On a weekend walking tour, after spending some time at a beautiful Buddhist temple, we made our way through the type of narrow alleyway that you would never be able to find if it wasn't there, into the walled courtyard encircling the Masjid Saifee.
It was quiet. A few ornate tombs stood silently in the hot morning sun. The front door to the mosque was locked, but presently an old man with a long white beard poked his head around the corner and waved us forward. He was the caretaker, and he was delighted to show us around. The old man unlocked the big wooden front door and after we had removed our shoes, led us into the dimly lit mosque.
One of my friends on the tour whom I got to know last week on a cave trek and on the Greenland Trail hike a few months ago was Muslim from Sudan. When we stepped inside the mosque, he took a look around and told us, "this is a Shi'a mosque". The vast majority of Muslims in Thailand - and indeed in the world (up to 90%) - are of the larger Sunni sect.
He had been able to tell the mosque's denomination through the Arabic calligraphy decorating the walls of the prayer hall. "They are the names of the Prophet Mohammad's successors", he told us. Shi'a Muslims believe that Mohammad's successors should be through his own blood line, whereas Sunnis believe that the succeeding Caliphs should be democratically chosen. There are some liturgical and political differences between the two sects, but that is where the difference stems from.
We were very lucky for the chance to visit this beautiful community mosque. While countries like Malaysia tend to open their mosques to tourists and visitors, Thailand's small Muslim community tends to be a bit more private. If it hadn't been for the kind caretaker, we could only have seen the Masjid Saifee from the outside.
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