INTRODUCTION

Interfaith marriage among Muslims in Thailand has been discussed by many local religious leaders and senior village members as a worrying issue in the community. With the “Islamic Revival” that has taken place in Thai society over the last three decades, the debate over interfaith marriage has taken on a new dimension. Adherence to Islamic customs and beliefs among Muslims in southern Thailand has increased in daily life. For example, there is increasing attention given to Islamic Studies in both the traditional Islamic system and the national school system, and women wearing the veil are now a common sight. Yet the processes and consequences of marriages of Muslims in Thailand differ somewhat from those of Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia in terms of the level of formal institutional control. In most cases of interfaith marriage in southern Thailand, the Buddhist partners convert to Islam. Only in a few cases do the Muslim partners become Buddhist, but even in these instances, religious conversion does not take place, but rather the Muslim partners lose their Muslim identity through a lengthy culturalization process.

While Muslim marriages in the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun are governed by Islamic family law and inheritance, marriage among Muslims in the rest of the country is governed by the civil law. Officially, however, the religious ideas, practices, and rituals of Muslims all over the country are determined through the mosque committee of each village, and this may include marriage. In practice, therefore, Islamic family law is extended to Muslims all over Thailand, although legally, Muslims outside of the four southernmost provinces may be married under civil law.

Islamic law regarding family and inheritance was formally adopted in 1946 with the application of the Islamic Law Act. It was recognized by the state for historical and political reasons (Metha Wadeecharoen 1995, pp. 11–12; Ismail Ali 1997: B; Funston 2006, p. 84). The dominant population in these areas is made up of ethnic Malay Muslims who have been struggling to retain their identity as a consequence of the intrusion of the Thai state and subsequent policies of cultural nationalism, especially during the eras of Field Marshal Phibulsongkram (Prime Minister 1938–44 and 1948–57) and Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (1958–63).