Cambodia
Located in the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is bordered by Vietnam to the east, Thailand to the west, Laos, and Thailand to the north, and the Gulf of Thailand to the south. The ethnic distribution of the country's population is 97.5% Khmer, 1.5% Cham, and 1% others.
It is not known for certain when Cambodia first came into contact with Islam, but it is estimated that it was in the 10th-12th centuries through Indian, Persian, and Arab merchants and travelers. In the 14th century, Islam became prevalent among the Cham and was accepted by large masses of people. Especially in the first half of the 17th century, when the head of state, Prince Cho Ponhea Cand, converted to Islam and took the name Ibrahim, it was an important turning point for the Muslims of the region. In the historical process, Cambodian Muslims generally established political, cultural, and scientific ties with the Malay world, Muslims of the region migrated to these countries during periods of oppression and war, and in the field of religious education, educational institutions and religious schools in the Malay world played an important role for Cambodian Muslims.
Since the mid-19th century, the French colonization, which lasted for a century, has been recorded as a period full of difficulties for Muslims, as it was for all of Cambodia. Nearly 2 million people were massacred during the communist regime between 1976-79, of whom approximately 200 thousand are estimated to be Muslims. During this period, hundreds of mosques and Koranic schools were closed down, the use of the Cham language, Malay, and Arabic by Muslims was banned, and Muslims were subjected to oppression and persecution in every aspect of their lives.
In the years following the overthrow of the communist regime under Pol Pot, the Muslims of the country have entered a process of recovery to a certain extent. Although the exact number of Muslims in Cambodia today is not known, the publicized rate of 1-2% and the number of 200 thousand do not reflect the reality. Realistically, it is estimated that the proportion of Muslims in the country is around 4-5%, which means that there are around 750 thousand Muslims in Cambodia.
Cambodian Muslims, who are spread almost everywhere in the geography of the country, mostly follow the Shafi'i school, as well as a small number of Ahmadiyya followers. Although the official religion in the country is Buddhism, Muslims have an officially recognized muftiate organization. In recent years, the number of mosques in the country has been increasing rapidly, and many institutions and organizations continue their activities in line with the needs of Muslims.