ABSTRACT
In Thailand, a Buddhist majority country where 90 percent of the population is Buddhist, Muslim communities form the majority of the four southernmost provinces, bordering Malaysia: Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun. In these provinces only, Shariah law applies to Muslims in matters of family and inheritance; however, there are no Shariah courts per se, but an expert in Islamic law acts as a councillor to the ordinary judge(s) in provincial courts. Central and provincial Islamic commissions, appointed by the government, also have an important role of alternative dispute resolution. If Thailand has, de jure, separated religion and the State, and allowed the limited application of Shariah law, the demand by the majority to make Buddhism the “official religion” of the Kingdom remains a point of tensions for Muslims living in the South and engaged in an autonomist movement.
