Islamic fundamentalism taking root among Cham Muslims

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/FEER) – Islamic fundamentalism is moving into Cambodia. The predominantly Buddhist country is seeing the rise of a more radical wing among local Cham Muslims (also known as Khmer Islam) under the influence of Malaysia's conservative movement Dawa Tablight and extremist Saudi wahabism.

In recent years, an estimated 40% have adopted more conservative ways and extremist views moving away from the traditional syncretic form of Cambodian Islam that incorporated elements of Buddhism. Poverty and discrimination are the main factors for this trend.

Cham Muslims represent around 5% or 700,000 of Cambodia's 13 million people. In the past 30 years, war, repression and marginalisation left the community on the brink of extinction. Now they stand at the bottom of Cambodian society and foreign support and financial aid have become vital for their survival. Foreign aid has also opened the doors to alien versions of Islam coming from extremist (and rich) foreign (mostly Arab) groups.

Slowly but surely mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools) are appearing. A new dress code is emerging and Islamic precepts are being interpreted in new ways. Women are increasingly wearing Middle Eastern-styled clothes that relatives and friends are sending from neighbouring Malaysia.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, in the United States and on October 12, 2002, in Bali (Indonesia) the Cambodian government has intensified checks and imposed greater restrictions on the Muslim minority suspected that it might act as a fifth column for international Islamist terrorist organisations.

Western governments are paying greater attention to what is happening within Cambodia's Muslim population. They fear areas inhabited by Cambodian Muslims might become bases for terrorist cells or hideouts for criminal elements because of poor internal security and porous borders.

Suspicions and accusations levelled at the Chams have found greater credence after it was discovered that Indonesian-born Riduan Isamuddin (also known as Hambali), one of the people accused of the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, was hiding out in the country in late 2002 and early 2003.

This growing suspicion is feeding a laager mentality among some Cambodian Muslims. This trend is compounded by foreign-funded mosques and madrassas in which foreign versions of Islam and Arabic are the only subjects taught. A new generation of Cham Muslims is emerging that speak neither the indigenous Cham language nor Khmer. Funds for such mosques and schools are coming from overseas Muslims, especially those living in the US, and donations from Malaysia.

The trend is also dividing local Cham communities. Traditionalists trying to remain tied to their Cambodian cultural roots are pitted against neo-extremists who are relying almost exclusively on outside assistance for their existence. One result is that old mosques are being split into two or second mosques are rising where there once were only one. (DS)

• cambodia
• fundamentalism
• islam
• society
• buddhism
• terrorism
• cham
• muslims
• khmer
• islam