Legacy of Migration: the Muslim community in Bangkok

Abstract

Although Thai Buddhism is the dominant religion in Bangkok, the capital contains ethnic and religious diversity. In particular, there is a large community of Muslims. This paper examines the Muslim community in Bangkok, focusing on the Minburi district. Most Thai Muslims in this district are Pattani descent migrating to Minburi since 1786 (B.E. 2329) and represent the common cultural practices Thailand's southernmost provinces sharing with Malaysia. It is estimated that there are 600,000 Muslims in Bangkok living mostly in the east of Bangkok. This district contains 13 mosques, while there are six Buddhist temples and one Catholic Church. The complex social, cultural, and political structures of Bangkok are rooted in the complexities of different religions and the migration phenomena. The international migration of Muslims to the Minburi district was motivated by various factors, while the contemporary sense of mobility has been shaped by existing networks. To explore the causes of migration and its legacy, this paper poses two research questions: 1) how have members of the Muslim community in the Minburi district settled through the migration process? 2) how do the Muslims in the Minburi district sustain and negotiate their identities through activities and changes within the community? To answer these questions, semi-structured interviews were conducted and secondary data analysis was performed. The paper argues that as a result of past migration and today’s mobility, Muslims in Minburi have constructed identities and interpersonal networks within their community. Islamic identities and faiths remain salient in the district despite other dominant norms in Bangkok as a whole. This paper contributes to our understanding of the migration phenomenon and the process by which identities are negotiated and communities transformed.