Prominent Buddhist monk fans anti-Muslim sentiment in Thailand

Bangkok-based Buddhist monk Maha Aphichat is among a growing group of Thai monks who feel their religion is under threat from Islam. 

(Channel News Asia) – Anti-Islamic sentiment is brewing in Thailand, spurred-on by Buddhist monks who feel that their religion is under threat from Islam.

This fear mongering has been exacerbated by the ongoing political conflict within Thai Buddhism, the 12-year-old armed-insurgency in Thailand’s deep south, and the growing influence of Buddhist radicals in neighboring Myanmar.

Bangkok-based Buddhist monk Maha Aphichat (pic) is unafraid of speaking his mind. The 30-year-old gained notoriety last October, after he urged Thai Buddhists on social media to burn down a mosque for every monk killed in the country’s Malay-Muslim dominated south.

An insurgency that has raged for more than 12 years there has killed almost 20 Buddhist monks and injured many more.

“I posted that message for psychological effect,” said Aphichat. “I want to tell Muslims to stop killing us. We can no longer tolerate this.  If more Buddhists and monks are killed then we will retaliate. Our retaliation will not just be in the south, but against Muslims across the country.

Although no mosque has been set alight yet, anti-Islamic sentiment has gained traction online. And it is via social media that Aphichat has spread his message of hostility.

He has used local conflicts to further foment religious tensions, such as the Muslim community’s rejection to the building of a Buddhist Park in Pattani in January and more recently, Buddhist monks’ opposition to the setting up of a halal food industry in Chiang Mai.

Aphichat’s methods are perhaps unsurprising. Ha has cited Myanmar’s firebrand monk Ashin Wirathu – and his anti-Muslim teachings – as a model for safeguarding Buddhism in Thailand.

“The doves (monks) cannot help us deal with this threat, like in the south, but the hawks can,” said Aphichat. “That’s what’s happening in Myanmar: I’m applying Wirathu’s way in Thailand.”

NO OBVIOUS BACKING FROM THAI GOVERNMENT

Some experts say the different political contexts of Thailand and Myanmar have so far prevented this form of fear mongering from causing any sectarian conflict.

The reason being that in Myanmar, part of the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party appeared to have supported Wirathu. Whereas Aphichat has no obvious backing from the Thai Government.

But they warn that the inaction of Thai authorities to address the issue could lead to more problems in the future.

“Aphichat’s way of thinking reflects the kind of thinking that exists at a certain level of the Thai Buddhist Sangha and community,” said Somrit Luechai, an independent Southeast Asian academic. “This framework is dangerous because even if Aphichat stops and leaves the scene, there may be others who will step into his role.”

Buddhists and Muslims in Thailand have lived together peacefully for centuries.  And experts have said that the growing anti-Islamic sentiment only represents a small minority within the Thai Buddhist community.

In response, religious leaders here are promoting interfaith dialogue and a greater cultural understanding between different religions.

“The action of one person or small group of people may create a negative image for the whole,” said Santi Sue-saming, Senior Advisory Committee Head, Office of the Shaykh al-Islam Thailand. “Therefore it is vital for all of us to understand religious diversity in our society. If we don’t, then there will be problems.”

More than 93 per cent of Thailand’s population are Buddhists, compared to about six per cent, who are Muslim.