Thai Missionary Work Sparks Hatred

On a Friday afternoon in Pattani, a province nestled in the conflict-ridden south of Thailand, an unusual scene unfolded at the Pattani Central Mosque. Eight Thai believers from the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, arrived with a mission—to preach their message of the arrival of the Mahdi. What transpired over the next 30 minutes set off a viral storm, igniting a wave of hate, threats, and debate that now reverberates across the internet.

As worshippers completed their Friday prayers, the AROPL believers, led by 65-year-old Voosnong Madda, took to a microphone and began calling the Muslims to embrace Imam Al-Mahdi. Armed with flyers and signs, the group handed out materials detailing their beliefs, drawing a mix of curiosity and disdain from the mosque-goers. Some paused to engage in conversation, while others hurried past, uninterested.

Among the small group were Yuttana Madthing, 54, who livestreamed the event, and Adul Daraseh, 73, who documented it through his camera. The event, seemingly innocuous at first, quickly spiraled into a viral sensation.

Within hours, the livestream had been picked up by a well-known Sunni fundamentalist influencer, notorious for his anti-Shia rhetoric. Posting the video on his Facebook page, he rallied his followers with a chilling message: "Breaking News! The Black Banners Yamani group have come out about the New Mahdi in front of Pattani Central Mosque during Friday prayers... I will inform the Islamic committee, the scholars and teachers of religion..."

The post exploded in popularity, rapidly amassing hundreds of thousands of views and triggering an avalanche of hostile comments. By the next day, the video had been viewed over 500,000 times, with the numbers continuing to climb.

The comments section became a breeding ground for vitriol. “Can we catch them for the Islamic Commitee if they do this?” wrote one user, Sang Sawang. Another commenter, Jirayut Burakai, suggested a more visceral response: “Take s*** and throw at them.” The threats grew increasingly menacing, with one user, Sahuding Chamamah, proposing violence: “Let’s hit the speaker’s ear one time.”

The incident also caught the attention of Sayan Sukchan, a lawyer and Islamic fundamentalist who echoed the influencer’s sentiment, further fanning the flames. He posted, “During prayer at the Pattani Central Mosque, the Shia spread their sect. Isn’t this clear enough? Have your eyes now opened?”

What began as a quiet missionary effort by a fringe group has now escalated into a national debate, with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light finding itself at the center of a firestorm. As the controversy deepens, the situation remains tense. The believers, undeterred, continue their work, while the online world watches, comments, and—too often—threatens.