1767 invade Ayutthaya from Burma. Historically today, the Burmese takes the blame for attacking Ayutthaya in 1767.

During the invasion, they burnt all documents, art treasures, the libraries and its literature, and the archives housing its historical records pertaining to Muslims Ayutthaya and claim the Ayutthaya Kingdom to be Theravada Buddhist simply because the Siamese Muslim history started much earlier in Kedah (pls. refers to Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa). From Burma they purchased weapons from the British through an agreement in 1760.

With these new weapons they then attacked Muslims Ayutthaya in 1767. Therefore after 1767, the Siamese should be address as Thai because Sukhothai (the invaders of Siam), are Theravada Buddhist. Thaksin or Mukhtar Hussin (governer city of thak, hence thaksin) the Ayutthaya Muslim military tactician and strategist, sided with Alaungpaya and ruled for a few years in Lopburi. He was soon killed in the years to come for ridiculous reasons and replaced by the Chakri Rama I, Yot Fa Chula Lok, the first Buddhist King of Siam, of Sukuthai descendent. In Siamese (not Thai) Chula Lok carries the meaning 'son of a minister'.

Historical records have shown that religious tolerance in administration in a multi religion and multi culture society only existed in Muslim Ayutthaya (during Narai tenure as King) but not in Buddhist Thailand under the Chakri Kings. If they do exist, like in Muslim Malaysia today, then the situation in Pattani will not be like it is today. Human Right’s Watch claimed that Thai police and armies practice ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Pattani. Theres nothing new about this tactics because the same technics were used much earlier when attacking Kedah, Patani and Kelantan, the northern state of peninsular Malaysia in 1821, 1832 and 1876.

Since 1992 Thailand HRW has consistently been reporting to the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights, 34 cases of disappearance, excluding Somchai’s, the human right lawyer disappearance. This tactic is not new to the Thais when they came down to Kedah in 1821, under Rama II instruction to hunt and killed the last King of Ayutthaya, Boromoraja Ekataat V, Sultan Sharib Shah Monggol, and his relatives in order to finish off his bloodline. He was ruling as the Raja of Ligor from 1767 to 1821. Durind the attacked, even innocent children and pregnant women in Kedah were not spared and brutally massacred (Read Sherrard Osbourne, "My Jounal in Malayan Waters: Blockade of Quedah", 1861).

On the Ayuttahaya Kingdom,

MAHA TAMMARAJA II
“Siamese King Chau Pija Si Thammarat, Sultan Sarib Shah Monggol, Siamese King , render of Islamic Emperor Pasai Siam which is in Siamese language known as Cau Pija Si Thammarat, Sultan Sarib Shah Monggol, Hereditary from Raja Siam of Dynasty Pija Maha Zin Tadhu Toung Oo Siam and Raja Ayu The Ya India, Sultan Bahador Shah Monggol, Son in law of Raja Siam Toung Oo Siam”. The Islamic Siamese King started from 1350 - 1767 - , An Assumption Of Prof D.G.E Hall,“A HISTORY OF SOUTH EAST ASIA”, 1955 by Datuk Ismail Salleh, Kedah Historian.

In 1876 the Thai’s invaded Kedah again and murdered Ekataat’s grandsons, Sultan Jaafar Mad Azam Syah (then ruling in Nagara Kedah) and his younger brother, Tengku Nai Long Abu Taha and they ruled Kedah for 5 years until 1881. During the 5 years period of ruling Kedah, they demolished not less than 15 palaces belonging to the King of Siam, their ancestors palaces, carted away furniture’s, documents and valuables possessions belonging to the King and murdered his relatives in order to stop his bloodline. All this happens under the nose of the British who did nothing but support the slaughter. Conspiracies such as this should be expose not hidden from the knowledge of current generations.

Sultan Jaafar Mad Azam Syah or better known as Long Jaafar descendent today is Tuanku Nai Long Kasim ibni Tuanku Nai Long Ahmad, the last surviving Muslim King of Siam. Meanwhile the descendent of Tuanku Nai Long Abu Toha (Raja of Bagan Serai), the younger brother of Sultan Jaafar Mad Azam Syah is non other than the current Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Seeing on local TV, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s official visit to Thailand in early 2007 and meeting up with King Bhumiphol Adulyadej, I wonder who should bow down to whom. Some of the royal Siamese families in the 1800’s survived by changing their names and become a commoner, living out of fear whether their identities have been discovered. The King’s tomb is now located in Kedah, well taken care by his ancestors and so is the sword and Crown of Ayutthaya with Islamic writings inscribed around the crown.

Meanwhile, the people of Pattani are not of Thai’s origin but actually Muslims Siamese just like the Malays of Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis. With the British propaganda in Malaya all Siamese, Minang, Bugis, Banjar, Javanese are known as one common race that is Malays or Melayu. Hence the people of Patani is also known as Melayu while in fact they are also Siamese like their cousins in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia. The Patani people clearly state that they do not want to be ruled by the Buddhist Chakri kings and prefers and autonomy Muslim state. It is their right to do so because historically they were a tributary state under ‘The Muslim Empire of the Siamese Continent of Kedah Pasai Ma’.

Local and foreign historical researchers making claims that Thai are Siamese are the same simply shows their blatant disregard and insight into the actual fact of history. The Siamese people still exist today in the northern state of peninsular Malaysia. They are just like the Malays of other Malay states who have Javanese, Bugis or Achenese ancestors. The Siamese language which is spoken daily is totally different from the Thai language although it sounds almost similar to the ear. The writings have however, disappeared.

The Siamese in Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis were not forced to change their cultural identity through the 'Phibul Songgram' and‘Rathaniyom Policy’ of one race, one language, as what happen to the people of Pattani who doesn’t speak Siamese anymore (they speaks thai) but maintain their Muslim’s religion. Until today certain culture of the Siamese like washing their feet before going to bed, taboo to touch one’s head, yellow attire for the ruling Sultan’s is still practiced in Malaysia.

Meanwhile upon completing these policies, the country of Siam was change to Thailand, ‘land of the free’. With the killing in Pattani today, the international nation of the world wonder how does the government of Thailand today define the word free. The muslims cannot even use their Muslims names, unlike in Malaysia where non Muslims can use their own names. According to a former British officer of the Colony negotiating independence in the 1950’s,

“If the affairs in this world were settled by common sense and equity, I personally have no doubt what ever that Patani ought to be seperated from Siam (read as thai) and become part of Malaya. The inhabitants are 90% Malays and 90 % Mohamedans (in a Buddhist county). All their connections are with the south, and particularly with Kelantan, and the Siamese (read as Thai) record in Patani is one of dreary mis-rule interspersed with sporadic outbursts of actual tyranny. There is no doubt that where the wishes of the inhabitants lie, and a fair plebiscite (if one could be arranged) could only have one result. In the complex affairs of international politics, however, mere practical considerations of this mind do not find much place”.

Marcinkowski, M. Ismail, wrote,

“Apparently there exist other fragments of Thai chronicles which survived the sack of the Ayutthaya in 1767 at the hands of Burmese invaders but to which the present author has had no access”.

In “Kidnapping Islam? Some Reflections on Southern Thailand's Muslim Community between Ethnocentrism and Constructive Conflict-Solution”, Marcinkowski, M Ismail also wrote,

“Today, more than 50 mosques are still extant in Ayutthaya and its environs. Although the Muslim population in that region seems to be nowadays entirely Sunnite, the existence of such a large comparatively number of mosques in that area bears witness to the importance of Ayutthaya for the Muslims in the past”.

The Ayutthaya Siamese King history has to be revealed because their bloodline has strong relationship with the ruling Raja of Perlis, Sultan of Kedah (queda), Perak (beruas), Selangor, Johor (klangkeo), Pahang (paham), Terengganu (talimgano)Kelantan, Riau (banqa), Acheh, Pattani, Brunei, Sulu, Persian, Rome, the Monggol of India and the Emperor of China. No claims over any territory is necessary. Furthermore without the revealation, history of countries in the Malay Archipelago seems unfinished.

The history of Ayutthaya in Thailand and History of Malaysia should be rewritten in a truthful and sincere manner.


A.M Mazlan



List of references

Farouk, Omar. "Shaykh Ahmad: Muslims in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya," in: JEBAT Journal of the History Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 10 (1980-81), pp. 206-14.
The Muslims of Thailand, vol.1: "Historical and Cultural Studies" (Gaya, Bihar/India: Centre for South East Asian Studies, 1988).
Muhammad Rabi‘ Ibn Muhammad Ibrahim. The Ship of Sulayman, transl. J. O’Kane (New York NY: Columbia University Press, 1972).
Kraus, Werner. "Islam in Thailand. Notes on the History of Muslim Provinces, Thai Islamic Modernism and the Separatist Movement in the South," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 5, no. 2 (July 1984), pp. 410-25.
Marcinkowski, M. Ismail. "Persian Religious and Cultural Influences in Siam/Thailand and Maritime Southeast Asia: A Plea for a Concerted Interdisciplinary Approach," in: Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 88, pt. 1-2 (2000), pp. 186-94.
Pipes, Daniel. The Hidden Hand. Middle East Fears of Conspiracy (Houndsmills and London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1996).
Wyatt, David. K. Thailand. A Short History (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1999, reprint).
T.N.L Kasim, T.N.L. Ahmad, Islamic Epigraphy, Historical Reality of Kedah,2006

50 Tahun Merdeka Tapi Buta Sejarah Bangsa

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Saya merujuk kepada Tulisan Tuan Nai Long Kassim Nai Long Ahmad bertajuk “Kewujudan Kedah bukan pada 1136 Masihi” yang disiarkan oleh akhbar Utusan Malaysia pada 13 Februari 2007 adalah dirujuk. Tulisan tuan ada banyak kebenarannya dan saya berpendapat masih ada lagi maklumat yang tersimpan dan tidak ingin didedahkan walaupun Malaysia akan menyambut 50 tahun kemerdekaannya pada 31 Ogos 2007.

Sebagai penyelidik dari universiti tempatan maklumat-maklumat yang saya selidiki menuju kearah apa yang diperkatakan oleh Tuan Nai Long Kassim ini ada kebenarannya. Seterusnya, saya tertarik dengan nama Raja Maha Besar Benua Siam Dinasti Ayuthia yang bergelar Boromoraja Ekataat V. Nama sebenar Baginda ialah Khalifah Sharif Abu Bakar Syah dan baginda beragama Islam. Sebelum ini kta semua menyangkakan Empayar Ayuthia (1350 - 1767) yang tinggi peradabannya di Thailand itu sebagai Empayar yang beragama Buddha. Tanggapan ini adalah salah sama sekali. Thailand, asalnya adalah dari bangsa Sukhothai (suku thai@puak Thai) yang berasal dari Lannathai. Mereka memang sudah berkali-kali cuba menyerang Ayuthia dan akhirnya berjaya menakluki Ayuthia pada tahun 1767,di ketuai oleh ketuanya bernama Alaungpaya.

Akan tetapi siapa sebenarnya yang memerintah Ayuthia sebelum ia ditawan? Pemerintah Ayuthia menunaikan Haji ke Tanah Suci Mekah, melaksanakan hukum-hukum Islam dan pentadbiran dibahagikan kepada 2 kementerian, untuk Islam dan bukan Islam. Mereka menjalin hubungan dengan Perancis dan sempena lawatan itu dinamakan sebatang jalan di Perancis sebagai Jalan Ayuthia. Mereka ini adalah dari keturunan Siam bukan Thai. Dalam erti lain Siam itu beragama Islam, Thai itu beragama Buddha. Sekiranya bahasa jiwa bangsa, sudah pasti, bahasa Thai untuk bangsa Thai dan bahasa Siam untuk bangsa Siam. Kita lihat pula di Malaysia hari ini terdapat orang Melayu yang bertutur dalam Bahasa Siam di Kedah, Kelantan dan Perlis dan mereka beragama Islam. Bahasa Siam ini jika ditutur di Thailand, langsung tidak difahami lagi oleh rakyat Thailand hari ini.

Orang-orang Melayu inilah berbangsa Siam, ia itu asal usul keturunan bangsa Melayu yang menjadi rakyat Nagara Benua Siam Dinasti Ayuthia dahulu dan Empayar ini meliputi seluruh Nusantara, Champa, termasuk sebahagian India. Arus kemodenan tidak menyentuh mereka sama sekali dan mereka kekal dalam budaya bahasa Siam seperti adanya, 300 tahun dahulu. Dalam manuskrip Undang-Undang Kedah, yang mula diitulis pada tahun 220 Hijrah (799 masihi) adat Siam ini telah pun lama diguna pakai oleh raja-raja Melayu zaman dahulu. Manuskrip ini dirampas oleh Inggeris di Istana Kota Beruas dahulu dan baru dipulangkan kepada kita sekitar tahun 2003/04.

Diantaranya penggunaan sirih pinang sewaktu meminang, bekas meminang, cincin emas sebentuk, kain. Sebagai contoh, didalam buku Undang-undang Kedah, mengenai pakaian dalam Adat Raja Johor,
“Maka adat ini turut adat raja-raja Kedah ini, yang kerajaan itu kuning juga”. (ms 34)

“Demikianlah zaman raja-raja dahulu-dahulu itu. Pada adat raja-raja dibenua Siam gelar demikian itu bahasa Siam Cau Phaya Kersan”. (ms 36)

Tidak teragak jika saya katakan bahawa asal keturunan bangsa Melayu ialah Siam kerana raja-raja Melayu yang menjadi tunggak adat istiadat bangsa Melayu telah pun menggunakan adat tersebut. Seterusnya, dimuka surat yang sama, perihal pemerintah Johor,

“Maka pada Bahasa Melayu Bendahara itu panglima negeri.Pada segala negeri yang kecil-kecil bendahara itu dikatanya lambat pada adat Siam”.

Sebelum naik kerajaan pada tahun 1350,pemerintah Ayuthia ini berasal dari Kesultanan Kedah, dimana keturunan mereka tiba dari Cina dan membuka Kota di Kuala Muda. Ketua rombongan dari Cina dan pengikutnya diketuai oleh Putera Waran Wong Ser (Mahawangsa), cucu kepada Maharaja Cina bernama Sai Tee Sung dari Dinasti Tang. (rujuk kepada Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa) Maharaja Sai Tee Sung telah diislamkan oleh utusan Baginda Rasullullah SAW bernama Saad bin Waqqas.Baginda pula telah memberi surat watikah kepada cucunya untuk menyebarkan Islam di Nusantara.

Apabila naik Kerajaan, Baginda Wa Ren Wong Ser (bermaksud Naga Laut Puak Tentera) memakai gelaran Sultan Madzafar Syah I (222H, 812 M) dan berkahwin dengan Sharifah Mariam ibni Syed Jamal Al Jefri dari keturunan Bani Hashim. Sharifah Maryam berketurunan Arab dan baginda juga di panggil Tok Soh. Makam Tok Soh masa ada lagi di Pin Nang Tung Gal (bermaksud, jadi permaisuri tunggak Negara) dengan ukiran kalimah Shahadah pada nisan nya di Kampung Tok Soh, Pinang Tunggal, Kulim,Kedah. Mereka mendirikan kota dengan penduduk tempatan di Kuala Muda (Muadat bermaksud belerang), Kedah dan menjalankan pelabagai perniagaan pembuatan senjata yang menggunakan belerang.Contoh dua meriam yang dijumpai didalam sungai dan telah dihasilkan oleh orang Melayu Saimen boleh dilihat di Muzium Negeri Kedah.

Generasi kedua Kesultanan Negara Kedah ialah Po Disut @ Sayyidina Jamalull Alam Badrul Munir bergelar Sultan Madzafar Syah II dan generasi ketiga ialah Sayyidina Ali Wa Maulana Sayyidina Jamalull Alam Badrul Munir @ Sultan Alirah Shah Perlak (bersemayam di Istana Bukit Cho Ras), keempat ialah Sultan Hussin Syah dan kelima Sultan Sheikh Abdul Kadir Shah @ Tuan Sheikh Keramat. Makam baginda terletak di Lang Gar (bermaksud putus dunia) bertarikh 291H (903 M). Kesemua mereka adalah pemerintah Nagara Kedah Pasai Ma (nama Negara Kedah dahulu). Yang saya kira menarik sekali ialah pemerintah ke 11 Negara Kedah iaitu Sultan Madzafar Syah III yang juga bergelar Rama Tibodi I (@ Sheikh Ahmad Qomi). Baginda menjadi Maharaja pertama Benua Islam Siam Ayuthia Kedah Pasai Ma.

Semasa upacara mengangkat sumpah, Melaka tersurat dan disebut baginda sebagai salah satu tanah jajahan Ayuthia. Pada masa itu Melaka termasuklah Johor dan Kepulauan Riau. Pada masa itu juga pemerintah Kedah baru saja mengalahkan Kerajaan Tenangsari (Burma) yang menyerang Kedah sekaligus menguasainya. Pemerintah Kedua Ayuthia ialah Naresuan yang berkahwin dengan Ratu Iman, Acheh. Pada Makam Baginda, tertulis dlm Bahasa Kawi, Gusta Barubasa empu Kedah Pasai Ma bermaksud, Keluarga yang memeluk Islam menguasai Kedah Pasai Ma.Kerajaan ini lah yang mana Pattani, Ligor, Singgora, Kesultanan Melaka dan Acheh turut berada dibawah kawalannya.Sebab itu lah bila mencari kesan Sejarah Kesultanan Melaka sukar mendapat buktinya kerana nama mereka juga tersenarai dalam senarai Raja-raja Ayuthia dalam bahasa Siam !.

Tahukah pembaca semua siapakah yang menjadi Raja Benua Siam Islam Nagara Kedah Pasai Ma yang terakhir. Tak lain dan tak bukan iaitu Sultan Jaafar Muadzam Syah atau lebih dikenali sebagai Long Jaafar. Sebelum itu Ayahanda baginda, Syed Alang Alauddin yang juga bergelar Panglima Bukit Gantang menjadi Sultan Benua Siam Islam, Nagara Kedah Pasai Ma. Baginda melantik puteranya Long Jaafar menjadi menteri di Larut Perak untuk menguruskan lombong bijih kerajaan Nagara Kedah disana. Apabila ayahanda baginda mangkat dalam tahun 1862, baginda ditabal di Berahman Indra (sekarang Balai Besar) Alor Setar bergelar Sultan Jaafar Madzam Syah. Dalam rangka lawatan ke Merbok, baginda ditangkap oleh Thai dan Inggeris dalam tahun 1876, disiksa di Yan, sebelum dipijak dengan gajah hingga mati di belakang Balai Polis Gurun dalam tahun 1876.Peristiwa ini benar berlaku dan saya cabar sesiapa pun termasuk pengkaji sejarah tempatan untuk mengkaji maklumat ini.

Dalam penyelidikkan saya, dengan terbunuhnya Long Jaafar orang-orang Melayu hilang segala-galanya meliputi sastera, senibina, manuskrip-manuskrip,syair, industri pembuatan belerang, sajak, puisi dll. Penjajah Inggeris telah menipu kita dimana mereka berpakat dengan Thai lalu menyerahkan peradaban itu kepada Thai. Mereka memutarbelitkan fakta sejarah sehingga kita menyangkakan Thai dan Siam itu sama saja. Inggeris memberi peradaban Ayuthia milik kita itu kepada Thai agar mereka dapat, menjatuhkan Islam, menjajah Semenanjong dan mengutip hasil bumi seperti bijih timah,emas,rempah ratus dll. Ditinggalnya kita pada hari ini tanpa warisan sejarah bangsa dan agama untuk memulakan kerajaan Malaysia ketika merdeka. Sejarah yang ditinggalkan adalah versi mereka, bukan versi kita. Kita terpaksa bermula dari bawah untuk memertabatkan bangsa. Kita berjaya melakukannya dalam masa 50 tahun saja. Bayangkanlah sekiranya kita bangsa Melayu keturunan Siam ini memerintah Ayuthia dulu selama 417 Tahun, betapa hebatnya peradaban itu! Pasti ia di cemburui dan dingini/diidamkan oleh bangsa lain.

Sebelum ini raja-raja kita membayar ufti kepada Siam Islam, ibarat cukai Kerajaan Negeri kepada Kerajaan Persekutuan tetapi bila Thai mengambil alih Ayuthia, seolah-olah memberi ufti kepada Kerajaan asing yang berlainan agama. Bila raja-raja daerah kita enggan membayar, walau ada yang cuba berbaik-baik, Thai tetap menyerang orang-orang Melayu, mengugut, membunuh dan menyiksa dengan kejam. Akhirnya ramai kerabat dan rakyat di Negara Kedah dan Pattani menjadi ‘Korban Musuh Bisik’ dalam tahun 1821. Setelah usaha ini selesai mereka mengubah sistem pendidikkan mereka, rakyat siam hanya boleh belajar bahasa Thai sahaja,dll, sehingga apabila selesai dinamakan negara mereka,Thailand. Semua ini berlaku kerana mereka benci bangsa Siam ini ujud lebih dahulu dari bangsa Tai lalu dibakarnya manuskrip Al Quran, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Sejarah Melayu dll sewaktu berjaya menawan Ayuthia dalam tahun 1767.

Sewaktu Thai (bukan Siam) menjajah Kedah selama 5 tahun (1876-1881) dengan pertolongan Inggeris mereka membakar istana-istana lama (17,mungkin lebih) milik Raja Benua Siam Islam, Nagara Kedah Pasai Ma termasuk di Bukit Cho Ras (istana Sayyidina Ali, Sultan Alirah Shah, Perlak), diserang dan dibunuh orang-orang Siam Islam Pattani, Kedah, Majapahit dan tentera Cina Manchu (Islam). Seorang saksi yang tinggal berdekatan, berusia sekitar 90 tahun menceritakan bagaimana Inggeris sekitar awal 1910 datang semula memecahkan lagi 3 bilik dibawah tanah ditapak istana Bukit Choras yang telah dibakar oleh Thai 35 tahun terdahulu.Di setengah-setengah lokasi seperti candi ditanamnya patung-patung tertentu untuk menyesatkan penyelidik kita pada hari ini.

Syukurlah orang Melayu masih tetap berpegang kepada Islam. Sekarang saya harap saudara/i mula faham kenapa berlaku kekecohan di Pattani. Saya difahamkan juga bahawa Inggeris ingin menyerahkan Pattani, Satun,Yala, Ligor dan Songkhala untuk merdeka bersama kita dalam tahun 1957 dahulu tetapi ditolak oleh TAR kerana datuknya Raja Chulalongkorn tidak mengizinkannya (TAR cucu raja Siam itu). Inggeris tahu bahawa daerah ini jajahan Nagara Kedah, berdasarkan manuskrip Undang-Undang Kedah yang tercatat di m.s.15. Oleh itu, sempena menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan ke 50 tahun, marilah kita sama-sama mencari kembali permata yang telah hilang itu.

‘Kidnapping’ Islam?

Some Reflections on Southern Thailand's
Muslim Community Between Ethnocentrism
and Constructive Conflict-Solution

by Dr M. Ismail Marcinkowski *


"A foundation of hatred or hostility can never support an edifice of national life and would be subject to sudden earthquakes when the forces of disorder are let loose. But moral courage, a happy combination of independence and discipline, a directness of aims, and above all, truth, integrity, and loyalty, are the factors which help forward orderly and sustained progress."
Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1953)[1]

Introductory Remarks

The above quoted lines by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the well-known interpreter and translator of the Qur’an into English,[2] were already written by him in 1907, in the context of the role played by Muslims within the then emerging movement for India’s independence from Britain. Nevertheless, in the view of the present contributor, they are still valid in terms of defining the outline for a cultured dialogue of civilizations in general. Similarly, the present paper, which deliberately has been kept in the form of an essay, constitutes a plea for more mutual tolerance and peaceful conflict-solution between Muslims and non-Muslims (and within the Muslim community for that matter), with emphasis on the context of contemporary Thailand. Elsewhere, the author has recently dealt with some rather historical aspects of the presence of Islam in Thailand in various international conferences and publications.[3]

Although certain parts of the present paper place a certain emphasis on spiritual and conceptional affinities and differences between the Islamic and the Buddhist traditions, it will be argued in the course of this paper that not religious issues are at stake, but rather ethnic fervour and prejudice (at times stirred up from outside the country), as well as certain economic and social problems which are awaiting to be addressed seriously.

Preservation of Cultural Identity versus Racialism

Contrary to what is generally hold, the Muslim population living within the contemporary borders of the Kingdom of Thailand does not constitute a monolithic block, neither with regard to its ethnic diversity, nor to its geographic distribution. Although it is general knowledge that today the majority of Thailand's Muslim community happens to ascribe to the ‘mainstream’ Sunnite denomination, based on the Shafi‘ite legal rite, it should be noted that this was not always the case in history. As pointed out by the present author, as well as by other scholars elsewhere, Muslims, especially Persian-speaking Shi‘ite Muslims from Iran and India, had played a conspicuous role in the Ayutthaya kingdom, in particular during the 17th century.[4] ‘Iranian’ Shi‘ite Muslims had been invested with the highest administrative offices in Siam's court and administration. As a matter of fact, the introduction into the Thai context of the traditional Muslim office of Shaykh al-Islam, i.e. head of the Muslim community, under the Thai name of Chularajmontri goes back to this period.[5]

Although the office of Shaykh al-Islam is not of Shi‘ite (and not even of Iranian) origin, it gained pre-eminence under Iran's Shi‘ite Safavid dynasty, which ruled that country from 1501 to 1722. In the context of its introduction to the Ayutthaya kingdom and being a Shi‘ite adaption, the character of the office of Shaykh al-Islam differs significantly from the situation in the Sunnite Malay principalities, whether in history or in present-day Malaysia, where we come across Muftis, who are merely jurists, advising the 'head of the Muslims' there, i.e. the Sultans.

Contrary to this, the Shaykh al-Islam serves in contemporary Thailand also as the head of the Muslim community, which is due to the circumstance of that country being a Buddhist kingdom. It is important to be constantly aware of this historical dimension of the Muslim presence in Thailand, in order to avoid the serious mistake to equate the history of Islam there, and throughout the rest of Southeast Asia for that matter, with the history of the Malays and of 'Malay-ness', thus with racialism.

As stated by the present author elsewhere, the increase of Muslim immigration into the Ayutthaya kingdom and the consequent rise of distinguished Muslim personalities to the highest administrative posts, and in fact the creation of the office of Chularajmontri itself, should be regarded as a result of the traditional tolerance of the Thai people and its rulers, prescribed by the original virtues of Buddhism, and furthermore on political and economic considerations from the part of the Thai monarchs.

This remarkable religious tolerance, which should not be confused with weakness and confusion, had also been noticed by several 17th-century foreign visitors to the kingdom, among them an official embassy from Safavid Iran. Ibn Ibrahim Muhammad, the secretary of that delegation and compiler of the only extant Persian account of that visit, added to his account a preface which contains even prayer for the spiritual well-being of the Thai monarch(bacaan doa selamat untuk raja siam),[6] an indeed remarkable feature for a follower of a positive religious system, such as Islam.

The sack of Ayutthaya in 1767 meant the end of the previous Shi‘ite domination among the Muslims residing by that time in Siam, although Shi‘ite Chularajmontris, all of them descendants of the first holder of that office in the 17th century, continued to be appointed up to 1945 by the subsequent rulers of the Bangkok period.[7] Today, more than 50 mosques are still extant in Ayutthaya and its environs.[8]

Although the Muslim population in that region seems to be nowadays entirely Sunnite, the existence of such a large comparatively number of mosques in that area bears witness to the importance of Ayutthaya for the Muslims in the past. The most detailed and comprehensive studies in English on the administrative structure of Thailand’s Muslim community have been carried out by Farouk and Yusuf, and the present author is indebted to them to a great deal.[9]

Today, the Muslims constitute, after the Buddhists, the largest religious community in Thailand,[10] whereas the population in the kingdom's extreme south is overwhelmingly Muslim and ethnically Malay.[11] In fact, the ‘Malay-ness’ of the South is usually – erroneously, for that matter - seen as a distinctive characteristic of Thailand's Muslim community in general.

Nevertheless, there do exist Muslim communities in the kingdom which are ethnically non-Malay.[12] In the view of the present contributor, certain anxieties from the part of the Thai authorities concerning tendencies among the Malays in the south in favour of an ‘Anschluß’ to Malaysia in a ‘Melayu Raya, i.e. Greater Malaya (or a ‘Malay Lebensraum’, one might be tempted to say), seem to be similar to those which can be observed in the Singapore context.[13] Certain episodes during the post-WWII period have shown that these anxieties are not entirely unjustified.[14]

The present essay cannot deal with the questions of what is a ‘Malay’ by definition, or whether there exists something such as a ‘Malay ethnicity’, whether this ethnicity should play a role in the building of confidence and trust within a multi-ethnic nation or within the wider Southeast Asian setting at the beginning of the 21th century. It should be noted in this regard that the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies (JSEAS) has recently published a volume which contains relevant contributions on the question of ‘Malay ethnicity’.[15]

With regard to the fact that the Muslims in southern Thailand are overwhelmingly speakers of Malay, the present author is of the view that the permanent emphasis on ethnicity - a characteristic of Malay communities in other Southeast Asian nations as well, which takes at times the shape of certain paranoid features - is entirely irrelevant, and indeed harmful, in the context of practical conflict-solution. Needless to say that the principle of preservation of presently existing international borders, as well as the non-involvement in one’s neighbour’s internal affairs, should be considered essential for peace and harmony in the region.

In the understanding of the present writer then, arguments against the presence of Thailand in the south are basically ethnically oriented, rather than religiously. Militant Malay political organizations have been merely hiding behind what they perceive as Islamic teachings, while in fact being purely ethnically oriented. Islam to them appears to be a ‘Malay matter’. This ‘indigenization’ of the universal message of Islam, however, which is supra-national in its very core and essence, by dragging it down to an expression of rural ‘Malay identity’ à la kampong, along with a lack of spirituality, along with an all-prevailing escapism towards legalism from the realities of life, can only be considered as ignorance of the original tenets and stipulations of the Islamic legal system, not to speak of the meaning of religion in general.

Islam indeed encourages friendly relations with one’s neighbour, encourages trade and commerce, technological progress and research, encourages inter-ethnic relations, and above all, condemns ‘inbreeding’ and social inactivity. Moreover, in the view of the present author, who himself is a scholar in Islamic studies, there is no objection to a life as a religious minority in a non-Muslim country, as long as Muslims are not hindered to carry out their religious duties, their dignity as a human being is preserved, and their sources of income are left untouched. It goes without saying that these points should be acceptable to anyone interested in a cultured dialogue and peaceful togetherness. In the 1980s, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's present Prime Minister, made in his book The Challenge the following remarkable statement, which, in spite of the fact that it addresses certain weaknesses within Malaysia’s Malay community in the course of her history, is nevertheless also relevant to the present context:

"The Malays have emerged from a long period of backwardness only to be pulled in different directions by conflicting forces, some of which seek to undo whatever progress has been made and plunge the entire community back into the Dark Ages".

One of the saddest ironies of recent times is that Islam, the faith that once made its followers progressive and powerful, is being invoked to promote retrogression which will bring in its wake weakness and eventual collapse. A force for enlightenment, it is being turned into a rationale for narrow-mindedness; an inspiration towards unity, it is being twisted into an instrument of division and destruction.

Ignorance of what constitutes spirituality, and failure to see the distinction between materialism and a healthy involvement in worldly concerns, render some sections of the Malay (Muslim) community susceptible to the notion that Islam exhorts believers to turn their backs on the world.

[...] Misinterpretation of Islam is only one of the many forms of confusion threatening the Malays today. The challenge is tremendous - the stake survival itself."[16]

Moreover, from the perspective of Islamic law it has to be emphasized that living as a Muslim minority in a non-Muslim country is possible and does per se not run against the teachings of any of the four Sunnite ‘schools’ of Islamic jurisprudence (and also not against those of the ja‘fari school, the legal rite of the Twelver Shi‘ites, for that matter). The Qur’an encourages Muslims to live peacefully together with their non-Muslim neighbours, provided the above referred to conditions are met. Therefore, there should be no room for any kind of religious fanaticism and prejudice. From among the many qur’anic passages in this regard, the following brief quotation shall suffice:

“Those who believe (in the Qur’an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians – any who believe in Allah [i.e. God] and the Last Day, and work righteousness – on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” [17]
Constructive Approaches versus Populism

Thailand has succeeded more than the other countries of the Southeast Asian region in the creation of a 'national identity' and in the integration of her ethnic minorities, such as ethnic Chinese. However, Thongchai Winichakul has thrown light on the problems concerning the rather uncritical adaption of for the most part Western concepts of 'statehood' and 'nation'.

He stated:
"In Thailand today there is a widespread assumption that there is such a thing as a common Thai nature or identity: khwampenthai (Thainess). It is believed to have existed for a long time, and all Thai are supposed to be well aware of its virtue. The essence of Thainess has been well preserved up to the present time despite the fact that Siam has been transformed greatly toward modernization in the past hundred years. Like other nationalistic discourse, it presumes that the great leaders (in this case monarchs) selectively adopted only good things from the west for the country while preserving the traditional values at their best. Although a sceptic might doubt the validity of such a view, the notion prevails even among scholars."[18]

He continues by referring to the various adjectives applied to define 'un-Thainess', which has a bearing on the various ethnic minorities:

"Quite often, reference to otherness is made by identifying it as belonging to another nation. But the referent nation or ethnicity is usually ill defined. In Thai, for example, farang is a well-known adjective and noun referring to Western people without any specification of nationality, culture, ethnicity, language, or whatever. Khaek is another term which covers the peoples and countries of the Malay peninsula, the East Indies, South Asia, and the Middle East without any distinction. Khaek also denotes Muslim, but by no means exclusively so. That is to say, a reference is sometimes made regardless of whether or not a certain characteristic really belongs to any particular nation or ethnic group, because the aim of the discourse is to identify the un-Thainess rather than to define the characteristic of any particular people. Once the un-Thainess can be identified, its opposite, Thainess, is apparent."[19]

What about the Malays of Thailand's south in this context? The still noticable economic backwardness of Thailand's 'Muslim South' appears to be somewhat similar to the situation in which the Shi‘ites in Southern Lebanon find themselves vis-à-vis the non-Shi‘ite 'central government' in Beirut.[20] Whether justifiably so or not, Muslims in Thailand's southern provinces put the government in Bangkok to task to upgrade the infrastructure of the area and let them participate in this process.

Economic problems in the south involve issues such as the fair distribution of the wealth accruing from the exploitation of the oil and gas resources, as well as the participation stronger of the South in the planning of development projects. Although the Muslims in the South do consider themselves as 'Malay', that must not mean that political or racially motivated activities by certain groups from outside the kingdom should always and by necessity be considered as crowned by success. Issues with 'neighbouring states' could be addressed bilaterally or within the framework of ASEAN. It is crucial for the responsible authorities to respect and take into account the dignity and religious feelings of the Muslim majority in the south, i.e. in what they understand as their own soil.

What is all too often forgotten when discussing the attitude of the religion of Islam in general with regard to conflict-solution is that there do in fact exist a variety of approaches directed towards peaceful conflict solution. In this context, it should be noted that the word 'jihad', originally one of the cornerstones of Islamic spirituality rather than warfare and literally meaning 'struggle' or 'spiritual struggle with oneself' (i.e. with one’s Self), is often misinterpreted in the media, and even by scholars, as 'Holy War', a concept of medieval Christianity.

Without doubt, 'jihad' can at times also possess a rather 'militant' aspect. But there can also be no doubt, that any kind of approach towards conflict-solution should as long as possible remain peaceful. Most people will be surprised to hear that Islamic approaches in this regard vary, as had been demonstrated by Professor Karim Douglas Crow. According to this scholar,

"Islam provides a set of powerful teachings and practises with universal relevance for humanity. These have the potential to make a great contribution for peaceful change and just societies. Islam clearly possesses a comprehensive methodology and set of values for 'Peaceful-Action' / al-Jihad al-Silmi. The challenge for Muslims now is to present Islamic Values in authentic terms for the 21st century. Thinking Muslims must search for ways to realize and make these values real and effective in our world today."[21]

As in the case of other regions with clashes of interests, in Thailand, too, economic conflict-solutions and the support for justified claims involving the rights of ethnic and religious minorities are helpful in order to avoid further radicalizarion. What is needed is a true 'Jihad', i.e. an universal effort against poverty and ignorance. The use of the word 'Jihad' in this context is not new, as the successful experience of Iran's ‘Construction Jihad’ organization (Jihad-e Sazandegi) has shown and as could be observed by the present author during his stay in that country between 1984 and 1986 (without necessarily ascribing to the wider political setting there). Moreover, such a progressive understanding of 'Jihad' from the part of Muslims involves also a proper reflection on how to support the fight against the HIV and AIDS drama, as well as how to avoid a demonization of its victims, the latter showing a frightening lack of compassion in sharp contrast to the true teachings of Islam and by any of the other major religious systems, for that matter.[22]

In the light of what has just been pointed out, Islam per se should thus not be considered an obstacle. The central question, however, even from the Islamic point of view, is how to define the correct place of religion in dealing with the issues at stake, without necessarily following alien secular systems. The real confrontation is thus not 'Islam versus Buddhism', but rather 'populism, ignorance and, at times, 'collective paranoia'[23] versus knowledge and practical help'. There is an urgent need of knowledgeable people on the pulpit in the mosques, as well as of spirituality and knowledge of the original tenets of religion.

There do exist, indeed, countless spiritual affinities between Islam and Buddhism via sufism or Islamic mysticism, affinities which are exemplified by the great tradition that is embodied in the Islamic mystical 'orders' or tariqat. Here it can only be mentioned in passing that one of those 'meeting points' between original Buddhism and the original Islamic spiritual tradition is the Bektashi community which we come across in today's Turkey and various countries on the Balkan peninsula and whose origins, however, go back to Central Asia, to a Turkic setting.[24] On the other hand, conceptional differences should also not be denied, since, in the words of the Venerable Nyanaponika Thera,

“…the idea of a personal deity, a creator god conceived to be eternal and omnipotent, is incompatible with the Buddha’s teachings[25]

With regard to the issue of the 'decline' of a spiritual tradition, any spiritual tradition, including Islam and Buddhism, the following words from what is known as the Debate of King Milinda, i.e. the Hellenistic ruler Menandros of Bactria, to the Buddhist sage Nagasena, are also quite relevant in the present context. In answering one of the questions addressed to him by Menandros, Nagasena is said to have stated:
“There are three modes of disappearance of a teaching. The decline of the attainment to a clear insight into it, and decline in the outward form of it. When the intellectual grasp ceases, then even the man who conducts himself rightly has no clear understanding of it. By the decline of practise, promulgation of the Vinaya rules ceases and only the outward form of the religion remains. When the outward form ceases then the succession of the tradition is cut off.”[26]

The present author has argued elsewhere that a rational understanding of the mechanisms that underlie history, including that of the Muslims - any history, for that matter - is essential for arriving at appropriate 'diagnoses' of problems and shortcomings and thus for the finding of solutions that are pertaining to the future of the Muslim community. The following might therefore be also relevant to the context of the Muslims of southern Thailand:

“The effort of trying to know each other better, without necessarily giving up prerogatives and belief, should prevail against the falling into stereotypizations, such as ethnic and religious prejudice, which can only be considered as a sign of fear and insecurity with regard to the tenets of one's own religion. This predicament applies, of course to any historical period and religious or social system.”[27]
Constructive criticism and reflective, analytical thinking, appears to be a good tradition from the classical Islamic period, since it“[…] intends to keep the message of Islam 'pure' by pointing the finger on the wounds in order to heal them rather than keeping silence and thus causing the 'death' of the entire 'organism' or the ummah, so to speak. […] This procedure is far from being an attempt to 'secularize' history, or from separating the 'principle of political leadership' from the purely religious tenets. But rather the opposite is the case: Instead of a 'never mind, they still had been Muslims'-attitude […], I personally would propose an attitude of clear disassociation and ethically motivated criticism, based on the Islamic sources, as well as on the general requirements for any scholarly investigation.”[28]

Finally, this analytical approach is in line with the ideas expressed by some of the greatest thinkers of Islam, among them Iqbal, who stated that
“[t]he possibility of a scientific treatment of history means a wider experience, a greater maturity of practical reason, and finally a fuller realization of certain basic ideas regarding the nature of life and time.”[29]

Final Remarks

The greatest dangers (also with a wider geographical perspective in mind) for a peaceful co-existence can thus be seen in what could be called the 'kidnapping' or 'indigenization' of Islam, a world religion after all, by the ignorant ones. There should be no place for preachers irredentistic ‘Heim-ins-Reich’ ideologies, which would be a disgrace, pushing religion down to the level of provinciality. Moreover, the practising of tolerance, which had been the underlying pattern for this contribution, should start within one’s own community. With regard to the Muslims, the present author has argued elsewhere that this could begin with a rappochement between Islam’s two major denominations, i.e. the majority Sunnites and the minority Shi‘ites.[30] The following passage from the Dhammapada contains a message which should be acceptable to anyone, regardless of which religious background,

“[f]or hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal. Many do not know that we are here in this world to live in harmony. Those who know this do not fight against each other.”[31]

And finally we read:
“Whereas if a man speaks but a few holy words and yet he lives the life of those words, free from passion and hate and illusion – with right vision and a mind free, craving for nothing both now and hereafter – the life of this man is a life of holiness.”[32]
___________




Enotes
* Dr Marcinkowski is Associate Professor of History at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The paper was presented by him at the First Inter-Dialogue Conference on Southern Thailand (FIDCOST), Pattani, Thailand (13-15 June 2002), which was jointly organized by Harvard University’s Department of Anthropology and Prince of Songkla University, Pattani, Thailand, and sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Toyota Foundation. In view of the nature of the present paper, no academic transliteration of Arabic technical terms has been applied.
[1] M. A. Sherif, Searching for Solace. A Biography of Abdullah Yusuf Ali , Interpreter of the Qur’an (Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Bokk Trust, 1994), p. 243, quoting Abdullah Yusuf Ali, "The Indian Muhammadans: Their Past, Present and Future," in: Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, no. 2824, vol. LV (January 4, 1907) [n. p.].
[2] All quotations of translations from the Qur’an throughout this paper are to Abdullah Yusuf Ali (ed., trans.), The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an. New Edition with Revised Translation and Commentary (Brentwood MD: Amana Corporation, 1994).
[3] See, for instance, M. Ismail Marcinkowski, "Persian Religious and Cultural Influences in Siam/Thailand and Maritime Southeast Asia: A Plea for a Concerted Interdisciplinary Approach," in: Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 88, pt. 1-2 (2000), pp. 186-94, and idem, "Iranians, Shaykh al-Islams and Chularajmontris: Genesis and Development of an Institution and its Introduction to Siam," a paper presented at the 8th International Thai Studies Conference, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand (8-12 January 2002), which was organized by Ramkhamhaeng University (forthcoming in 2003 in Journal of Asian History ).
[4] See M. Ismail Marcinkowski, "Persian Religious and Cultural Influences in Siam/Thailand and Maritime Southeast Asia: A Plea for a Concerted Interdisciplinary Approach," in: Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 88, pt. 1-2 (2000), pp. 186-94.
[5] Idem, "Iranians, Shaykh al-Islams and Chularajmontris: Genesis and Development of an Institution and its Introduction to Siam" (forthcoming); Imtiyaz Yusuf, "Islam and Democracy in Thailand: Reforming the Office of Chularajmontri/Shaykh al-Islam,” in: Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 9, no. 2 (1998), pp. 277-98; Omar Farouk, "Shaykh Ahmad: Muslims in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya," in: JEBAT Journal of the History Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 10 (1980-81), pp. 206-14, idem, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," in: Andrew Forbes (ed.), The Muslims of Thailand, vol.1: "Historical and Cultural Studies" (Gaya, Bihar/India: Centre for South East Asian Studies, 1988), pp. 22-23; W. K. Che Man, The Administration of Islamic Institutions in Non-Muslim States: The Case of Singapore and Thailand (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1991).
[6] [Muhammad Rabi‘] Ibn Muhammad Ibrahim. The Ship of Sulayman, transl. J. O’Kane (New York NY: Columbia University Press, 1972), p. 19. For the edition of the Persian text see idem, Safinah-i Sulaymani (Safarnamah-i safir-i Iran bih Siyam, 1094-98), ed. ‘Abbas Faruqi (Tehran: Danishgah-i Tihran, 2536 shahanshahi/1977 C.E., Intisharat-i Danishgah-i Tihran, no. 1621) text].
[7] Marcinkowski, "Iranians, Shaykh al-Islams and Chularajmontris: Genesis and Development of an Institution and its Introduction to Siam" (forthcoming).
[8] Ibid., and Farouk, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," p. 3.
[9] Confer the already referred to works by Farouk, "Shaykh Ahmad: Muslims in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya," idem, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," and Yusuf, "Islam and Democracy in Thailand: Reforming the Office of Chularajmontri/Shaykh al-Islam.”
[10] Farouk, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," p. 1. For some recent figures see Regional Islamic Da‘wah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) (ed.), Muslim Almanach Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur: Berita Publishing Sdn. Bhd, 1996), pp. 209-10 [entry "Thailand"].
[11] Farouk, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," pp. 12-17; Regional Islamic Da‘wah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) (ed.), Muslim Almanach Asia Pacific, p. 210; Werner Kraus, "Islam in Thailand. Notes on the History of Muslim Provinces, Thai Islamic Modernism and the Separatist Movement in the South," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 5, no. 2 (July 1984), p. 410. One of the best introductions is Andrew D. W. Forbes (ed.), The Muslims of Thailand, vol.2: "Politics of the Malay-Speaking South" (Gaya, Bihar/India: Centre for South East Asian Studies, 1989).
[12] Confer Andrew D. W. Forbes, "The 'Cin-Ho' (Yunnanese Chinese) Muslims of North Thailand," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 7, no. 1 (January 1986), pp. 173-86; Raymond Scupin, "The Socio-Economic Status of Muslims in Central and North Thailand," Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 3, no. 2 (Winter 1981), pp. 162-89; idem, "Cham Muslims of Thailand: A Haven of Security in Mainland Southeast Asia," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 10, no. 2 (July 1989), pp. 486-91; Farouk, "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," pp. 5-12.
[13] Confer Lai Ah Eng, Meanings of Multiethnicity. A Case-Study of Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations in Singapore (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1995), passim.
[14] Kraus, "Islam in Thailand. Notes on the History of Muslim Provinces, Thai Islamic Modernism and the Separatist Movement in the South," pp. 413-14; Raymond Scupin, "Muslims in South Thailand: A Review Essay," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 9, no. 2 (July 1988), pp. 404-19; David K. Wyatt, Thailand. A Short History (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1999, reprint), p. 268; Forbes (ed.), The Muslims of Thailand, vol.2: "Politics of the Malay-Speaking South," passim.
[15] See Anthony Reid, "Understanding Melayu (Malay) as a Source of Diverse Modern Identities," in: Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol 32, no. (October 2001), pp. 295-313; A. B. Shamsul, "A History of an Identity, an Identity of a History: The Idea and Practise of 'Malayness' in Malaysia Reconsidered," in: Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 32, no. (October 2001), pp. 355-366, and Leonard Y. Andaya, "The Search for the 'Origins' of Melayu," in: Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, vol. 32, no. (October 2001), pp. 315-330.
[16] Mahathir Mohamad, The Challenge (Petaling Jaya: Pelanduk Publications, 1993, 4th printing), pp. vii-viii. Confer idem, The Malay Dilemma (Singapore and Kuala Lumpur: Times Books International, 1995, reprint), passim.
[17] Qur’an (Surah Al-Ma’idah), 5:69. Moreover, it is interesting to note that the Prophet himself always discouraged his followers from ethnic prejudice. Among the numerous statements which are ascribed to him in this regard is the famous Hadith or ‘saying’ “There is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab, but only with regard to the degree of fear of God”, which had been transmitted through a variety of Sunnite and Shi‘ite sources.
[18] Thongchai Winichakul, Siam Mapped. The History of the Geo-Body of a Nation (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1994), p. 3.
[19] Ibid., p. 5.
[20] Confer Augustus Richard Norton, "Shi‘ism and Social Protest in Lebanon," in: Juan R. I. Cole and Nikki R. Keddie (eds.), Shi‘ism and Social Protest (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986), pp. 156-78. See also Arong Suthasasna, "Occupational Distribution of Muslims in Thailand: Problems and Prospects," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 5, no. 1 (January 1984), pp. 234-42.
[21] Karim D. Crow, "Islamic Peaceful-Action: Nonviolent Approach to Justice and Peace in Islamic Societies," in: Capitol Journal on Culture and Society [Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines], vol. 12, no. 2 (2000-2001), p. 11. Refer also to idem, "Nurturing an Islamic Peace Discourse," in: American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, vol. 17, no. 3 (Fall 2000), pp. 54-69.
[22] For some rather bizarre views on the AIDS drama see Hannelore Schönig, “Aids als das Tier (Dabba) der islamischen Eschatologie. Zur Argumentation einer türkischen Schrift,” in: Die Welt des Islams, vol. 30 (1990), pp. 211-18. Into the category of demonization falls Malik Badri, The Aids Crisis: An Islamic Socio-Political Perspective (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1997).
[23] Revealing in that contex is Daniel Pipes, The Hidden Hand. Middle East Fears of Conspiracy (Houndsmills and London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1996).
[24] The still most comprehensive into the Bektashi tradition is John Kingsley Birge, The Bektashi Order of Dervishes (London: Luzac & Co., 1937). Also important are Irène Melikoff, "Le problème kızılbas," in: Turcica, vol. 6 (1975), pp. 49-67, eadem, "L'Islam hétérodoxe en Anatolie," in: Turcica, vol. 14 (1982), pp. 142-154, eadem, "Les origines central-asiatiques du soufisme anatolien," in: Turcica, vol. 20 (1988), pp. 7-18, eadem, Hadji Bektach, un mythe & et ses avatars. Genèse & évolution du soufisme populaire en Turquie (Leiden, Boston, and Coilogne: Brill, 1998), in particular pp. 20-21, 105-106, 163. The present author is currently on another study on the Bektashis.
[25] Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.). The Vision of Dhamma. Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1994, 2nd enlarged edition), pp. 292-93. Nevertheless, Nyanaponika Thera (ibid., p. 293) stated also that “Theism [...] is regarded as a kind of kamma-teaching in so far as it upholds the moral efficacy of actions. Hence a theist who leads a moral life may, like anyone else doing so, expect a favourable rebirth. […] If, however, fanaticism induces him to persecute those who do not share his beliefs, this will have grave consequences form his future destiny. For fanatical attitudes, intolerance, and violence against others create unwholesome kamma leading to moral degeneration and to an unhappy rebirth.”
[26] Bhikkhu Pesala, The Debate of King Milinda. An Abridgement of the ‘Milinda Pañha’ (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1991), p. 38 (chapter 8, entitled "The Solving of Dilemmans", part 7: "The Duration of Religion").
[27] M. Ismail Marcinkowski, "Challenges and Perspectives for the Perception and Teaching of Islamic History" (paper presented at the 16th Conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (27-31 July 2000), organized by the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah), in: Islamic Culture (in press).
[28] Idem, "Some Reflections on Predispositions in the Writing and Perception of the History and Civilization of the Muslims. Part One: The Case of Muslim Scholarship," in: Iqbal Review, vol. 41, no. 4 (October 2000, in press). See also idem, "Some Reflections on Predispositions in the Writing and Perception of the History and Civilization of the Muslims. Part Two: The Case of Non-Muslim Scholarship," in: Iqbal Review, vol. 42, no. 2 (April 2001, in press).
[29] Sir Muhammad Iqbal, The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1999 [reprint]), p. 140.
[30] Refer in this regard to M. Ismail Marcinkowski, "Some Reflections on Alleged Twelver Shi‘ite Attitudes Towards the Integrity of the Qur’an," in: The Muslim World, vol. 91, no. 1-2 (Spring 2001), pp. 137-53, and idem, "Rapprochement and Fealty during the Buyids and Early Saljuqs: The Life and Times of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi," in: Islamic Studies, vol. 40, no. 2 (Summer 2001), pp. 273-96.
[31] Juan Mascaró (trans.), The Dhammapada. The Path of Perfection (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973), p. 35.
[32] Ibid.

List of References

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Badri, Malik. The Aids Crisis: An Islamic Socio-Political Perspective (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1997).
Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.). The Vision of Dhamma. Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1994, 2nd enlarged edition).
Bhikkhu Pesala. The Debate of King Milinda. An Abridgement of the ‘Milinda Pañha’ (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1991).
Birge, John Kingsley. The Bektashi Order of Dervishes (London: Luzac & Co., 1937).
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____________. "Islamic Peaceful-Action: Nonviolent Approach to Justice and Peace in Islamic Societies," in: Capitol Journal on Culture and Society [Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines], vol. 12, no. 2 (2000-2001), pp. 11-20.
Farouk, Omar. "Shaykh Ahmad: Muslims in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya," in: JEBAT Journal of the History Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 10 (1980-81), pp. 206-14.
____________. "The Muslims of Thailand: A Survey," in: Andrew Forbes (ed.), The Muslims of Thailand, vol.1: "Historical and Cultural Studies" (Gaya, Bihar/India: Centre for South East Asian Studies, 1988), pp. 1-30.
Forbes, Andrew D. W. "The 'Cin-Ho' (Yunnanese Chinese) Muslims of North Thailand," in: Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol. 7, no. 1 (January 1986), pp. 173-86.
____________ (ed.). The Muslims of Thailand, vol.1: "Historical and Cultural Studies" (Gaya, Bihar/India: Centre for South East Asian Studies, 1988).
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Lai Ah Eng. Meanings of Multiethnicity. A Case-Study of Ethnicity and Ethnic Relations in Singapore (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1995).
Marcinkowski, M. Ismail. "Persian Religious and Cultural Influences in Siam/Thailand and Maritime Southeast Asia: A Plea for a Concerted Interdisciplinary Approach," in: Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 88, pt. 1-2 (2000), pp. 186-94.
____________. "Some Reflections on Predispositions in the Writing and Perception of the History and Civilization of the Muslims. Part One: The Case of Muslim Scholarship," in: Iqbal Review, vol. 41, no. 4 (October 2000, in press).
____________. "Some Reflections on Predispositions in the Writing and Perception of the History and Civilization of the Muslims. Part Two: The Case of Non-Muslim Scholarship," in: Iqbal Review, vol. 42, no. 2 (April 2001, in press).
____________. "Some Reflections on Alleged Twelver Shi‘ite Attitudes Towards the Integrity of the Qur’an," in: The Muslim World, vol. 91, no. 1-2 (Spring 2001), pp. 137-53.
____________. "Rapprochement and Fealty during the Buyids and Early Saljuqs: The Life and Times of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi," in: Islamic Studies, vol. 40, no. 2 (Summer 2001), pp. 273-96.
____________. "Challenges and Perspectives for the Perception and Teaching of Islamic History" (paper presented at the 16th Conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (27-31 July 2000), organized by the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah), in: Islamic Culture (in press).
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________. "Les origines central-asiatiques du soufisme anatolien," in: Turcica, vol. 20 (1988), pp. 7-18.
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Biodata of the Author
Dr. M. Ismail Marcinkowski (e-mail: cwm_marcinkowski@yahoo.de), born in 1964 in Berlin (West), Germany, obtained his M.A. in Iranian Studies, Islamic Studies and Political Sciences from the Freie Universität Berlin in 1993. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. in Islamic Civilization from the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Dr. Marcinkowski has published extensively in international scholarly periodicals on various issues pertaining to the history of the Middle East and Southeast Europe (in particular on the Buyid, Safavid and Ottoman periods, respectively), as well as on Persian cultural influences in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on Thailand. The last mentioned subject constitutes presently his main research interest. Besides several articles of his, ISTAC has published his English translation of Walther Hinz's eminent German handbook of Muslim measures and weights was also published by ISTAC in 2002, and above all his award-winning doctoral dissertation Mirza Rafi‘a's Dastur al-Muluk: A Manual of Later Safavid Administration. Annotated English Translation, Commentary on the Offices and Services, and Facsimile of the Unique Persian Manuscript..
Dr. Marcinkowski, who is a member of several scholarly associations in the United States, Germany and Thailand, is presently Associate Professor of History at ISTAC.
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