Written by the Expique Team
Published: July 28, 2022
You can call me Dha, which is my nickname. Even some Thai people find it challenging to pronounce correctly on their first attempt. Many need to repeat my name two or three times to get it right. As a result, some end up calling me ‘Duck,’ which sounds similar but is quite different. The difficulty in pronouncing my name stems from its Islamic origins. Yes, I was born into a Muslim family.
There’s a backstory about my Islamic nickname related to my parents that I find quite romantic. I’d love to share it.
In fact, I am of mixed heritage: half Muslim and half Buddhist. My father was born into a Buddhist family in Nakhon Panom, a province in northeastern Thailand. His family has practiced Buddhism for generations. He once told me that in his hometown, there weren’t any Muslims, as the majority of the population was Buddhist, with only a few Christians who immigrated from Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Therefore, he had no knowledge of Islam.
One day, he traveled to Bangkok, hoping to build a better life, and fate led him to my mother. After dating, when my mother became pregnant, he decided to marry her and take responsibility, but it wasn’t an easy path.
My mother’s family is Muslim, with ancestors who settled in Bangkok over a century ago. In her family, interfaith marriages were unheard of, making their union challenging for both families.
At that time, my grandfather asked my dad to prove his love by converting to Islam. This meant my dad would have to abandon any Buddhist practices, including the possibility of becoming a monk. He also had to undergo circumcision, which is a significant event for an adult man!
My dad said he didn’t need much time to think about it. He conditioned himself to practice Islam, believing that every religion promotes good deeds, whether it’s Buddhism or Islam. For him, the goal was to become a good husband and father. He was willing to make sacrifices for the sake of a happy family.
My mother also faced many challenges to show her commitment. Opposed by both families, she found the beginning difficult, but ultimately, acceptance came with my birth. As a healthy baby girl, I symbolized hope, and both families realized it was unreasonable to create hardship for others, especially an innocent child.
After converting, my dad embraced Islam well enough to gain acceptance, eventually winning over everyone’s hearts. Isn’t that an incredibly romantic story?
My Lovely Hometown and Favorite Places
I grew up with my mother and her family in Minburi, a district on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Minburi is a green area known for being granted to the Muslim community by King Rama V. It is home to a large Muslim population and is considered one of the biggest Muslim communities in Bangkok.
Historically, this area was primarily agricultural. My ancestors were rice farmers, but when I was young, they sold some land to a major investor for real estate development. Although we no longer farm, remnants of rice fields still exist in Minburi.
The Minburi Fresh Market is a food paradise, especially for halal cuisine. When I was younger, there were no shopping malls or convenience stores like 7-11 nearby. I still remember the excitement of the first 7-11 opening in Minburi when I was seven years old. Kids were thrilled, and owning a Big Gulp cup felt amazing! Minburi Fresh Market was the heart of everything—food, general goods, and fashion trends.
One of my fondest memories is at the bakeries, particularly Sasaki, which offers affordable and high-quality products.
Many traditional dishes that originally included pork have been adapted here using alternative meats suitable for Muslim diets, such as sweet and sour sausages, which are absolutely delicious.
Moreover, you’ll find numerous restaurants and food stalls offering delightful dishes, especially curry-style meals made by Muslim chefs. I would highly recommend a noodle restaurant that serves delicious clear soup with beef and Hainanese chicken rice; it has been around for nearly 50 years.
Minburi is also home to popular attractions like Safari World and Siam Park, the largest amusement and water park in Bangkok. There’s charm beyond the city center in Bangkok; the outskirts offer traditional experiences and local lifestyles waiting to be discovered.
Interested in meeting the rest of the Expique Team? Read more here.
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