Page 42 - CROSS CULTURE

D. ISLAMIC CULTURE IN THAILAND

ISLAMIC

CULTURE IN

THAILAND

Mawlid is a symbolic reminder of the historical presence of Islam in the
country. It is also representing an annual opportunity to reaffirm Muslims’ status as
Thai citizens and their allegiance to the monarchy. In keeping with tradition, this year’s
Ngarn Mawlid Klang – the main festival – is being held in the grounds of the office of
the Chularajmontri, Thailand’s Islamic spiritual leader, in Nong Chok, Bangkok. The
Chularajmontri is official representative of the 7 million Thai Muslims – 7 per cent of
the country’s population and made up of different ethnicities and sects. Forty-four per
cent of Thai Muslims reside in the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and
Narathiwat, while the rest are spread across the nation.
The Islamic world normally celebrates Mawlid on the 12th day of the third
Muslim calendar month – January, this year. But in Thailand there is no fixed date, with
tradition decreeing the festival be held in the run up to the holy month of Ramadan,
which is June this year. The Ministry of Culture’s Islamic Department gives awards to
Muslims who have contributed to the promotion and development of Thai life in their
roles as citizens, as educators and as social workers. In Bangkok, the Ngarn Mawlid
Klang main festival is a vibrant showcase for the Thai Muslim community and their
lifestyles. Booths display the history and cultural life of the diverse Thai Muslim
community and the embassies of Muslim countries offer a flavour of their own unique
cultures, arts and commercial life. Meanwhile stalls offer religious artefacts, Muslim
fashions and Thai Muslim dishes from the north to the south of the country

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