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Today, the Cham people are largely Muslim, with a minority following Hinduism, both formed the indigenous Muslim and Hindu population in both Cambodia and Vietnam. [12] Despite their adherence to Islam, the Cham people still retain their ancestral practice of matriarchy in family and inheritance. [13]
The flag representing the Cham Muslims in Cambodia. The Cham have their own mosques. In 1962, there were about 100 mosques in the country. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Muslims in Cambodia formed a unified community under the authority of four religious dignitaries — mupti (mufti), tuk kalih, raja kalik, and tvan pake.
Islam first appears in early Cham texts as Asulam, as the Cham people are still referring it today. Bani Awal (Bini ralaoh, people of Allah ) religion, a syncretic, localized version Shi'a Islam , gained dominance in 17th century Panduranga.
Today, many Cham people adhere to Islam, a conversion which began in the 10th century, with the ruling dynasty having fully adopted the faith by the 17th century; they are called the Bani (Ni tục, from Arabic: Bani). There are, however, the Bacam (Bacham, Chiêm tục) who still retain and preserve their Hindu faith, rituals, and festivals.
After their founding, Kan Imam San was the dominant form on Islam in Cambodia. [1] In the second half of the 20th century, the international Muslim community began opening up Islamic schools which taught Sunni Islam. Over time, most Cambodian Muslims have moved away from Kan Imam San and became practitioners of Sunni Islam.
The Cham are descendants of refugees from the various wars of the historical kingdom of Champa. The Cham live amongst the Khmer in the central plains but in contrast to the Khmer who are Theravada Buddhists, the vast majority of Cham follow Islam. [2] There are also small numbers of other minority groups.
The majority of the Muslim Cham community had no idea of their ethnic origin or preferences beyond that of their local religious affiliations and considered themselves simply Muslims. [1] [44] Though by the time of the population exchange, the Muslim Cham population had been nationalized and constituted a "de facto Albanian national minority ...
In Ninh Thuận Province, where most of the Cham in Vietnam reside, Cham Bani (Muslim Cham) number close to 22,000. Out of the 22 villages in Ninh Thuận, 7 are Muslim. [56] The Cham in Vietnam are only recognized as a minority, and not as an indigenous people by the Vietnamese government despite being indigenous to the region.