Khaosod
Why Thailand Must Oppose Religious Mobs, Whether Islamic or Buddhist
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 outlet. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
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In scenes in Bangkok that might have resembled the Taliban’s Kabul or cities from conservative Islamic states in the Middle East, an angry mob of about 1,000 Thai Muslims gathered outside a tea shop in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area on Sunday, paralysing the street as they searched for a Muslim trans woman, known as ‘Madam Lor’, or Abdulloh, who was accused of mocking the Koran on social media.
Key facts
- Despite police presence on the scene, the mob shaved the head of Abdulloh, who had criticised and mocked the Koran, as public punishment
- Thailand is a country in which Muslims make up less than 5 per cent of the population of 67 million — around three million people
- A police officer attempting to mediate stood by as the extrajudicial punishment was carried out.
- Yet the mob appeared determined to impose its own religious law, although the majority of Thais are Buddhist and Thailand is not a religious state.
Summary
Despite police presence on the scene, the mob shaved the head of Abdulloh, who had criticised and mocked the Koran, as public punishment. Some of those present chanted “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is great”), while insisting that she was not being “coerced” but had repented and accepted the punishment voluntarily.
A police officer attempting to mediate stood by as the extrajudicial punishment was carried out.