Bangsa and Umma: The Malays of South Thailand

TL;DRAbstract

The Malay Muslims of south Thailand face a dilemma few Malays faced anywhere else in the world.They find that in the light of the Thai government’s insistence on imposing Thai cultural norms on them, they feel that it is difficult to maintain their identity as a bangsa.Their dilemma began when they fell under Thai control in 1903. With the rise of Thai nationalism attempts were made to eliminate other focus of loyalty such as Islam and Malay culture.The Malays of southern Thailand are not allowed to speak their language and indulge in their customs. They are not even called Melayu but Yawi. This is done deliberately with the purpose of eliminating any vestiges of Malay identity and to make it difficult for the Malays of Thailand to identify with their Malay brethren in Malaya.As much as the Malays of southern Thailand would like to maintain their bangsa and culture they are unable to do so.The Malays of Malaya see them as orang Siam (Siamese people). The reason is because the Malays of

Chat with Paper

AI Agents for this Paper