Campaign to Support Construction of Islamic Center Launched in Cambodia

IQNA – A grassroots campaign, with official support, has been launched to establish a large Islamic center in eastern Cambodia.

With increasing interest in Islamic education as a strategic priority for the Cambodian Muslim community, the broad grassroots campaign has been launched in the east of the country with official support and political and social participation to establish an integrated Islamic center, including a mosque and an Islamic education center, the Muslimsaroundtheworld website reported.

This step reflects the growing awareness about the importance of building religious and educational institutions that are capable of preserving Islamic identity and promoting the continuity of Islamic education for new generations, especially in rural and remote areas with diverse Muslim communities.

The importance of this project lies not only in the construction of a new mosque, but also in the creation of a comprehensive Islamic institution that is expected to serve the Muslim community in the long term by combining worship, Islamic education, and upbringing in a single complex.

The event for launching the campaign was held in Sambor Mias village, Payam Che Khong municipality, in the Kang Mias district of Kampong Cham province, located in eastern Cambodia near the border with Vietnam and along the Mekong River.

The presence of Muslim communities of the Cham ethnic group, along with other Muslim communities of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, in this rural area makes the need for more organized educational and religious institutions crucial to preserving the local Islamic identity.

The meeting was attended by officials and the public, including members of the provincial council, deputy governor, members of local councils, deputy mayors of cities and districts, committees of imams at the provincial and district levels, heads of local associations, mayors and village heads, as well as teachers and a large number of citizens, who expressed strong support for the campaign.

The Muslim population in Cambodia is estimated to be between 400,000 and 500,000, mostly belonging to the Cham ethnic group. They have maintained their religious and cultural presence for centuries, despite political and social upheavals. Muslim communities are concentrated in several provinces, including Kampong Cham in the east, where rural communities rely heavily on social initiatives and solidarity to build mosques and educational institutions.

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