Islam, radicalism, and violence in Southern Thailand: Berjihad di Patani and the 28 April 2004 attacks
ViolenceinThailand’sdeepSouthcentersonMuslimunrest,whichhas beensimmeringsinceWorldWarII.Whatwasoncealow-levelsecessionistinsur gencyhasnowdevelopedintoafull-scaleconflictandviolentcampaignthathas claimedhundredsoflivesinthethreesouthernborderprovinces.Thisamountsto themostseriouspoliticalviolenceinrecentThaihistory.Themainargumentofthis articleisthattheseparatiststruggle,whichwasinitiallybasedonaMalaynational liberationstruggle,hastakenonundertonesofaradicalIslamistideology,andthe discourseoftheseparatiststrugglehassignificantlyshiftedtothatofradicalIslamist politicsbycallingforajihadagainsttheThaistate,itslocalagents,andtheirMuslim allies.ThisshiftisexemplifiedbyadocumententitledBerjihaddiPatani,whichap pearstohavehelpedinspiretheviolentincidentsof28April2004.Toalargeextent, whatishappeninginsouthernThailandfollowssimilardevelopmentselsewhere, bothattheregionallevelandinotherpartsoftheMuslimworld.Factorsaffecting thechangingdiscourseandpracticeoftheseparatistpoliticsarebothexternaland internal:thefailuresofsecularistdevelopmentprojectsinthepastdecades,thein fluenceofIslamicradicalismabroad,andtheIslamicresurgenceandfragmentation of religious establishment at home.
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