Phnom Penh

From the wonderful jungle entwined temples of Angkor to the verdant palm fringed beaches on the Gulf of Thailand, and from the majestic Mekong River to the diverse rural communities dotted around the country, Cambodia’s location at the cultural interface between India and China has made it an intriguing destination for travellers throughout the ages. Like many ancient civilisations described in the Qur’an, Cambodia experienced various dynasties reaching its zenith under the Khmer, who built Angkor Wat, one of the world’s largest religious buildings. This was followed by periods of civil strife and colonisation, then independence, and finally the modern republic which went through a particularly brutal episode under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. The Cham are one of Southeast Asia’s notable ethnic groups, and form the core of the Muslim communities in both Cambodia and Vietnam. The Kingdom of Champa, founded in the second century CE was one of the most powerful empires in Indochina, covering much of what is today Vietnam and parts of Cambodia. The 13th century Muslim geographer, Shams al-Din al-Dimashqi, mentions that Islam arrived in the region during time of Caliph Uthman (ra) and some of the Cham Muslims trace their ancestry to Jahsh, the father of Zaynab bint Jahsh (ra), one of the wives of Prophet Muhammad (saw). A number of Sahabah and their successors who travelled from Arabia and Abyssinia towards China stopped along the coastal route, heralding a period in which Islam began to spread in the region and helping to strengthen the Spice Route linking the Arabian Peninsula to Southern China and the Malay Archipelago. By 1676, the Kingdom of Champa, which was originally Hindu, became majority Muslim. When the kingdom eventually broke up, the Cham people were scattered across South East Asia. The Khmer Rouge years were especially difficult for the Muslim community as they were often singled out and killed with many mosques destroyed. Today, it is estimated that there are up to one million Muslims in Cambodia who are spread throughout the country. Their presence is particularly significant in the provinces of Kompong Cham, Battambamg, Kompong Som, Kompong Chhnang and Phnom Penh. Many are poor and are illiterate but Islam has always been in their hearts and is being revived, alhamdulillah.