Yes, It is Phuket, Thailand. I spent a fair amount of time in Thailand, and did a Hash House Harrier run there after which they issued T-shirts that read, "Run Until you Phuket". Fun group, the Harriers. If you are unaware of the group and, if you travel, look them up. Many state department type folks attend, as do other interesting locals and expats. But Muslims are far in the minority in Thailand, unlike Indonesia (which essentially surrounds it) which is the most heavily populated Muslim country in the world. Lots of islands and peninsulas nearby are also Muslim, such as Sumatra and part of Borneo -- places where I also spent a fair amount of time. Even during the years I was there, they were known as Modern Muslims, which differentiated them from Africa and Muslims on the Arabic Peninsula (where Yemeni is located.) Even so, I must tell you, as much as I liked the people of Indonesia (and I did) there were a discomforting amount of times when fathers offered to "loan" me their daughters. Once, I was newly arrived at the so-called best hotel in Medan (Sumatra) and shortly after arriving, after the street bullhorns had stopped traffic calling drivers to halt and pray toward Mecca, hotel room service sent up an adolescent girl, whom I thought, at first, was asking for laundry. After I'd sent her away (after realizing why they'd really sent her) an adolescent boy arrived fifteen minutes later. That culture (and I have also visited North Africa) is so existentially different that our own, I think it is beyond my understanding, maybe yours, too. The CNN story about the 12-year old bride being raped to death (and married women/girls CAN be raped) held no surprise for me. It is among the saddest realities in this so called modern world.
