According to a 1685 account of a Persian diplomat as well as notes of the French traveller [[Guy Tachard]], there was a substantial [[Shi'a]] Persian community in Siam at the time, with the ritual ''[[ta'zieh]]'' performances subsidised by the Siamese king.<ref>[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/sup/Safine_ye_Solaymani.html ] {{wayback|url=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/sup/Safine_ye_Solaymani.html |date=20090514084119 |df=y }}</ref>
==Sambutan Maulidur Rasul==
==Sifat tersendiri Islam di Thailand==
Di Bangkok, sambutan [[Maulidur Rasul]] atau ''Ngarn Mawlid Klang'' memberi peluang kepada masyarakat Islam di sana untuk menonjolkan keunikan budaya dan gaya hidup mereka kepada masyarakat Thai yang lain. Selain hari untuk memperingati kelahiran Rasulullah s.a.w., ''Ngarn Mawlid Klang'' juga merupakan hari di mana umat Islam Thai memperbaharui kesetiaan mereka kepada Raja.<ref name="nationmultimedia.com"/><ref>http://malaysiandigest.com/opinion/484043-celebrating-mawlid-maulidur-rasul.html</ref>
Generally there is a small circle of theologically trained believers of the Islamic faith in Thailand and large general Muslim masses which follow certain customs and traditions associated with traditional [[Islam]] influenced by Sufism.
For Thai Muslims, like their co-coreligionists in Southeast Asia's other Buddhist-majority countries, [[Mawlid]] is a symbolic reminder of the historical presence of Islam in the country. It is also represents an annual opportunity to reaffirm Muslims' status as Thai citizens and their allegiance to the monarchy.<ref name="nationmultimedia.com">http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Celebrating-the-Prophet-Muhammads-birthday-in-Thai-30255466.html</ref>
The Islamic faith in Thailand, is integrated with [[Sufi]] beliefs and practices, as in other Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Ministry of Culture's Islamic Department gives awards to Muslims who have contributed to the promotion and development of Thai life in their roles as citizens, as educators and as social workers. In Bangkok, the Ngarn Mawlid Klang main festival is a vibrant showcase for the Thai Muslim community and their lifestyles.<ref name="nationmultimedia.com"/><ref>http://malaysiandigest.com/opinion/484043-celebrating-mawlid-maulidur-rasul.html</ref>
