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Thai Parliamentarian Quits After Malevolent Pig Joke on Muslims
JAKARTA, Sept 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A Thailand parliamentarian was forced to quit his party and could possibly resign from parliament after a malevolent pig joke addressed at Muslims backfired on him on Wednesday.
The MP of the Thai Rak Thai party of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra decided to quit after upsetting the Muslim community in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia with a pig-fat bombs jibe.
The joke backfired on Tinawat Maruekapitak, who was condemned at a party meeting for his suggestion that the United States drop pig-fat bombs on terrorists holed up in Afghanistan in retaliation for last week's attacks.
Tinawat said he was heavily reprimanded by party members, who were taken aback by a remark they felt was blasphemous to Muslims worldwide.
He had earlier aborted an attempt to e-mail the suggestion to U.S. President George W Bush. On Monday, he issued a statement, saying he had been planning to convey the message to the U.S. leader.
Tinawat said he did not mean to offend Muslims. The pig-fat bombs could have pre-empted the use of highly destructive weapons, he said, adding he did not expect the suggestion to make people so upset.
"It's too bad I was born an optimist blessed with too much humor," he said.
Tinawat, a talk show host, said party members agreed his remark had done serious damage which could not be rectified with a mere apology. Given the mounting pressure, he decided to resign.
He said he apologized to Muslims nationwide and did not mean to trample on their religious sensitivity but to avert a pretext for global violence.
Shinawatra said Tinawat's remark did not reflect the party's stand.
Muslim residents in Satun and Chiang Mai decried Tinawat's conduct and said his contemptuous view could expose the country to external threats.
Armeen Munyameen, deputy chairman of the Satun Islamic Committee, said Tinawat should have known better, adding that Muslims were already disappointed with the prime minister for being hasty in siding with the U.S.
Thaksin should have thought it through as the country had ties with many Muslim nations.
Thailand has a population of between four to five million Muslims, mostly living in the southern part of the country that borders Malaysia.
Muslim independence seekers have been waging a war for independence in southern Thailand region of Pattani, which is majority Malay-Muslim. The campaign, however, has receded in the past few years.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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