5 minute read
A Small Muslim Community
A Small Muslim Community Determined to Thrive
Muslim Americans remain committed to helping Cambodia’s Muslims even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage their own country
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BY SLES NAZY
A water well installed by the Zakat Foundation of America
Foreign donors have been most generous with those Muslims who survived the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge (1975-79).
Most of the recently built religious facilities, such as mosques, musallas and madrassas, have been constructed for Cambodia’s estimated 1 million Muslims. Among those who have helped are Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and some Middle East countries. They even receive a small degree of help from Muslim Americans. Local Muslim nonprofit organizations cooperate with all of them to better the community’s current conditions.
The country’s Muslims have really benefited from the Cambodian Muslim Media Center’s (CAMM; camm-media.org) relationship with the Zakat Foundation of America (ZFA; www.zakat.org/), a U.S.-based nonprofit. A mosque, built in memory of Rawaa Aljassim with the financial support from goodwill donors through the ZFA, was officially inaugurated in the Muslim rural area of Oupii village, O’Kreang commune, Phnom Khiev district, Kratie province. The ceremony was presided over by Lep Ismail, the village chief of Phnom Khieu, and members of the Communal Council, Mosque Committee, various authorities and many local people.
Ismail stated that because of their living conditions, the 160 Muslim families could not afford to build a proper mosque by themselves. However, a local family donated a lot for the mosque and, fortunately, CAMM answered their appeal and made it happen, despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Mrs. Yousof Aminah, 73, a congregant who came to pray at the new mosque, said that most of the villagers are farmers. When she came here for the first time in 1998, there was no proper mosque and not so many people. And so they used a wooden structure as a temporary mosque for their religious services and events. “Al hamdu lillah,” she remarked, “now we just have this new mosque. Even though it isn’t big enough to accommodate all our people, especially for the Friday congregational prayer, Eid al-Fitri and Eid al-Adha, at least we can enjoy these events with a new mosque and perform our daily prayers indoors.”
She added, “I am very happy to have the new mosque in my village, and I would like to extend my sincerest and deepest thanks to the donors and CAMM’s work for helping our villagers. May Allah bless all of them, and may He grant them success in life, wealth and health.”
Ahmat, 55, a cashew nut tree planter who lives in the village with his eight family members, said that it was a bit far for the village’s 160 families to go from one area to another area in the village. With a broad smile, he said, “Right now, there are three mosques in this area, including the new one funded by the Zakat Foundation of America. But the other two are small, and the roads to their entrances are very slippery. So we used to go there and perform just the Friday prayer. Now we have a very nice mosque, one that is very close to our houses.”
He added, “I, in my capacity as a representative for all the villagers, would like to thank the donor for funding and building this new mosque in my village. May Allah bless everyone who donated, as well as the CAMM workers, with baraka, rahma and reward all of you with janna.”
During the inauguration program, CAMM project manager Nora Kry told our reporter, “This is a second mosque that ZAF has supported. It cost more than [U.S.] $20,000 to build. Al hamdu lillah, even during the Covid-19 crisis our brothers and sisters in America have sent their donations to help our people in Cambodia, not only with this mosque project, but also with some other charity projects as well.”
He added that the project has generated much happiness among the villagers because they now have a place to perform their daily prayers. On their behalf, he expressed everyone’s appreciation to the donors, especially the ZFA, who trusts the Cambodian Muslim Media Center as a reliable local partner.
Nora also told the villagers to adopt a community spirit when it comes to helping maintain all waqf achievements, whether mosques, water wells or other things designed for long-term use. He then urged them to participate in preventing the spread of Covid-19 by following the safety measures instituted by the Ministry of Health.
The Zakat Foundation of America has placed special focus on strengthening community integrity through building mosques in which one can also find schools and libraries. These community centers form a vital source of cooperation, togetherness and literacy in Cambodia’s small Muslim community.
In addition, ZFA specialists have instituted a water security campaign by installing communal water wells as sadaqa jariya. Many of these provide water to remote rural villages. Since 2016, ZFA has funded some 200 wells and hand pumps in various rural communities located in Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Kampong Cham, Tboung Khmom and Kratie provinces. No distinction is made between Muslim and non-Muslim villages, because everyone needs water to survive.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, “If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity” (“Sahih al-Bukhari,” book 78, hadith no. 43). Note that the beneficiary’s religion is not mentioned. Surely this hadith also applies to water wells. Muslim Cambodians hope that those who donate to this very useful ZFA program will continue to help all Cambodians with their ongoing generosity.
Among the ZFA’s most important humanitarian programs, however, have been the Ramadan iftar meals that feed families for the entire month, as well as the fresh zabiha meat of locally raised cattle for the udhiya (qurbani) sacrifice on Eid al-Adha. The meat is hand-delivered to thousands of food-insecure villagers every year. This provides a vital infusion of meat into the diets of these largely poor families — an eagerly awaited gift that is regarded as a very rare and much-appreciated treat. ih
