タイ国における「イスラームの擁護 」についての覚え書(<記念号>本岡武教授退官記念号)

Abstract

The king of Thailand is traditionally considered to be the akkhasatsanupat-hamphok, the protector or upholder, of satsana, and satsana (religion) in Thailand is virtually tantamount to Buddhism. This royal epithet, however, underwent a semantic change when the political upheaval of 1932 introduced western-style constitutionalism and the modern concept of religious liberty into this traditional Southeast Asian kingdom. Royal protection was then extended to all religions in the land, including the Islam of Thai-Malay subjects which had long been regarded with indifference by the Siamese government. The first legal expression of the new religious policy was "The Royal Decree on the protection of Islam" (1945). Royal protection of Islam is being brought about through a reorganization of the religion into a centralized hierarchy with the Chularatchamontri as its head. The process of reorganization seems, however, to be slower and more complicated than that of the Buddhist sangha, for historical, cultural and structural reasons.