A balanced life

PROFILE : Although in his 80s, the newly-elected leader of Thailand's Muslims is still full of energy which, he says, results from a life of balance

--> Story by SANITSUDA EKACHAI

The turban and long black robe give a sinister air to the supreme spiritual leader of Thailand's seven million Muslims, but they can't cloak his sunny character.

At 82, the newly-elected Chula Ratchamontri Savad Sumalyasak still has a quick mind and resounding laugh.

"Whatever you do, make sure you laugh everyday. That's how I keep my youthful vigour," the country's most senior Islamic leader says with big grin, his eyes shining brightly.

While most people his age struggle with frail health, the new Chula Ratchamontri walks with a brisk step and a straight back. His favourite pastimes include play fighting with a giant catfish in his pond, boat rowing and fishing by yok yoh,or lifting the traditional giant fishing net by the canal at his home in the still-green Minburi area.

"Exercise. Sweat everyday. Always include green vegetables in your meal. Never eat until you're full. Never put off when nature calls. And never, never spend a day without laughing," he prescribes his recipe for good health.

With a knife-sharp memory still, the grandfather of 18 can recite the Qu'ran or the clauses of the constitution faultlessly and compellingly like mantras. A gregarious public speaker, he never disappoints his audience with food for thought spiced up with light-hearted anecdotes and ready jokes. His charisma makes his slight, 150-cm frame seem larger than life.

Such qualities would serve a politician well, and young Savad certainly made good use of them.

The former Islamic teacher's illustrious career includes being twice an MP for Bangkok under the Democrat banner, twice deputy governor of Bangkok in charge of education and public health, and twice deputy chairman of Bangkok's Metropolitan Council.

"In Islam, politics is not taboo. Actually, politics and spirituality are inseparable," he explains. "Politics guided by morality is the most transparent and useful to the people."

Although he quit politics "because I got old and uneasy with the kind of politics we have", the veteran politician remains widely respected and well-known as an active Islamic scholar and preacher.

When the late Chula Ratchamontri Prasert Mahamad died last year, Savad became the first spiritual Islamic leader elected under the new Islamic Administration Bill, a reform effort to open up the election process and to decentralise the office's authority.

"Before, only the chairperson of the 29 provincial committees got to vote," he explains. "Now all committee members nationwide can cast their vote too."

Despite his urban base, the Muslim elder got the most votes, 97 out of a total of 384. And although the prestigious post is for life, the patriarch reportedly vowed to step down in five years.

"I'm not better than other candidates," he says. "It's only that I've been around much longer than anyone else. And being a teacher all my life helps," he adds, grinning. "Most of today's Muslim leaders used to be my students."

Born in 1916 during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), Savad Sumalyasak grew up in a family of three in Nong Jok on the outskirts of Bangkok. His father, a teacher and religious scholar, was the most influential figure in his life.

"Few Muslims back then paid attention to secular education. But my father saw no future in that. So he sent me to school. At night, however, he trained me in Islamic teachings. That went on until I was 22.

"Because of him, I have a balance. My mind is properly guided, while modern knowledge keeps me up to date and makes me open to change."

He adds: "I also got my principles of life from my parents. That is, never live in a way that others can criticise."

His face lights up when he speaks about his childhood. "Life was so calm back then. There's one strange story, though. All my older relatives told me I was born still within the amniotic fluid sac. That I was very weak and was bedridden until I was four. Then one day, my parents got into a panic when I disappeared from the baby mattress. They found me walking, just like that, without any crawling or learning how to walk before."

He remembers himself as a placid boy who dreaded all kinds of violence. A clinging childhood memory is one of an angry man who beat up a nephew until he fell in the water and drowned.

"When that man died, we all heard a strange sound from the ground when he was being buried. It sounded like water bubbles, like someone struggling while drowning. The law of karma is really true. The results of your deeds will always catch up with you."

With a modern education and 17 years of intense religious studies in both Thailand and Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Savad was one of the first generation of modern Thai Muslim intellectuals.

After 10 years teaching at the Islamic Witthayalai School, he began his political career in 1958. Meanwhile, as leader of the Muslim community, he served as a member of the National Islamic Committee, head of the Education Ministry's Islamic Preachers Team, leader of the pilgrimage to Mecca, representative of Thailand for the Qu'ran reading competition in Kuala Lumpur, and a pioneer in Muslim Radio.

Pondering the current state of Thai society, he says a moral crisis is the root cause of the country's problems.

"In Islam, we believe that morality must be the principal guiding force of all activities. In politics, for example, the Prophet stresses transparency and rightenousness. The Qu'ran specifically prohibits any contact between parties - be they the receiver, giver or go-between - which affects fairness in politics.

"If we took this teaching to heart, there would be no vote-buying or any manipulating. At present, however, money politics is getting more intense.

"Likewise, people nowadays are morally tattered, including Muslims. They are after material thrills and a high-powered life. They have lost the fear and shame of sin. That's why we're now in such bad shape. Our duty as spiritual leaders is, therefore, to show people how to be saved from the rotten surroundings."

Faith in the omnipresent God, he says, will make people conscious that their every deed is under the watchful eyes of God. "This will prevent people from sinning or violating others' lives, property and stature."

Going back to the Prophet's teachings which govern every aspect of one's conduct from the cradle to the grave will also help heal social problems, he adds.

Drug addiction, for example. "Islam teaches that a human being's most precious gift from God is wisdom. It is wisdom that enables us to tell right from wrong, and differentiates us from animals. Taking drugs, which destroys our good judgement, is tantamount to betraying God's most precious gift."

He is also convinced that the Aids epidemic could be tamed if people, men in particular, are strictly faithful to their spouses.

"Islam teaches that there is no greater sin than that of a man who places his sperm in the womb of a woman who is not his wife," he recites the teaching.

Islam also teaches that having extra-marital relationships makes one slide deeper into sin, he adds. "If you are a good Muslim, you must be monogamous."

Although Islam allows a man to have up to four wives, the crucial precondition is impartiality. "I am not sure that I could be impartial," he says, smiling. "That's why I have only one wife."

Understanding the core teachings of one own's religion, he adds, is the way to open one's mind to the universal truths shared by other religions as well. "Such realisation transcends prejudice and promotes religious harmony," he says.

A correct religious understanding also promotes democracy and protection of human rights. He elaborates: "In Islam, everyone is equal before God, regardless of race, ethnicity or colour. The Prophet has declared that everyone in this world is under one God and comes from the same Father, Adam.

"Consequently, everyone possesses the sanctity of human dignity imparted by God, which must be respected. The only thing that differentiates us human beings is our morality, nothing else."

The belief in equality probably explains why there are no priests in Islam as everyone has an equal duty to realise God.

"Everyone in the community will, however, elect the person with highest morality and knowledge as an Imam to guide us. There is also an open system of election.

"The community also has a regularly meeting every Friday which is divided into two parts. After the prayers, we sit down to discuss community matters. Everyone can take part. This is democracy."

Islam, he adds, also provides a key to environmental protection as it stresses a modest, frugal way of life, prohibiting the wasting of natural resources which are sacred and created by God.

Despite detailed guidelines governing one's behaviour, Muslims, particularly youngsters, are becoming more morally lax, he admits.

Drug addiction, he says, is a serious concern. Our education system which stresses secular ambitions without moral power also needs to be redressed. "We must bring back the balance," he urges.

The Chula Ratchamontri also see a balanced education as a way to bridge the rural/urban gap between Thai Muslims. Urban Muslims are educated and modernised but relatively lax morally, he comments. Meanwhile, rural Muslims who are morally strong need more modern education to keep up with the times.

"I travelled overseas in my younger days and saw many good things in other cultures which opened my mind. Meanwhile, a clear understanding of our own religion is an important tool to screen what is good from bad."

Among his first plans as the new Chula Ratchamontri is to put the Thai translation of the Qu'ran on the Internet. He also plans to set up advisory committees in different fields to ensure that his office is responsive to the Muslim communities' needs.

He also wants local Muslim communities to be able to approve products which pass Islamic rules of sanitation for Muslims' consumption without having to go through his office.

In times of economic crisis, the Chula Ratchamontri also expresses willingness to work as a bridge between Thailand and the Muslim countries to promote foreign trade.

As for the thorny problem of southern Muslim terrorists, Chula Ratchamontri Savad says the separatist movement no longer exists and the violence is the work of ordinary thieves.

Even so, religion remains a sensitive issue and the campaign to enshrine Buddhism as the national religion, he says, could cause unnecessary resentment.

To prove his point, the Chula Ratchamontri recites word for word the long constitutional clause on equal religious rights and freedom.

He beams when asked to share the secret of his sharp memory. "I get up at 4 a.m. every day and meditate and review in my mind what happened the day before. That helps keep the memory alive and alert."

A daily review of one's behaviour is also a tool to check if one has drifted from a moral life and to constantly try to live a life of integrity and balance.

"Our life, like our body, has two shoulders. One is secular and the other is spiritual. We'll never walk straight and we are bound to fall if we lose our balance."

 

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