Western Cham in Cambodia

Long ago, the Cham had a strong empire, called Champa, located in southern Vietnam. In 1471, Champa was invaded and destroyed by the Vietnamese and most freemen and aristocrats fled to Cambodia. In 1975, more than 250,000 Muslim Cham lived in Cambodia. With the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime, however, their population was decimated. Captured and removed from their homes, they were forbidden to speak their own language and forced to eat pork, which is an abomination to Muslims. About 100,000 Cham were said to have been executed. Cham villagers are extremely poor and their settlements convey a sense of impermanence. They are now largely integrated into the Cambodian lifestyle and many now speak Khmer.

Ministry Obstacles

This Muslim community living in Buddhist Cambodia may have become especially protective of their religious tradition.

Scripture Focus

"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"  Psalm 56:8

Scripture Prayer

Pray for members of this people group to turn to the Lord with their sorrows and trust Him to wipe away their tears and replace it with eternal joy.

Prayer Focus

Pray for improved living conditions for the Cham, for employment opportunities and for good schools to be available for the children. There are some believers in Christ among the Cham of Cambodia. Pray the JESUS Film and gospel recordings (which are available) would be taken to these believers. Workers need to rise up in courage to share the gospel with the Western Cham of Cambodia. There is a need for sustained prayer to prepare hearts of the Cham. Pray for Gospel recordings and the JESUS Film to become easily accessible for communicating the good news.