Haji Sulong | |
|---|---|
หะยีสุหลง | |
 | |
| Born | Haji Sulong Abdulkadir al-Fatani 1895 (1895) Kampong Anoru,Pattani Kingdom |
| Disappeared | 13 August 1954(1954-08-13) (aged 58–59) Songkhla Police Station, Thailand |
| Status | Missing for 71 years, 3 months and 15 days |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | The "seven demands" petition (1947) |
Haji Sulong Abdulkadir al-Fatani (หะยีสุหลง; 1895 – disappeared 13 August 1954) was a Malay Muslim religious teacher, educator and community leader from Pattani in present-day southern Thailand. He promoted madrasa-style schooling that integrated religious and secular subjects and emerged as a leading advocate for the rights of Malay-speaking Muslims (often referred to in Thai usage asJawi) in Thailand’s Deep South. In 1947 he submitted a petition popularly known as the “seven demands,” seeking administrative decentralisation, recognition of Malay alongside Thai in schools and government, and institutional autonomy for Islam.[1][2][3]
Scholars generally view Sulong as a formative symbol for Malay Muslim activism and a touchstone in narratives about the modern southern insurgency, rather than a direct organiser of contemporary violence.[3][2]
Born in 1895 into a family of religious teachers in Pattani, Haji Sulong studied in localpondok schools before continuing his religious education in Mecca. Influenced by early twentieth-century Islamic reformist (islāḥ) currents circulating in the Middle East, he later sought to adapt elements of this modernist approach to education in Pattani.[1][3]
On returning to Pattani, Sulong promoted a madrasa model that complemented traditionalpondok instruction with secular subjects such as mathematics and science. His approach gained support among younger teachers and parents but also met resistance from traditionalist scholars and from officials concerned with national integration policies of the era.[3] Some accounts note that while Bangkok prioritised state schools for integration, Sulong did secure limited official support at times for his school-building efforts.[4]
As president of the Provincial Islamic Council of Pattani, Sulong submitted a petition to Bangkok in 1947 setting out seven points commonly summarised as follows:[1][2]
Analysts generally interpret the petition as an attempt at administrative accommodation and cultural recognition rather than a secession blueprint; Bangkok rejected it, and local views were divided.[1][2]
Following heightened tensions and protests in early 1948, Sulong and several associates were arrested on treason-related charges on 16 January 1948. He was later convicted and imprisoned; sources note his release in 1952.[5]
On 13 August 1954, Sulong, his eldest son and colleagues were ordered to report to the police in Songkhla. They disappeared thereafter and are widely presumed to have been killed; their bodies were never recovered. The case remains unresolved and is periodically cited in local memory and human-rights discourse.[2][6]
Sulong’s educational initiatives and the seven-point petition made him an enduring symbol for Malay Muslim political claims in Thailand’s Deep South and a focal point for analyses of legitimacy, identity and state policy in the region.[3][2]
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