The Muslims of Thailand

Although Thailand is most obviously known as a Theravada Buddhist country, it has a sizable Muslim minority of up to 8% of the population, and Muslims are the majority in three southern provinces. Muslims are also increasingly represented at the highest levels of Thai government. Translated by Michael Smithies from a 2002 French publication, the book has been expanded and revised by Gilquin, a researcher at the Center for Social Science and Humanities in Rabat, Morocco. The prose is formal and sometimes stilted, but the information is solid and often fascinating. Gilquin traces the origins of Islam in Thailand, then explores the religious characteristics of Thai. Thai Muslims are surprisingly heterogeneous, though Gilquin notes the increasing visibility of more conservative or orthodox Muslims in Thailand, as elsewhere. (June)