The Islamic Independence Movements in Patani of Thailand and Mindanao of the Philippines

Abstract

In recent years the apparent success of the Mindanao Moros in the Philippines and the failure of the Patani Malay Muslims in Thailand raises an important question: what has led to the success of the Moros and the failure of the Malay Muslims? In the late 1960s, Samuel Huntington stated that a revolution or a violent separatist movement occurs in a political system that is incapable of accommodating the democratic participation of the separatist group.1 According to some scholars, however, a separatist movement may rise up due to relative deprivation, the determination of an ethnic group to retain control of their own culture, language, and territory, manipulation of ethnic sentiment by ethnic minority elites for promoting their own career and status, or a combination of factors.2 Whatever the historical, political, or social circumstances of a separatist movement, Huntington argues that in order to be successful it must be led by a political organization headed by strong leaders able to mobilize both internal and external supports. A competing view is offered by Ted Gurr. In a recent study, he argued that the success of a separatist movement depends on four factors: (i)