TODAY and over the weekend, Phuket's Muslim community will be celebrating the end of Ramadan by feasting with friends and family.
If you are travelling throughout the region, it's a good time to avoid border crossings. The hari raya festival means that if you are travelling between Malaysia and Thailand, you are likely to be competing with thousands of Muslims heading both ways to enjoy themselves.
Phuket's Muslims are thriving and prospering, says Bamrung Sampaorat, the blue-eyed director of the Muslim Phuket Community. The faith is strong, with 51 mosques and six more under construction.
Much of the money to build new mosques comes from the Middle East, where the faithful are enjoined to give to help others.
Phuket's tourism industry now fully understands and appreciates the importance of the Muslim faith and Muslims on Phuket, not just for the distinctive culture, but also for halal food.
More and more visitors are coming from Muslim countries because there is a strong Muslim community here, and one that provides halal food now to high international standards.
''Muslims on Phuket are more fortunate than in other parts of Thailand,'' Khun Bamrung said. ''Tolerance is a way of life on this island. It doesn't matter here whether you are white or black, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim.
''For example, my next-door neighbor is Buddhist. Our children play together. When one feels pain or loss, we all feel pain or loss.''
Most international visitors to Patong probably do not even notice that the Muslim community there is large, and thriving. For all its beer bars and late night entertainment, a large section of Patong never sees a bottle of alcohol or a woman who is scantily dressed.
It's a most important factor that few outsiders recognise. While Muslims often come from the troubled deep south region of Thailand to live and work on Phuket, none of the problems of the south come with them.
Because the Muslim community on Phuket has always been treated as the equal of other communities, there has never been any sense of grievance. As the island's tourism industry has brought prosperity, that new wealthy has been shared among everyone.
Somewhere between a quarter and one third of the island's Thai population is Muslim. Muslims live and work and are involved in every aspect of Phuket life and government.
Many things can be said about what's wrong with Phuket, and there is truth in most of them. Religious intolerance, however, has never been one of the island's problems, nor is it ever likely to become one.
Even the moderate Muslim communities in other parts of the world fail to be as tolerant as Phuket's Muslim community.
About one third of Phuket's Thai citizens are Muslim. There was a time when the children were all sent to Thailand's south to complete their religious education.
When safety became a serious concern, that process ended. Now, Phuket Muslim children complete their religious education on Phuket.
''People here and in other parts of Thailand don't see themselves as Muslims first,'' Khun Bamrung said. ''We are all Thais first, and Muslims as well. We also all support Phuket.
''The island is a mixture of all cultures and religions. There is never a feeling here that one kind of person looks down on another kind of person. Muslims can even open a bar, if they are that way inclined.''
Tolerance, he says, springs from mutual understanding. Phuket, it seems, has more than its share of tolerance and understanding. This aspect of Phuket's culture is celebrated all year long by those who understand its importance.
If you are travelling throughout the region, it's a good time to avoid border crossings. The hari raya festival means that if you are travelling between Malaysia and Thailand, you are likely to be competing with thousands of Muslims heading both ways to enjoy themselves.
Phuket's Muslims are thriving and prospering, says Bamrung Sampaorat, the blue-eyed director of the Muslim Phuket Community. The faith is strong, with 51 mosques and six more under construction.
Much of the money to build new mosques comes from the Middle East, where the faithful are enjoined to give to help others.
Phuket's tourism industry now fully understands and appreciates the importance of the Muslim faith and Muslims on Phuket, not just for the distinctive culture, but also for halal food.
More and more visitors are coming from Muslim countries because there is a strong Muslim community here, and one that provides halal food now to high international standards.
''Muslims on Phuket are more fortunate than in other parts of Thailand,'' Khun Bamrung said. ''Tolerance is a way of life on this island. It doesn't matter here whether you are white or black, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or Muslim.
''For example, my next-door neighbor is Buddhist. Our children play together. When one feels pain or loss, we all feel pain or loss.''
Most international visitors to Patong probably do not even notice that the Muslim community there is large, and thriving. For all its beer bars and late night entertainment, a large section of Patong never sees a bottle of alcohol or a woman who is scantily dressed.
It's a most important factor that few outsiders recognise. While Muslims often come from the troubled deep south region of Thailand to live and work on Phuket, none of the problems of the south come with them.
Because the Muslim community on Phuket has always been treated as the equal of other communities, there has never been any sense of grievance. As the island's tourism industry has brought prosperity, that new wealthy has been shared among everyone.
Somewhere between a quarter and one third of the island's Thai population is Muslim. Muslims live and work and are involved in every aspect of Phuket life and government.
Many things can be said about what's wrong with Phuket, and there is truth in most of them. Religious intolerance, however, has never been one of the island's problems, nor is it ever likely to become one.
Even the moderate Muslim communities in other parts of the world fail to be as tolerant as Phuket's Muslim community.
About one third of Phuket's Thai citizens are Muslim. There was a time when the children were all sent to Thailand's south to complete their religious education.
When safety became a serious concern, that process ended. Now, Phuket Muslim children complete their religious education on Phuket.
''People here and in other parts of Thailand don't see themselves as Muslims first,'' Khun Bamrung said. ''We are all Thais first, and Muslims as well. We also all support Phuket.
''The island is a mixture of all cultures and religions. There is never a feeling here that one kind of person looks down on another kind of person. Muslims can even open a bar, if they are that way inclined.''
Tolerance, he says, springs from mutual understanding. Phuket, it seems, has more than its share of tolerance and understanding. This aspect of Phuket's culture is celebrated all year long by those who understand its importance.
