The Royal Activities of His Majesty King Bhumibol towards Muslims in Thailand

This article aims to study the work of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) concerning the Muslims in Thailand. According to the present Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, Section 7 says that the King is a Buddhist, but he must be an upholder of other religions, as well. And Section 67 says that the State should support and protect Buddhism and other religions as well. From clear evidence, it appears that Islam first came to Thailand in the reign of King Ekathotsarot (1593 1601) during the Ayothaya period, and has flourished since then. The early ancestors were Shiah, and this has continued to the present. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who recently passed away, completely supported the activities of other religions, including Muslims. In 1979 he started a project to seriously support agriculture. After that, he kindly ordered the renovation of the central mosque in 1993. Moreover, he had many projects to help resolve the troubles in the southernmost part of Thailand, such as Phikunthong Project. The results reveal that regarding his activities concerning Muslim people, he acted in accordance with his speech that “understanding, approaching and developing”, which is why the Muslim people in Thailand have freedom of religious observance, and are happy, as are people of other religions in Thailand.