The village that left Buddhism behind

[geovalin]

Audrey Wilson and Vandy Muong

Muslims make up only 2.3 per cent of Cambodia’s population, but voices within the Islamic community insist that it is growing. And while most converts have been brought to Islam through marriage, there’s at least one village where the religion has taken hold on its own merits

In Kwan village in Kampong Speu province, 65-year-old Abdul Amit leads a group of men and women down a dusty road to noon prayers. Inside, the mosque is simple: four white walls, handwoven prayer rugs, and a makeshift curtain to separate the women from the men. With toddlers and reporters present, the mood is informal. The small group of villagers make their prayers, then return to the hubbub on the outside. The small building with its gold dome is quite new, funded by money sent from a Saudi Arabian donor in 2014, Amit explained. The Saudi connection blossomed from a social-media video campaign overseen by the Cambodia Muslim Media Center (CAMM), according to the villagers.

EXCELLENT ARTICLE TO BE READ HERE: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weekend/village-left-buddhism-behind

[lostinisaan]

And men can marry a 6 year old.....

[Sheryl]

Not under Cambodian law, they can't.

[khounteen]

They will fight for freedom and syariah law soon

[bkkrooftop]

tourism should do well here

[TPI]

One small step for man.........!

[Benmart]

And men can marry a 6 year old.....

Please present proof for this as it pertains to Cambodia.

[Acharn]

They will fight for freedom and syariah law soon

You think so? Do you have a reason?

[Keesters]

And they are being bribed with money to change their beliefs.

CAMBODIA'S Muslim Cham community is in a state of transition as well-funded Islamic

missionary groups from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia gain converts to their Wahabi sect

at the expense of traditional Cham religious practice.

Wahabi is the version of Islam practiced by Afghanistan's extremist Taliban movement,

and the Saudi Royal Family.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/arabian-zealots-pour-dollars-purifying-cham

[NickJ]

Right after 9/11. The Cambodian Govt rolled out there tanks and put one on the entrance to each muslim villiage.

[Sheryl]

No, they did not.

I was living and working in Cambodia on 9/11.

Absolutely no military measures of any type taken.

And the current government has never taken any sort of aggressive military action towards Muslim villages. It is a sensitive subject in Cambodia as the Khmer Rouge targeted the Cham (the ethnic Cambodian Muslim minority) for extermination. Anything of this sort would produce immediate outrage.

What this article describes (Cambodian Buddhists converting to Islam) is extremely rare. Almost all Muslims in Cambodia are Cham, a distinct ethnic group with their own language and customs. Pleasant and very peaceful people in my experience.

[NickJ]

Sorry but they did. Maybe not all of them but it did happen and aside from my friend showing me his photos, he has lived there over twenty years. They mentioned it in the Bkk Post.

[mike2011]

Wikipedia has a surprisingly good article on the Chams. Remarkable people with a remarkable past. Worthwhile reading.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chams

Visiting My Son near Hoi An in Vietnam is a must as is the museum in Da Nang.

[khounteen]

They will fight for freedom and syariah law soon

You think so? Do you have a reason?

Reason? Look at Southern Thailand and Philippines.