WAQF IN A NON-MUSLIM COUNTRY: A PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF WAQF IN THAILAND

Waqf in various forms has been found in Muslim communities throughout Thailand. However, a small number of systematic inquiries has been conducted to document basic information such as forms, management, and impacts of waqf in the country. As a result of that, it is difficult to further investigate whether waqf serves its objectives of socio-economic development of Muslim communities or otherwise. This study, therefore, aims at preliminary examining the forms, management, and issues on waqf in the Muslim majority area of Satun province in the south of Thailand. In order to arrive at the conclusion, a qualitative approach was employed. In-depth interview was used to gather information from Imans. Purposive sampling technique was used to choose the interviewees who have adequate knowledge on the topic. Narrative analysis was the method of analyzing the collected data. The findings in this study show that waqf in Thailand can be found in various forms and mainly property waqf which includes mosque buildings, Islamic schools, agricultural land and rental houses. Cash can also be found as a part of the process to purchase of waqf properties. These waqf properties are managed by mosque committee but are not required to report to the Provincial Islamic Committee. As a result, the information on the value of waqf cannot be found anywhere. The willingness of waqf contributors and no provisions of the law are the two main issues confronting waqf management in Thailand. This paper provides basic waqf information in Thailand and leads the way for further studies and subsequently effective model of waqf in a non-Muslim country. =========================================== Wakaf dalam berbagai bentuk telah ditemukan dalam komunitas Muslim di seluruh Thailand. Namun, sejumlah kecil pertanyaan sistematis telah dilakukan untuk mendokumentasikan informasi dasar seperti bentuk, manajemen dan dampak dari wakaf di negara tersebut. Sebagai hasil dari itu, sulit untuk menyelidiki lebih lanjut apakah wakaf dilaksanakan sesuai tujuannya ...