Faith Community Network.
The Faith Community Network was set up to help communities resolve conflict and started its work in South Thailand in 2008 in the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. When they started their work they identified that many previous groups in the region had failed to fully understand the local culture. A lot of aid is channelled into these regions but unfortunately, many international projects have not had the desired impact because of a lack of understanding of the religious context at a community level. Particularly problematic was the lack of involvement of ‘imams’, the local Islamic religious leaders – who also work as general community leaders in this region.
Since its launch in 2008, the Faith Community Network has expanded to cover a total of 133 communities in South Thailand. Their aim has been to support peace in these communities whilst maintaining community and religious identities. A lot of work has been focused on conflicts between Islamic and Buddhist communities by working through education and training.
Yala – Conflict resolution through faith
Daloe-Arho, in Yala, is an example of an area where the Faith Community Network operates. In this village, the killing of an imam had left the community fearful to carry out their daily duties. The Faith Community Network identified problems that the community faced – such as lack of employment, fear of terrorists and lack of trust. The Faith Community Trust helped to create dialogue amongst the population of the village. After some time, it rebuilt the Muslim school and made young people central to peace activities, thus recreate trust within the community. The new committee can now represent the needs of the community at a governmental level. The mosque has also become a central place for peace activities – demonstrating how faith can be used to bring about conflict resolution.
