31 October 2013

MALAY WORLD - Cham Malays in Cambodia







CHAM MALAYS IN CAMBODIA

There are currently more than half a million Cham Malays living in Cambodia. According to Oknha Sos Kamry, the mufti of Cambodia, the figure was about 700,000 before the Pol Pot regime came into power but was significantly reduced to less than 400,000 after the dark years. The Cham Malays were originally from Vietnam but had settled down in Cambodia for about 300 years. Incidentally, some Cham Malays have also settled in Malaysia, Acheh and the Hainan islands since then. They speak the Cham language which is now written in the Jawi script. About 40% of the words in the Cham language can be identified as Malay.


The Cham Malays are scattered in Cambodia with a considerable number living as fishermen along the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. Our Cham Malay tour guide informed us that it is easy to spot a Cham Malay village along the two rivers which is marked by the village mosque and scores of perahus lining up the shore. Some of these villages are on the move as the fishermen frequently look for better fishing areas along the river.

Life is simple and hard for the Cham Malay fishermen, but once a year between November and January, the river brings joy to the fishermen. It is during these months that schools of fish from the Tonle Sap Lake in Vietnam come down south to the Mekong River. The fishermen would build rafts on the river along the flow of currents and haul up tons of fish in their 50m-70m long nets or pukat. One night’s catch could yield about to 10-15 tons of fish. Vietnamese and Khmer fishmongers would come to the rafts to buy fish wholesale before transporting them by boats to the markets along the river banks.

Many Cham Malays have moved and built villages inland. There are 24 regions in Cambodia of which 23 have a total of 420 Cham Malay villages. A concentration of about 200,000 Cham Malays in 140 villages can be found in the Kampong Cham region itself. Their habits and customs are typically Malay with focus on family and community values. Their source of living comes from agriculture namely padi and rubber. The mosque would be the centre of the activities among the villagers. A typical Cham Malay village would also have a school.

According to the mufti there are distinctly two groups of Cham Malays. The main group belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. Another small group of about 5% of Cham Malays practices an esoteric version of Islam. They called themselves Kaum Zahid and claimed to be the original Cham Malays from Vietnam. They believe in Allah and the prophet but only pray once a week on Friday instead of five times a day. They fast for only three days in the month of Ramadan and perform the pilgrimage at a sacred hill in which it is believed that the remains of their founder were buried. The Kaum Zahid is concentrated in the villages at Kampong Chnang.

The Cham Malays are a respectable community in Cambodia. They enjoy religious freedom as the mainly Buddhist Khmer communities. They are fondly referred to as Khmer Muslims and are represented in the current government. The Council for Islamic Religious Affairs is located at the outskirts of Phnom Penh at Chrang Chomreh.

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