Vendors In Thailand's Deep South Still Fearful Of Doing Business On Fridays

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Vendors in deep South still fearful of doing business on Fridays

The Nation

Soldiers provide security at a quiet market in Pattani yesterday after leaflets were widely distributed in the southernmost provinces threatening people with violence if they worked on Fridays.

PATTANI: -- Markets in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala were quiet again yesterday with merchants and shoppers preferring to stay in for fear that trading on a Friday would make them potential targets of violence.

A few weeks ago, leaflets were widely distributed in the deep South threatening people with violent action if they worked on Fridays because it is reportedly a day of rest according to the Islamic faith.

Many shops were closed yesterday and last Friday, with most shopkeepers saying that they would rather be safe than become targets.

Very few shops were open at the municipal markets in Narathiwat and Yala despite the presence of security personnel and the distribution of leaflets quoting Muslim spiritual leader Chula Ratchamontri Aziz Pitakkumpol assuring businesses that working on Fridays was not against Islamic practice.

Yala Governor Dechrat Simsiri also led a team of civil servants to reassure vendors.

Boonsom Thongsriprai, who heads the Federation of Southern Border Province Teachers, said the threat also covered teachers, who have been told not to teach on Friday. He called on the authorities to take stronger action to ensure the safety of the public, saying people could not continue living in fear like this.

On Thursday, the spiritual leader reiterated that Islamic teachings did not prohibit Muslims from working on Fridays and anybody stopping people from working on the day was violating their basic rights. He said that not working went against Islamic teachings because Allah did not want Muslims to become a burden on others, Aziz said.

-- The Nation 2012-10-06

[dcutman]

Where are all the other religious and community leaders, to reinforce Chula Aziz? This guy is a sitting duck, if there are no others making this stand. I am sure these markets would be crowded if all the leaders where there to show support.

[notime]

Where are all the other religious and community leaders, to reinforce Chula Aziz? This guy is a sitting duck, if there are no others making this stand. I am sure these markets would be crowded if all the leaders where there to show support.

Exactly. But they are gutless and themselves scared of the militant Islamists. This is not unlike most Germans who were maybe not activity supporting Hitler but complacent enough to allow him to do what he did. Human nature. It's easier to follow the "strong men" than to oppose and risk being targeted. Disasters are built from that.

[steveyinasia]

Allah did not want Muslims to become a burden on others...obviously some of these extremists cannot read.

[asiawatcher]

Why not arrest the idiots handling out the leaflets, then follow the trail back to the militants.

[dcutman]

Where are all the other religious and community leaders, to reinforce Chula Aziz? This guy is a sitting duck, if there are no others making this stand. I am sure these markets would be crowded if all the leaders where there to show support.

Exactly. But they are gutless and themselves scared of the militant Islamists. This is not unlike most Germans who were maybe not activity supporting Hitler but complacent enough to allow him to do what he did. Human nature. It's easier to follow the "strong men" than to oppose and risk being targeted. Disasters are built from that.

It is a shame, but I think you are right. These gutless so called community leaders, cry for help, but do not trust the ones trying to help them. I am sure 90% of the people want to live a normal life, but have no leadership, and no faith in themselves, to stand up against these terrorist. It already is a disaster, the meek majority are becoming weaker and the few terrorist are becoming stronger.

[dcutman]

Where are all the other religious and community leaders, to reinforce Chula Aziz? This guy is a sitting duck, if there are no others making this stand. I am sure these markets would be crowded if all the leaders where there to show support.

Are Muslims gonna listen to leaders of different religions?

...on a subject that is strictly islamic?

Are you kidding me?

I was talking about other Muslim religious and community leaders. "Are you kidding me" Who did you think the other religious and community leaders are in the south of Thailand, Latter Day Saints? Edited October 6, 2012 by dcutman

[Adeeos]

Soooo,,, lemme get this straight,, the LEADER says it's NOT a problem,,, so WHO are the idiots interprating the "book" for themselves????,,,

[OzMick]

Just another attempt to impose sharia law on those not in the least interested.

I always find it amusing that the religion which demands the most tolerance offers the least to those of other faiths, or of none.

[dcutman]

3) For yaum al-jum'ah in Surah lxii. 9, Ibn Ubayy read yaum al-'arubah al-kubra, the word for Friday derived from Aramaic. This, together with the very wording of that verse, indicates that yaum al-jum'ah means there simply Friday. 4) Muhammad chose Friday as day of public worship, because on that day the people of Medina gathered anyhow to do their shopping. There was no intention of polemics against the older religions.

http://answering-islam.org/Books/MW/friday.htm

[khaowong1]

Very interesting Dcutman, he already had a crowd on Friday, so why not take advantage of the people that was going to be there anyway, and declare it a religious holiday. a day of worship. Very similar to the Christians Christmas. Many people were celebrating the winter solstice, around Dec. 22nd, so hey, the religious leaders thought, we've got all these people here, let's proclaim this as Jesus's birthday.. we have a ready made crowd. bingo, bango, bongo, we have Christmas.

[Amr]

In islam, friday is a day of a great gathering thats all, you can buy and sell as any normal day of the week, at the time of call of the prayer, Muslims will suspend the buying and selling activity and go to pray, once the pray is done, everything goes back to normal.