Chularatchamontri Prasert Mahamad
(Ahmad bin Mahamad)

Chularatchamontri Prasert Mahamad (Ahmad bin Mahamad)

After Chularatchamontri Tuan Suwannasat passed away in 1981, the government invited the chairmen of all provincial Islamic committees to a meeting at the Ministry of Interior. Their purpose was to select a person to recommend to the King for royal appointment as the next Chularatchamontri.

Mr. Prasert Mahamad was selected and officially appointed as Chularatchamontri by a royal command on September 8, 1981. He became the 12th Chularatchamontri of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the 16th of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Mr. Prasert Mahamad was a native of Bangkok, born in 1927. He completed his religious education in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Before his appointment as Chularatchamontri, he served as an Islamic studies teacher and was a member of the Bangkok Islamic Committee. Mr. Prasert Mahamad is regarded as a highly influential Chularatchamontri, whose tenure marked an era of significant changes in the administration of Islamic affairs. The most notable change was the initiation of the drafting of a new Islamic Organizational Administration Act. This was championed by Mr. Den Tomina, a Member of Parliament for Pattani Province who was serving as Deputy Minister of Interior at the time. This effort eventually led to the new law on the administration of Islamic organizations.

The new law, called the Islamic Organizational Administration Act, B.E. 2540 (1997), was dated October 17, 1997.

In addition, Chularatchamontri Prasert Mahamad observed that in the past, the office of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand was frequently relocated to follow its highest leader, the Chularatchamontri.

In 1990, Chularatchamontri Prasert Mahamad proposed to the government the establishment of a central hub for various Islamic religious activities.

In response, the Ministry of Interior, through the Department of Provincial Administration, which was responsible for implementing the cabinet resolution, initiated a project to construct the "National Islamic Affairs Administration Center in Commemoration of His Majesty the King." This center is located in the Khlong Kao area of Nong Chok district, Bangkok. The building and its management were designed to appropriately cover all activities related to the administration of Islamic affairs.

Today, it serves as the official location for the Office of the Chularatchamontri, the Central Islamic Council of Thailand, and the Bangkok Provincial Islamic Committee Office.

Chularatchamontri Prasert Mahamad held his position from 1981 until his death in 1997, serving a total of 16 years. During his tenure, he made numerous significant contributions to the administration of Islamic affairs, laying a foundation that continues to influence management to this day.