Assalamu-Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

In my last post I spoke about my travels around the World to secure products for Islamic Impressions. While I plan to blog about many different issues related to Islamic products, Islam and Muslim community affairs, I also plan to write a ‘travelogue’ series of blogs in which I elaborate more on each country I have visited. Today we will kick off with Thailand.

Thailand is a very beautiful country with a lot of scenic beauty, rich culture and interesting traditions. Thailand is mainly Buddhist, but it has a large minority of Muslims too. I found that in Thailand a lot of things are in reverse, with taxis in particular! Everywhere else in the world you would find yellow, black, white or green taxis, but in Thailand they have PINK taxis which immediately get noticed by tourists!  The day I arrived I took a ride on one of these taxis to my hotel. On my way to the hotel I gained the trust of the taxi driver who became my personal driver throughout my entire stay and took me everywhere I wanted to go.

As a foreign visitor I initially felt very cautious about meeting strangers in Bangkok, due to the notorious reputation that Thailand has for locals deceiving and defrauding tourists. But when I finally walked into a store in the mall that day I was greeted with humble smiles as the store staff bowed, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. Whichever place I visited in Thailand I was greeted in the same manner; and although it may seem odd to a foreigner (especially a Muslim since in our Deen we do not bow to anybody other than Allah SWT) none the less it came across as an extremely kind and welcoming display of the local ada’ab.

After my brief tourism I embarked on the objective of my coming to Thailand: to find products for Islamic Impressions. I was in Thailand for Oudh, Atar and Silk. So I headed to the market place in Bangkok which has all the major traders for these products. The Cambodian Oudh in its raw form is very prized and valued for its precious nature. The people that were mainly trading in the market place were Arabs who had come to Thailand for the Silk, Oudh and Atar trade. It was a good experience working with them as they were very welcoming and before the start of any business deal it would always be accompanied with Arab hospitality by offering of tea and dates.

Busy with my trading activities, the time passed quickly and before I knew it the day of Jumm’ah was upon me. So I got my trusty driver to take me to the nearest mosque in Bangkok. When I arrived I was noticed immediately by the locals who recognised that I was a foreigner.  However instead of hostility I was met with great hospitality, which the Thai locals are famous for. After the Jumm’ah prayers I met the local Imam and he took me to some halal eateries for food. After amply tasting the Thai fish dishes I was yearning to try something different. To my surprise the food was fiery hot and hence not easily palatable in large quantities, despite me being of South Asian origins!

During my outing with the Imam he told me some interesting things about the Muslim experience in Thailand. For example, in Thailand Muslims generally respect and look up to the King and Queen. Apparently the Thai monarchy is very good to the Muslim community and they give a lot of funding for the renovation of mosques. Islam is the largest minority religion in Thailand with nearly 6 million Muslims. In the whole of Thailand there are 2000 mosques and 200 of those are in Bangkok alone. There are 200 Muslim schools and the Muslims enjoy full state support to teach and practice their religion.

All in all, Thailand is an amazing destination that is not normally associated with Islam and Muslims. Our Ummah is an amazing Ummah, diverse and scattered all over the globe. Any Muslim wishing to experience a part of the Ummah that is off the mainstream track (or usual list of destinations) should consider visiting Thailand. You will be pleasantly surprised by your stay and I highly recommend it.

Aqib

Assalamu-Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

This is my first post on my very own blog! For me being a blogger (or a blagger as some call it) is a whole new experience, as those who know me personally would tell you I am more of a doer than a talker (or even a blagger!)

As the director of Islamic Impressions I understand it to be my mission to cater for the demands of our customers, however at the same time I believe it is a duty to create an appreciation for some of the great Islamic products that are produced in the Muslim World. In Britain, Muslim consumers, like the wider consumer market, are used to buying products which are manufactured using a lot of technology but very little individual craftsmanship. Therefore I decided to spend several months travelling throughout the Muslim World in search of high quality Islamic products that had the attention to detail I believed British Muslims were looking for.

The most amazing thing that I noticed in my travels was the unique craftsmanship in countless products throughout the Muslim world. This craftsmanship inspired me to bring these products to the forefront of our collection and to create an appreciation for these skills and the richness of Islamic culture it adds to the Islamic life style in UK.

The Ummahs dress sense in each region had its own style and charm with full adherence to the Islamic law. In the Middle East I found that the traditional dress known as the jubbah had distinct regional differences. For example in Oman they had their own style of jubbah called ‘Kandoora’ and this was different to the Saudi jubbah even though Oman and Saudi Arabia are neighbouring countries.

I also visited the Far East and South East Asia including Royal Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, and China (including Muslim populated districts of China). Over there I noticed a totally different way in which people dressed. For example Malaysian men wore a long sleeved shirt (baju) and trousers with a scarf-like cloth tied around their waist (Songket) and a religious hat (songkok). I also happened to discover a Malaysian Blue Mosque, which would surprise those who associate the ‘blue mosque’ with Turkey… I am sure they would also be dazzled by the Malaysian Blue Mosque because of its beauty and mind-boggling architecture.  

I made my journey to Thailand and visited a mosque where I was warmly greeted by my brothers in Islam. The Muslims in Thailand were really welcoming and amazed to see a Muslim from UK. They introduced me to the Ulema in the mosque and also their students.

Overall, my trip was extremely rewarding in every way- alhamdulillah. I learnt so much about the rich cultures of the Muslim world, and experienced first hand their warmth and excellent hospitality. People are very approachable and are really willing to help when you are in need. A refreshing change from British society, indeed landing back at Heathrow was a massive reality check!

Alhamdulillah, after all that globe trotting I am now back in Britain.  Alhamdulillah, Islamic Impressions has not been affected by the recession so far. This just proves the resilience of the Islamic goods market, as many of our products are considered recession-proof essentials for Muslims who are attached to their deen. We pray to Allah SWT to protect the Ummah from the effects of this man-made economic crisis.

We are keenly pursuing an expansion strategy aimed at increasing our presence and accessibility to the Muslim community across the country and even abroad. Our Denmark Store is still going strong and we have even opened a Store in Trinidad, West Indies! Here in London we are currently settling into new offices based at our 10,000 sq ft warehouse in East London, and the arrival of our various summer collections is imminent. We are extremely excited about the coming 6 months, and with more big projects in the pipeline all I can say is ‘watch this space, inshallah’! J

Aqib