Alamgir Hussain writes for (not affiliated with Jihad Watch), a website whose focus is "Islam under scrutiny by ex-Muslims."
When General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin (also known as Abdullah), the first-ever Muslim head of the Thai army, seized power in a bloodless coup on September 19 (2006), news media around world became flooded with expert opinions and commentaries that there was a hope of peace in the insurgency-plagued Muslim provinces in Southern Thailand. Even the United States, which has been consistent in condemning any military coup in recent years, kept virtually quiet on the coup in Thailand.President Bush even nodded in agreement with the coup when he told the interim Thai Prime Minister during the recent APEC meeting that 'he understood the Thai Coup' [Nation Multimedia, Thailand - Nov 18, 2006].
The academicians have also taken a leading role in defending the coup. Following the coup, prominent academicians in Thailand wrote commentaries and made statements in Thai media praising the military takeover and expressing hope for peace in the South.
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