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6/26/2555

'Thai Muslims reject violence'


UNHOLY: Unrest in southern provinces tarnishes Islam

Yala Islamic Affairs Council president Ismael Abd Latif Haree says insurgency cannot be accepted as a form of jihad

KOTA BARU: THE majority of Malay Muslims in Thailand's southern region are against the killings of their fellow citizens in the name of Islam.
Yala Islamic Affairs Council president Ismael Abd Latif Haree said those who had caused unrest in the south had tarnished the image of Islam by linking their struggles with the religion.
"Violence is not the way of life of Thai Muslims as we prefer to live in harmony with others. Most of us do not accept extremist activities," he said in a statement yesterday.
Since the insurgency escalated in 2004, more than 4,500 people, comprising civilians, soldiers and monks, have been killed in bombings, drive-by shootings and murders in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
The three provinces, with predominantly Malay Muslim population, have become the stage for separatist movements to wage a campaign for self-rule on the basis that the region was once an Islamic kingdom.
Also, militants in the south have for decades complained that their government discriminates against and persecutes their community based on their faith.
Ismael said the insurgency could not be accepted as a form of jihad (holy war) by the people who understood the teachings of Islam.
"The situation in the south is not jihad. Their acts of violence break the law and rules of Islam," he said, adding that the terror acts were committed by groups whose identities were difficult to ascertain.
For Thai Muslims, he said, jihad remained a religious duty that chiefly concerned their commitment to live life as a true Muslim and the efforts to build a good Muslim society.
He said there were no grounds for Thai Muslims to support violence as they had the freedom to carry out their religious activities.
Besides, he said, the government had provided support by building mosques and religious schools for their children.
"The Thai government also gives priority to our children to have proper education."
However, Ismael said, most of the people refused to speak out against the insurgents for fear of personal safety.

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