Religious fervour serves no god well
Aformer rock musician has embraced the role of online preacher and denounced, above other things, rock music. In fact, he objects to most kinds of music, deeming it against Islam. Weerachon “Toh” Sattaying, once the high-pitched frontman of the band Silly Fools (love the name), has over the past six years quit his former lifestyle and became a born-again Muslim. Bearded, skull-capped, fiery-eyed and charismatic, Weerachon runs a dry-aged beef business and hosts an online religious programme that has cultivated quite a following.
This week, he crossed the line: His criticism of Buddhist practices came across as aggressive, insensitive and insulting — basically, he said it’s silly to pay respect to images of Buddha — and the internet, naturally, erupted in anger and ridicule.
This is not the first time Weerachon raised eyebrows. Two years ago he said in an interview with BK Magazine: “Music is a sin”, “Muslims these days are brainwashed by secularism in the education system”, “Campaigns against Islam are orchestrated by a world media owned by rich families and backed by big companies”, and lastly, “I like this junta government [because] I like rules”. He also condemned the Islamic State and said sensible things about Thai education system. In short, here’s a man who found Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in his 20s, then found God in his 30s — a discovery he treated with a fervour that can feel either stirring or off-putting.
What Weerachon said in his live show this week wasn’t entirely senseless — some Buddhists actually sided with him in, arguing that Lord Buddha never asked his followers to bow before statues — and as a general rule, the man is entitled to his own opinion. But it’s the attitude, vain showmanship and blithe insensitivity that must be questioned. Context is important, too. Though Weerachon is not exactly a “preacher”, he should know that his online presence adds to that of several Islamic “scholars” who use the digital platform and mosque fairs to promote the path of puritanism, fuelled by a dark mix of superiority complex and tribal mindset. To the majority of Thai Muslims — in fact, this is a problem across Southeast Asia — they are spreading a brand of Islam that favours exclusivity rather than inclusivity and reeks of antagonism against other faiths.
Extreme opinions and firebrand evangelists exist in every religion and in every country. Buddhism has its fair share of these disturbing elements. Remember former Phra Apichat, who basically called for his followers to burn down mosques to retaliate against the troublemakers in the South? Or the radical monks in Myanmar who roused people against the Rohingya?
In Indonesia, far-right Islamic groups hounded and pressured former Jakarta’s Christian governor, who was finally convicted on a charge of blasphemy and put in jail. Just this week, hardliners ramped up a jihad against a daughter of expresident Sukarno for her “blasphemous poem”, which prompted moderate clerics to come out and ask everyone to remain calm. In all these cases, as usual, the voice of the extremist is louder, attracts more responses, fans larger flames and incites more reaction than that of the moderate. The mud-wrestling arena of social media today only makes sure that the fight is increasingly brusque and brutal.
But there’s no other way: The moderate, the rational and the sane have to keep speaking up. Just a day after Weerachon’s inflammatory video went viral, the Sheikul Islam Office took the unusual step of coming out to reprimand him. The respected Chula Ratchamontri Aziz Pitakkumpol, avoiding naming names, cautioned “gurus” who speak against other religions and reminded everyone that Islam forbids the slandering of other faiths. Another inspiring response came from Islamic scholar Suchart Setthamalinee, who warned that Weerachon, in his staunch advocacy of Islam, was actually contributing to Islamophobia. He reminded the younger man that as Muslims sometimes react violently against those who speak ill of their religion, why should a good Muslim speak ill of others’?
The next day Weerachon apologised. He said he had no intention of insulting Buddhists and he might have misunderstood a few things (exactly, because paying respect to images of Buddha is different, in theological argument, to the pre-Abrahamic idolatry that Islam fought against). He also said that he respects Lord Buddha and often quotes his teachings in his online show. That’s a good thing. That’s what should keep us all in Southeast Asia, whether Buddhists, Christians or Muslims, from becoming like the name of Weerachon’s old band, silly fools.