History Of Pattaya's Thai Muslim Community

[edwardandtubs]

Pattaya has a very large Thai Muslim community in the area of Sukhumvit Road. There are at least 5 mosques and a "Soi Muslim" where Thai Muslims are the majority community. What's the history of this community? Are they recent migrants to the area (like most Thai Buddhists in Pattaya) or is this a community that goes back before the days of Pattaya as a holiday resort?

[edwardandtubs]

Arabs are a different matter (the less said about them the better) but in "Soi Muslim" (Nern Plub Wan) there's a definite Thai Muslim community. You'll see a large proportion of women wearing headscarfs but they speak Thai and look Thai and are Thai. I can't think of an obvious explanation why they would migrate to that area in such large numbers so I assume they must have a long history in the area. I wish my Thai was better so I could just ask one of them as they're very friendly.

Edited December 6, 2007 by edwardandtubs

[Mujjiman]

What an interesting question... I have observed a pretty busy Mosque on Tepprasit, and a brand new building, quite magnificent, off Teppraya, going down a side soi, brownish/reddish color... not sure if it's a mosque, but it's a very large complex. I can add that there are a lot of Arab restaurants/businesses in the vicenity of the notorious SOI V.C., where you can see a lot of, shall we say, "part time Muslims", who are no doubt muslim in their home country, but in Pattaya, somehow, all of that disappears, and it's PARTY TIME! Lots of these people stay at the V.C. Hotel, as they "sew their oats" in Pattaya. I don't like to generalize, so I'll state this was a ONE TIME INCIDENT, but I saw one of these Arabic people, who was probably one of these "part timers", take out a cigarette, and just casually throw the empty box on the street, as if our streets were their trash can. It was done in a rather cavalier way, as if to say, "I've got more money than the average Thai, so I can throw my trash wherever I want..."

He threw his rubbush on the floor I am sure falangs do this, as for your interpretation I find it most odd.

he may just be a very confident person with high self esteem and poor manners.

"As if to say" what a quote

[Weho]

I wish my Thai was better so I could just ask one of them as they're very friendly.

Were you expecting them NOT to be friendly? Why do you single out one group of people that you really don't know, as "friendly"? I believe you have issues.

[plasticpig]

"part time Muslims

Thats true.

[tropo]

I wish my Thai was better so I could just ask one of them as they're very friendly.

Were you expecting them NOT to be friendly? Why do you single out one group of people that you really don't know, as "friendly"? I believe you have issues.

A comment like that from you?

[NanLaew]

I declined buying some property back in the mid 80's, just off the 'dark side' of Sukhumvit but can't recall the exact location. I was viewing the place late afternoon when the muezzin started calling the locals to pray at the nearby mosque and I couldn't see myself putting up with that having done my time in KSA. So they have been in that location well before then.

[NanLaew]

What an interesting question... I have observed a pretty busy Mosque on Tepprasit, and a brand new building, quite magnificent, off Teppraya, going down a side soi, brownish/reddish color... not sure if it's a mosque, but it's a very large complex. I can add that there are a lot of Arab restaurants/businesses in the vicenity of the notorious SOI V.C., where you can see a lot of, shall we say, "part time Muslims", who are no doubt muslim in their home country, but in Pattaya, somehow, all of that disappears, and it's PARTY TIME! Lots of these people stay at the V.C. Hotel, as they "sew their oats" in Pattaya.

Almost as bad as the ''Sunday Christians'' that dress up and go to church on Sundays just to be seen to be god fearing while they spend the other 6 days of the week, cursing, cheating, drinking, road-raging and being generally un-christian.

I don't like to generalize, so I'll state this was a ONE TIME INCIDENT, but I saw one of these Arabic people, who was probably one of these "part timers", take out a cigarette, and just casually throw the empty box on the street, as if our streets were their trash can. It was done in a rather cavalier way, as if to say, "I've got more money than the average Thai, so I can throw my trash wherever I want..."

Next time you wander past your local 7-eleven, look around on the ground at all those discarded phonecard wrappers and cash register receipts. These 'Arabic people' of yours are pretty prolific aren't they? The locals will drop it on the ground or throw it out the window just as quick as a black person.

Edited December 7, 2007 by NanLaew

[edwardandtubs]

I wish my Thai was better so I could just ask one of them as they're very friendly.

Were you expecting them NOT to be friendly? Why do you single out one group of people that you really don't know, as "friendly"? I believe you have issues.

What on earth are you going on about? First you hijack my thread with a random attack on Arabs and now this.

Back to the original post, it's odd there would be such a large Muslim community here but no one knows much about them. I'll try to find a local resident with good enough English to explain it to me.

[plasticpig]

Arabs are a different matter (the less said about them the better) but in "Soi Muslim" (Nern Plub Wan) there's a definite Thai Muslim community. You'll see a large proportion of women wearing headscarfs but they speak Thai and look Thai and are Thai. I can't think of an obvious explanation why they would migrate to that area in such large numbers so I assume they must have a long history in the area. I wish my Thai was better so I could just ask one of them as they're very friendly.

just go ask them.

Why are you so interested in them.

Or are you just trying to stir stuff up?

[mogy]

some people just love stirring stuff....example here, a simple question ends up with idiots purporting to be so rediculously righteous just to get things going. The easy life in this town gives people some brutal issues and all to do with having nothing to do.

[plasticpig]

some people just love stirring stuff....example here, a simple question ends up with idiots purporting to be so rediculously righteous just to get things going. The easy life in this town gives people some brutal issues and all to do with having nothing to do.

Great first post.

to Thaivisa.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Some off topic and racist posts have been deleted.

Racist posts will not be tolerated.

[paul1970]

I live in Soi Nernplubwaan and while I have never had any problems with the Thai muslims in Pattaya, I was almost killed in Pakistan 5 years ago when the muslims decided to drive a car bomb up to the foyer of the Karachi Sheraton and have had a mistrust of muslims of all sorts since, while I know you can't tar everybody with the same brush with these people ther is no way of distinguishing the good from the extreme minority and the big sign on the muslim school in nernplubwaan that reads "no rule yankee" certainly doesnt put one at ease.

The other issue I have with them is one they play that darn music over the loudspeakers at 3 or 4 in the morning, very inconsiderate. As I already said I have no issues with the Thai muslims in pattaya but I would certainly be in no rush to go to South Thailand

As to the history of the muslims in Pattaya, my ex girlfriend once told me that Suwattana Garden Homes are built on top of a muslim burial site, which if it's true suggests that the muslims have been in pattaya a long time.

[edwardandtubs]

Weho: I said the less said about Arabs the better because my question was specifically about the Thai Muslim community.

Plasticpig: I'm interested because I live in the area and I'm interested in my local community. I have asked local people but it's difficult to hold a detailed conversation when there are language barriers.

I ask a simple question and the thread deteriorates to racism, stirring and name calling. Sad really.

[edwardandtubs]

As to the history of the muslims in Pattaya, my ex girlfriend once told me that Suwattana Garden Homes are built on top of a muslim burial site, which if it's true suggests that the muslims have been in pattaya a long time.

Thanks for the info. That's what I thought and it's not part of the traditional Pattaya history story of fishing village turned beach resort. Maybe Muslim fishermen? There must be a good Pattaya history book that tells the story.

Edited December 7, 2007 by edwardandtubs

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

"There must be a good Pattaya history book that tells the story".

Sorry to rattle your cage, I do not normally bother to respond to threads like this, but could not resist.

Have you found ANY good history book that tells the story as it is regarding Thailand?

Let the flamers on to the scene, I shall not be here to respond.

[plasticpig]

I still don't buy it,

its a wind up troll thread.

that's just my Op.

[sbk]

Actually, I remember a post or thread a while back that discussed the Muslim communities in central Thailand.

Here is a history of Islam in Thailand (you can download the PDF file or view it as HTML

And another source:

Because of historical and cultural conditions, the experience of Muslims in central and northern Thailand has been much different from that of the Malay Muslims to the south. Altogether there are approximately a half-million Muslims in central and northern Thailand. Historically, these Muslims of the central and northern corridors of Thailand have migrated, either voluntarily or by force, into these regions, bringing distinctive ethnic, social, and religious conventions. Thus, these Muslim communities are much more heterogeneous than the Muslims of the south. And unlike the Islamic population in the south, these Muslims are ethnic and religious minorities residing in the centers of a predominantly Thai Buddhist cultural environment.

By far the largest group of Muslims in central Thailand, especially in the capital city of Bangkok, are descendants of peoples from the southern provinces of Thailand and parts of Malaysia. As part of the assimilationist campaigns, the Thai government relocated Malay Muslims to central Thailand. Other communities of Muslims in central Thailand, including Chams, Indonesians, and Iranians, have a long-term history that extends back into the Ayutthayan period (1351–1767). Muslims from India, present-day Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and a small number of Arabs have also settled in the Bangkok area. In North Thailand, most of the Muslims came from the Islamicized portion of China, though there are also smaller numbers of Malay and South Asian Muslim migrants.

source: Islam—Mainland Southeast Asia from Encyclopedia of Modern Asia

[KhunFred]

On 12/7/2007 at 8:23 AM, Weho said:

Were you expecting them NOT to be friendly? Why do you single out one group of people that you really don't know, as "friendly"? I believe you have issues.

Arab Muslims can be brusque and rude.  The Thai and other Asian Muslims are completely different in character and personality. Even non-Muslim Arabs can be difficult and intransigent.

[Rimmer]

Eleven year old topic.

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