The Importance of the Cham in Cambodia

The Cham people are an important ethnic minority in Cambodia. They are mainly rice farmers but also grow cotton, maize, tobacco, castor-oil plants, manioc, peanuts, ferns, beans, and vegetables. Some Cham are involved in animal domestication, hunting, and fishing. There are some Cham fishermen in the villages along the banks of the Mekong and its tributaries. Some are also cattle traders and butchers.

Folk Islam Beliefs

The Cham have been involved in Hinduism and Buddhism historically, but over a period of several centuries there was a gradual conversion to Islam. Their most ancient beliefs were in a "Mother Goddess," and the lives of the common people of Champa were centered on ancestor worship. Islam arrived in Cambodia via India and Malaysia. Those living in the rural areas now mix Islam with their indigenous culture and animistic elements, resulting in folk Islam. The spiritual center for the Cham Muslims of Cambodia is Chur-Changvra, near Phnom Penh.

The Outlook for the Cham of Cambodia

In Cambodia, there are several different Islamic groups. The Chang Veng group of villages tends to mix more Malay words with their vocabulary because of their strong connection with and support received from Muslims in Malaysia. The Imam San group has fewer connections with the outside Muslim world because of their stance on animistic traditions, which is unacceptable to fundamental Muslims. The Da'wa is a missionary movement from a variety of Islamic countries outside of Cambodia. Visiting groups of Da'wa missionaries can be seen in Cham villages of Cambodia traveling from village to village, spreading their beliefs, and preaching in village mosques, where they live during their stay. The Wahhabiyya is another missionary movement similar to the Da'wa; they also preach a more fundamentalist type of Islam.

Only a few dozen Cham have been reached with the gospel. There are no known churches and no Bible in the Cham language.

Flag of Cambodia

Map of Cambodia

Prayer requests:

* The Islamic missionaries need to come to Christ. May God open the eyes of the Cham to see the truth so that they will come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

* Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to reach the Cham for Christ.

* Pray for safety and protection for those already working among the Cham.

* Pray for the spiritual growth in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for Cham believers.

Background on Cambodia (World Factbook)

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed.

Economy of Cambodia

In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, the government made progress on economic reforms. In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government once commercial extraction begins in the coming years. Fully 75% of the population remains engaged in subsistence farming. More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.

About Cambodia

Population: 14,701,717 (July 2011 est.) * See Population note at the bottom. World rank #66

Life Expectancy at Birth: 62.67 years. World rank #178

Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%

Religions: Buddhist 96.4%, Muslim 2.1%, other 1.3%, unspecified 0.2%

Languages: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

Literacy: 73.6% -- Male: 84.7%, Female: 64.1%

School life expectancy: 10 years

Population Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.

External Link: In Cambodia, the percentage of uneducated Muslim people is high ... more so among the Cham. The Cambodian Muslim Students Association conducted a survey on education, women's education and ...

About the Cham in Cambodia: Video

Demo Chams from Germain P on Vimeo.

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| · City Population: 10 million

The official Muslim population of Bangkok, Thailand is 262,023 people (2000 est.) but some estimate the number to be closer to one million. Over 160 officially registered mosques are located in the city. Many Muslims live along canals which were historically important transportation corridors (there were few or no roads into many areas until 30 years ago). The mosques and temples were all built along the canals for easy access, yet today many of the canals have disappeared.

Muslims have lived in Bangkok for generations, often forming homogenous communities, largely closed to non-Muslims. The size of each community differs, but on average it is about 150 - 200 households. These communities have been able to develop their own mosques and religious schools, and maintain their social and dietary customs. Muslims tend not to move into areas where the residents are primarily Buddhist. However, because Bangkok has become such a huge city, there are many places where Muslims mix with non-Muslims - even though they prefer to both live and work together with fellow Muslims. While large areas in the eastern part of Bangkok used to be primarily Muslim, they are now a minority in these districts. However, in some areas, Muslim students still form the majority in public schools.

Thai is the only language most of Bangkok's Muslims speak, but occasional words of Malay are also used. Muslim sermons on radio include Arabic and sometimes Malay readings. Some religious schools teach Pattani Malay as well as Arabic, and many students from Bangkok study at religious schools away from the city.

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Thailand Map

Most emigration of Muslims into Bangkok has come from the southern part of Thailand, but there have also been sizeable groups of Cham from Cambodia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Burma and Iran, as well as China.

Prayer Starters

* Pray that many Muslims in Bangkok will realise that life is not about religion; it is about having a relationship with God through the Messiah (John 17:3).

* Pray that Bangkok's Muslims will discover the blessings which come through Jesus.

* Pray that Thai believers will be able to build positive and beneficial friendships with Muslims

Testimony from South East Asia:

Mary (pseudonym) had wanted to die. She was a victim of constant abuse, a teenager who had nothing to live for until one night she had a dream. In the dream a being clothed in white appeared to her saying, “I am your God, who died on the cross for you.”

Shortly afterward Mary found a follower of Jesus who helped her to better understand the dream. However, when she sought to tell her family about her experience Mary’s uncle tried to kill her several times! Local believers helped her escape, and to understand faith in the Messiah, the Word of God.

Eventually Mary was able to return home to see her family despite the threats of her uncle. When she arrived she discovered that her uncle had recently been arrested for gambling so at least she was somewhat safer. She had a joyful reunion with her family and they allowed her to continue walking with God with the help of the Messiah.

Mary is now part of a group of people who have started several groups for believers in an Asian country. They are studying the life of Jesus. They are applying the message in their own lives, as in the time of Acts. One of the new believers asked a question one day about why Jesus is called the Son of God. Mary encouraged the person simply to ask God for the answer. In the days that followed God had gave the person His answer when unexpectedly a gently blowing breeze opened the Bible at the first chapter of John. In the beginning was the Word ...The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

Video: Islamic Religious Schools in Thailand: [2:24]

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