Amid the challenges, a Muslim woman stands up for peace

Despite being home to more than 7.5 million Muslims, half of them female, it’s rare to see a woman in a hijab standing up for her sisters in society. An exception is Pateemoh Pohitaedaoh, a party list MP in the Bhumjaithai Party, who refuses to stay silent about the problems and challenges facing Muslim women in today’s Thailand.

The founder of the Women for Peace Association (WePeace) and a mother, Pateemoh knows all about loss and the heartbreak of losing loved ones in a senseless conflict.

“I used to be a teacher before the violence started. Then, my brother got shot, in front of the house. Between 2004 and 2911, I lost another three brothers to gunshot wounds, leaving 13 children without a father,” Pateemoh told The Nation. “That’s why I started WePeace and went into politics.

“I saw my mother’s tears. I saw my sisters-in-law cry, watched as my nieces and nephews sobbed inconsolably. I saw other widows hide in the bathroom to let out their feelings, pulling their hair and screaming. Some disappeared to the backyard to hide their sadness.”

Understanding that receiving support from those who have been through the same traumas is more impactful, she started WePeace, an organisation supporting women affected by the conflict in the southern border provinces.

For the last 15 years, she has been working for Thai women in the deep south by providing counselling, coordinating with government organisations, and helping with recovery following loss. She entered politics in the hope that this would allow her to play a role in solving problems in her homeland, especially those related to women’s issues. “Only women really understand women’s problems and we need more women leaders.”

Hard-won race for budding politician

“People think that leadership roles belong to men [...] Becoming a politician was even more challenging than I had imagined. Photos of me were edited to show me nude, then posted on social media and in Line group chat rooms of which all the communities’ leaders were members. These attempts to discredit me did not only affect me. Don’t forget that I have children and they are affected too.”

The methods used to discredit her did not stop with doctored images. Lies were constantly published attempting to show her as unethical and implying she was going against Islamic principles.

Pateemoh shared with us the death threat she received, “If you want to live, quit politics”.

“They said a single person voting for me would cause the whole village to end up in hell. Islamic principles refer to leadership roles in the religious context such as leading prayers. That is a no-no. But that idea that women cannot lead is widely applied, not only in the religious context but in other contexts too.”

Candidates in Muslim neighbourhoods usually give speeches in the mosques where people go to pray, especially on Friday when all men must attend the Jummah or Friday prayer. This is a good opportunity to explain one’s visions. As a woman, Pateemoh was not allowed to do so.

The same taboo applies to local tea houses, where men go and talk about social issues, politics and daily problems. Here again, women are not allowed to sit and talk.
 

Women's sphere on the bamboo bench

But they can talk and share their visions on the bamboo bench.

The bamboo bench, known as krae in Thai, functions the same way as a tea house. It is a space where women can get together in the evening after finishing their daily chores and share stories of their household with others.
The chats don’t stop at domestic issues. The women also talk about politics, social issues, daily problems in the community and women’s problems. Pateemoh said the biggest problem women experience is domestic violence. On the bamboo bench, Pateemoh regularly finds a space where she can talk and be listened to by women.

Women, decisions and peace

“In the three Southernmost provinces, human rights can be discussed. But, women’s rights cannot.”
Worse still, in such a strictly constructed patriarchal society, most women do not have enough courage to state their problems. Pateemoh explained that in Yala and other southern border provinces, many women vote for whatever male candidate the men in their families tell them to. And women are not part of decision-making.  As a former educator, Pateemoh sees the importance of educating women and this she is achieving through WePeace.

“When women have knowledge, they will have enough courage to speak up,” Pateemoh said.

WePeace now has around 781 volunteers in all three provinces. All have suffered losses as a result of the conflict. Being victims once themselves, they understand the feelings such losses cause and the benefits of receiving help during those hard times. WePeace is not only aiding women affected by the conflict in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, but also those who suffer domestic violence, gender-based violence, and even culture-related violence.

“Creating peace is not something only men hope for. It’s what we all hope for.”