The New Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia

Why I “Mengaji” (Study) Malay
Developments in Malay Culture in South Thailand

by Abdul Razak @ Abdulroya Panaemalae

The word “mengaji” – to learn or study – is accorded the highest value and status in the mindset of Malay society in South Thailand (hereafter referred to as Patani). Normally, the word “mengaji” is used only in a religious or spiritual context, as when a person is engaged in religious learning. In Patani, the word cannot be used together with vocabulary that has worldly meaning. This leads to the perception of a close relationship between “mengaji” and the Koran, the study of which is not called “belajar,” which also means to study. The word “belajar” is more commonly used for non-religious activities, such as general academic study. This shows the high value Patani Malay society extends to the word “mengaji.”

In this short essay I would like to talk about the perception of national cultural heritage among Patani Malays, especially modern religiously conscious Malays. I will try to describe how much they understand Malay culture and, between Islam and Malay, which they implement as their way of life. In their journey to the afterlife, do they set aside Malay culture and traditions, which are more likely to be of a non-Islamic nature?

II

It is generally known that Patani Malay social structure is based on religion. Patani has been a main gateway for the dissemination of Islam in this region and was once a center of Islamic teaching. Until today, we can still find evidence and feel the atmosphere of the time when this place was a sister city of Mecca. For example, the traditional “sistem pondok” way of learning the Koran, although less active than before, continues as a religious institution with a significant role in preserving religious values within society. Another example of Patani’s strong Islamic nature is the presence of a number of Muslim scholars such as Syeikh Daud al-Fathoni, Syeikh Wan Ahmad Mohd. Zein al Fathoni, and others who are well known in the region and internationally, especially in the Islamic/Arab world.

In other words, to mention Patani is to bring to mind a religious, sincere, and unassuming society. Muslim individuals – that is, people whose identity is based on true Islam (Quranic identity) – are formed by exposure to Sufism and to constantly repeated religious teachings from the mosques. Whether they like it or not, little by little the lessons constantly repeated in their ear influences their minds. Unconsciously, they put themselves inside a secured environment guarded by religious norms. It is therefore reasonable to say that in general Patani Malays have a way of life which is shaped by religion (Islam).

This means they are neither eager for nor impressed by shiny worldly things. They are satisfied to live as common villagers practicing their religious activities without disturbance from foreign influence. For that reason, news from outside – especially related to worldly matters – may go ignored. For example, a crisis in the market price of agricultural products such as latex, rice, dokong (Lansium domesticum Corr.), or rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) will provoke no demonstrations or protests in Patani. This is evidence of their belief that all is a matter of faith bestowed upon them by God; or they perhaps consider that any fortune they gain, whether small or large, is decided by God. So there is no point in making a fuss. Conversely, they are extremely sensitive to any issue touching on their principles and the religion of Islam, and they will rise up immediately to defend the purity of their faith. For example, Patani Malays strongly resisted a Thai law justifying placing a statue of worship in every Thai school in every village. Another example was the demand for Muslim women’s right to veil. These issues provoked a wide response among Patani Malays.

My point is that the Islamic foundation of society in South Thailand is very strong and the stability of Islam cannot be doubted. Furthermore, under the umbrella of existing Thai political institutions, all religions in Thailand are protected. But the strength of Islam is ultimately guaranteed by the Patani Malays themselves, who hold strongly to their religious teachings. We can observe, for instance, that religious learning remains the first choice among Patani Malay parents for their children.

Madrasah – boarding schools which focus on Islamic teaching – although often lacking in modern tools and facilities, attract more students than Royal middle schools boasting more complete infrastructure and better technological and educational tools. Clearly, Islamic boarding schools remain the first choice of Patani Malay parents because they seek to ensure adequate religious education for their children.

So the survival of the Muslim identity of modern Patani Malay society is not in doubt. Individuals are occasionally subject to what Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a great Islamic intellectual, called “mental crisis” – the syndrome of arguing/questioning when trying to understand religious doctrine, but this crisis is limited to daily activities. The principle of their belief remains, and that principle is the teaching of al Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet Mohammad’s’ teachings). It is therefore very rare to find a Patani Malay who has converted to another religion or left the faith (murtad). As Siddiq Fadhil has said; “If there is a Malay leaving Islam, it will create big news” (1992: 35). However, a new problem has appeared recently: Will Patani Malays preserve their Malay cultural identity? Will they defend it like they defend against threats to Islam?

As an observer, I doubt the status of Malay culture, which I see becoming more and more vulnerable, losing its spirit, and sinking lower and lower. I expressed this doubt in a story called “Kehilangan” (Lost) (published in Jendela Timur, April 2004). The title refers to the loss of Malay identity. I envision that over the next 30 years Malay identity will fade away and in time vanish. Patani Malays will no longer speak Malay, and once they no longer speak their mother tongue, it will be difficult to recognize them as Malays. The values of Malay culture will disappear along with the language, reflecting the saying “language is the spirit of the nation, the vanishing of a language is the vanishing of a nation.” In contrast, the Islamic cultural heritage will be well preserved.

The story is based on my observation that day to day conversation among Patani Malays tends to be in the Thai language. This is seen most clearly among the Malay elite and people who reside in big market towns and cities. I even know a middle class family whose children do not speak Malay at all. More and more, conversations in the Malay language are on a superficial level of understanding; when expressing a deeper understanding, Patani Malays switch to Thai. In fact, their Thai vocabulary is much greater than their Malay vocabulary.

Another phenomenon that makes me uneasy about the future is the low level of importance attached to Malay culture. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is at a critical level. For example, Patani Malays objected when I tried to establish a dikir barat group among college students at the Malay-Islamic Prince of Songkla University. (Dikir Barat is a popular traditional performance art among Malays in the southern of Thailand and also in the east coast of Malaysia. This well-known performance art in which the chorus echoes the theme of the leader’s song, uses the Patani Malay dialect.) These reactions come not only from religious leaders but also from ivory tower Malay intellectuals. They argue that a dikir barat performance conflicts with Islamic teachings and is therefore immoral. Strangely, these same people do not object to Malay children shouting cheerfully watching a football match on television in the middle of the night. Clubs supporting international caliber football teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool F.C., Arsenal, and Real Madrid grow like mushrooms after the rain in every corner of villages and cities in South Thailand. Culturally, this common phenomenon is ignored, even though it arguably represents a threat to local culture and the position of Islam alike. So what is the difference between a football game and dikir barat? Why does society not respond to the syndrome of “football madness”? As foreign culture influences our lifestyle more and more, Malay cultural heritage is more and more forgotten. Yet it is the attempted establishment of an art heritage club that gives rise to negative speculation.

The saddest thing is that the opposition comes mainly from Malay intellectual leaders who are suspicious of local cultural activities. And indeed my first reason for doing dikir barat and similar activities is to draw the attention of youth and Malay society more generally to their own art culture, which is psychologically more suited to Malay tastes. After all, normal human beings need art. Yusuf al-Qaradawi:

Undoubtedly art is a matter of importance as it is related to the heart and feelings of a human being. Art tries to form a tendency and feeling for the human soul with various and alluring tools; the tools for hearing, reading, watching, feeling, or thinking. Undoubtedly art is also just like science. It can be used for good and improvement, or for evil and destruction. This is the great influencial power of art (2000: 13).

Second, art should be based on Islamic principles. Patani Malay people still do not understand that literature can be a medium for preaching and can have a big impact on its fans. In certain circumstances, literature can perform the mission of spreading Islam. The status of poets is therefore equal to that of preachers.

Based on this understanding, I try to use an entertaining medium (dikir barat) to educate youth to be more sensitive and realize their responsibilities as young Muslims. I thought this approach would be suitable for youth as it gives priority to entertainment and pleasure – so they will not feel coerced when being educated. Into the art of dikir barat, I inserted the essence of education, rather than the essence of the obscene (please see Dikir Nasihat on the sidebar). What is wrong with arriving at the destination via a different route? People say to try to drink some water while diving.

Of course I do not mean to say that no Patani Malays realize the importance of their cultural heritage. Awareness does exist, although it is vulnerable. The number of such people is so small that they are easily dominated by the bigger group of those who lack such awareness.

III

In their passion to form an ideal society based on Islam, Patani Malays seem to have forgotten Malay culture. In the Malay context, Islam and Malay culture have united and complement each other like aur dan tebing (the bamboo and the riverbank). This is why “Malay” brings with it the connotation of Islam: “Islam has given color to, and become the identity of Malay people with the sibghatullah (coloring) of God that makes them Muslim, mu’min and muhsin” (Hashim Musa 2000: 1). Or as Shahnon Ahmad said, “The unique characteristic of Malay people is in their soul or in their spirit, as Islam has inspired who we call the Malay people” (cited in Baharudin Ahmad, 1992: 70).1

The famous phrase “Life based on tradition, tradition based on law, and law based on the book (Koran)” means that Islam is practiced at several levels: the spiritual, the intellectual, the social, and even the civilizational and cultural, without putting aside the existence of those side-elements which are not in harmony with nature, science, and the new value (Muhammad ‘Uthman El-Muhammady 2002: 210). This phenomenon is mentioned by Siddiq Fadhil: “In facing local culture, Islam shows enough flexibility for positive traditional heritage to be preserved” (Sidek Fadzil 2002: 48).

This can also be stated as “Malay is another part of Islam.” To explain this concept, I would like to quote further from Siddiq Fadhil. In his 1992 book Minda Melayu Baru, he argued:

It is true that Islam is not a culture. Islam as ad-din (light) are words of God, which are universal and will not change; meanwhile culture is a human creation that can change and differ according to time and environment. But Islam can create a culture. A culture that is re-educated by Islam is called an Islamic culture, a culture that grows and develops based on Islamic principles. The culture created by Malay people within the Malay region, is still guarded by the framework of Islamic principles. This culture is a type of Islamic culture even if it may show some differences with Islamic culture found in Arab, Persia or Africa. These differences are characteristics of the Malay and make the Malay region a special Islamic culture zone of its own (p. 34).

IV

The effort of Patani Malay society to fight for Islam and its prestige deserves praise. Malay people from other regions acknowledge this fact. Each time they visit Patani, most are satisfied with the purity and existence of Islam there. Some comment that even when they first arrive in Patani, they do not feel foreign, so evident are the Islamic values of Patani society. These remarks are generally made by Malay people from outside Malaysia. In contrast, Malaysians often complain about their visits to Patani: Some say it is difficult to communicate with Patani people. That books written in Malay are scarce. That a tour bus of Malaysians once got lost in Patani. There are likewise Patani Malays who complain that it is difficult to have a conversation with Malaysians.

These sketches reflect how Patani Malay society is insensitive to the development of its own culture, which is vanishing little by little. This is due to the poor cultural mentality of educated or intellectual Malays. The urban Malay elite eagerly put their children into schools offering science, mathematics, English, etc. They want their children to have a better chance academically and a good job in the future. Why do they not put their children into institutions which offer the Malay language? It is because, recognizing that the opportunities for speaking Malay are already limited, it is no longer convincing to see Malay as language equal to other languages, such as Thai. Some children are not even allowed to study Malay.

The abandonment of Malay culture is also happening in rural society, with the difference that rural people prefer religious education to academic education. Studying religion is not part of this discussion, because as we all know, to study Islam is part of a Muslim’s religious duties. The problem is that while the number of religious teachers proliferates, finding a teacher for the Malay language is very difficult. A religious school in Narathiwat advertised for a Malay language teacher, but months passed before any qualified applicants were found. For English, Math, and Thai positions, however, many qualified Malays applied in a short time.

In a region where Malay people form the majority, then, children and young people gain no expertise in Malay language and literature in their schools. Almost no one wants to “mengaji Melayu” (study Malay) because the Malay language doesn’t have as high a commercial value as other languages or religious teaching. Children of Patani Malays are leaving in great numbers to study in Malaysia and Indonesia, but how many chose to study Malay language and literature? As far as I know, most study Islam (mengaji Islam). As a result, there are more scholars and experts in Usuluddin and Syariah in South Thailand than there are positions religious institutions to accommodate them. Some graduates then return to Malaysia in search of better job opportunities, rather than staying to face an uncertain future in South Thailand.

It is sometimes said by Patani Malays that they do not need to study Malay as they are already Malay. A teacher once asked me: “Why do we need to learn Malay? What is the content of this teaching? What decent job can a graduate of the Malay language occupy?” These kinds of questions often arise when a Patani Malay meets a graduate of Malay language studies or Pengajian Melayu.

Maybe the word “mengaji,” with which I opened this essay, is only appropriate for Islamic activities and not for things that are Malay. But after seeing the critical, static, and even degrading condition of cultural development in Patani Malay society, I decided to swim against the stream by moving to Malaysia in 1999 to study Malay (mengaji Melayu) at the University of Malaya’s Malay Studies Academy (Akademi Pengajian Melayu, Universiti Malaya). I hope to fill some of the emptiness and try to shake off the sluggishness of Malay culture in South Thailand. I will also try to contribute to efforts to sustain Malay culture there.