Page 256 - The Winter of Islam and the Spring to Come
P. 256
THE WINTER OF ISLAM AND THE SPRING TO COME
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More than 36,000 Muslims have been
killed so far in the slaughter in Patani.
The number of people injured and crip-
pled is even higher. The Patani Muslims
are still fighting to defend their Islamic
identity.
In 1909, the Siamese granted Patani so-called independence, although
the repressive policies of the Thai government continued without
change. The Muslims of Patani rose up to demand true independence
many times, but were always brutally put down, resulting in a wave of
migration to Malaysia.
The Thai rulers followed a policy of repression and assimilation
aimed at doing away with Patani's Islamic identity. The first such mea-
sure came in 1932, when Muslim educational organizations were
banned from carrying out any activities. A wide-ranging policy of ex-
termination was initiated in 1944, and leading Patani Muslims and their
families were brutally murdered by Buddhists. It was forbidden to
abide by the tenets of Islam, and Buddhism began to be imposed on the
people. The teaching of Buddhism became compulsory in schools, and
