Alwaght- Thai Muslims reacted with anger and suspicion to the new constitution draft which is believed to further marginalize Islam and promote Buddhism.
The Muslim population in Thailand reacted negatively to the draft in an Aug. 7 referendum and is now more concerned about the article 67 of the new draft.
Section 67 of the constitution, written by a legal committee appointed by the junta who seized power in 2014, stipulates "[The] state shall patronize Buddhism and other religions”, but it will “establish measures and mechanisms to prevent the desecration of Buddhism and encourage the participation of all Buddhists in the application of such measures and mechanisms”
Many believe such article would make Buddhism the de facto religion of the country, further weakening the country's Malay Muslims long alienated in three insurgency-wracked provinces on the southern border with Malaysia.
“Thai Muslims are afraid that the state may no longer support Muslims. There are now some obstacles for Muslims to have full rights to practice their religion in Thailand," Angkhana Neelapaijit one of seven members of the country's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said.
The section also drops a reference to “an appeal to religious harmony”, which was included in several of the previous constitutions.
“Each time there is a new reincarnation of the constitution, there is a very strong Buddhist lobby to make Buddhism the national religion,” Gothom Arya a Thai academic said in a question about the recent concerns in the Muslim community.
On May 22, the junta issued a decree to correct any negative impact the new constitutional clause may have on religious relations, but many analysts see the problems as a sign of the times.
