From Thailand’s Nation:
In a stall recently set up near the historic Krue Se Mosque, a young man is busy selling VCDs, CDs and books that mostly cover various aspects of Islam. One of the VCDs is entitled “Global Jihad Movements”.
The stall owner, a native of Pattani who spoke on condition of anonymity, tells me while I glance at his extensive range of products that VCDs on jihad have sold out quickly after the April 28 incident at the mosque which left 32 suspected insurgents dead.
In all, 108 suspected insurgents died on April 28, while five security personnel also perished.
The Islamic word jihad has often been associated with international terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
“The VCDs on jihad have been selling like hotcakes,” he says.
The young businessman tells me that he usually sells his goods at major mosques in Pattani and Yala, including the Central Mosque of Pattani. He set up a stall at Krue Se Mosque after April 28.
“There are a series of VCDs on jihad movements in Afghanistan, Chechnya and also about [Osama] bin Laden,” he says, adding that his merchandise comes from Malaysia.
It is hard to know what the buyers of these VCDs have in mind. Perhaps they want to know more about how fellow Muslims pursue jihad – the struggle against any act of aggression in defence of Islam – in other countries.
Jihadwatch is occasionally discovered by those hoping to learn more about how to wage violent jihad and who are subsequently disappointed to learn that the site is against it.