Thai Muslims Warn Forces Against Fanning Extremism

[george]

Thai Muslims warn forces against fanning extremism

NARATHIWAT: -- Islamic extremists do play a minor role in violence in southern Thailand, but the Buddhist nation risks sparking a full-blown religious insurgency with its heavy handed tactics, Muslim community leaders say.

They blame increasing attacks on Thai security forces in the mainly Muslim south on criminal gangs and foreign-trained Islamic preachers preying on youths to oppose the government.

Razalee Kayamat, village chief of Kayahmati, a tiny settlement of rubber tappers and vegetable farmers, said foreign-trained Islamic preachers were exploiting the situation by spreading extremist teachings among youths.

"The extremist preachers have returned from Indonesia, Pakistan and Libya and are going around spreading lies among the youths," he told Reuters on Monday.

Imam Hussain Azam Haji Talib of the Narathiwat Central Mosque told Reuters there were a few extremist preachers in the area, but their influence was limited to young teenagers left to fend for themselves while their parents traded rubber and other goods in Malaysia.

"There is no religious crisis here yet, but the situation is explosive," he said before leading evening prayers on Sunday.

Revenge is also a powerful motive after last month's death of 78 Muslim protesters in military custody, killed by suffocation or crushed to death after more than a 1,000 people were arrested and crammed into army trucks.

Muslims and minority Buddhists had lived in peace for years in the south, Imam Hussain Azam said, but he worried that hardline preachers and tough military action were a recipe for religious conflict.

"TIPPING POINT"

Thai soldiers say they feel under siege in the three southernmost provinces, where Buddhists account for just 20 percent of the 1.8 million population. Motorbike-riding militants carry out almost daily shootings and arson attacks at roadblocks.

Thailand blames radical Muslim teachers for the violence and has even offered free pilgrimages to Mecca for Muslim informants. But Muslim leaders said criminal gangs stage some violence as a decoy, trying to distract security forces from normal policing.

"They have made us Muslims the scapegoats, but we are the victims. Now the Buddhist Thais and Chinese are also the victims of this situation," said Imam Hussain Azam, speaking fluently in Thai and the Malay dialect of the region.

Narathiwat Islamic council president Abdul Rahman Abdul Samad said Muslims felt like immigrants in their own homeland, powerless to influence events.

"We are not brave to face the government over what it is doing, neither are we brave to tell the extremists to stop what they are doing," Abdul Rahman told Reuters at his office in Narathiwat, capital of the province of the same name.

The council feels its call for restraint and understanding has fallen on deaf ears, Abdul Rahman said.

"We need things done peacefully, but it has only been violence and cruelty dished out so far," he said.

Kayahmati village chief Razalee said most Muslims condemned both the government and militants until last month's tragedy.

"That was pointless and the preachers are seizing on that to influence the youths," Razalee said.

--Reuters 2004-11-29

[Pattayaguy1999]

"We need things done peacefully, but it has only been violence and cruelty dished out so far," he said.

Kayahmati village chief Razalee said most Muslims condemned both the government and militants until last month's tragedy.

"That was pointless and the preachers are seizing on that to influence the youths," Razalee said.

--Reuters 2004-11-29

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thailand has a very difficult road ahead. Harsh military action will create more recruits for the extremists, doing nothing could lead to an autonomous muslim in the south. I hope they can get it right.