Religious and Ethnic Adaptations of Malay-Muslim Students at Prince of Songkhla University, Surat Thani Campus

Abstract

The study was to examine religious and ethnic adaptations of Malay-Muslim students from Thailand’s deep south who furthered their studies at Prince of Songkhla University, Surat Thani Campus, presenting data on the religious and ethnic identity of the students who possessed the educational opportunity but the educational institution itself might not be understanding and aware of such identity. The study was conducted with 16 young people aged 18 to 24, using qualitative research with a focus group discussion being applied. A participatory observation was also employed every time in the group discussion. The objectives of the study were to build trust and to study the level of such adaptation towards the challenges in terms of different religions and ethnics which included 1) a spiritual ceremony of paying homage to teachers, 2) freshmen welcoming, 3) Hijab wearing, and 4) Halal food. Here, the theory of a Cultural--Ethnic Identity Typological Model was applied. The results of this study showed 3 stages of their adaptation. In Stage 1, they considerably attached themselves to their ethnic identity and rarely embraced a new culture. In Stage 2, they started adapting themselves to maintain their identity while also embracing the new culture. In Stage 3, they felt they were part of the new culture. This was challenging for Thai Muslim students and Thai society which would become a multicultural society where people could peacefully live together.