Vietnamese conquest of Muslim/Hindu Cham and their current situation

[Wholegrain]

Vietnam has always presented itself as a victim throughout history. Even the Vietnamese official in "The Fog of War" told Robert McNamara that Vietnam has fought China for "1000 years". The Vietnamese government and people always emphasize this (false) narrative of victimhood. Vietnam is never the aggressor in their accounts. They

Over half of modern day Vietnam was won by conquest. The Vietnamese were originally confined to modern day Northern Vietnam. The central and southern parts of Vietnam belonged to the former Kingdom of Champa and the Mekong Delta belonged to Cambodia. Muslim and Hindu Cham minorities still live in Vietnam, and others fled to Cambodia, and China.

Champa in green

The last part of Vietnam which was conquered was a rump Kingdom of Champa in 1832.

United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (FULRO is the acronym in French) was a union of ethnic minority insurgents who fought against both the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War. They were a union of Liberation Front of Champa (Front de Liberation du Champa, representing the Muslim and Hindu Cham minority) established by the Muslim Cham officer Les Kosem, Liberation Front of Kampuchea Krom (Front de Liberation du Kampuchea Krom, representing the Buddhist Khmer Krom minority), and BAJARAKA (representing the Montagnard minority). In 1992 the last FULRO insurgents surrendered their arms to the United Nations and fled the country.

Historical background (note that while I think ancient history belongs in the past, its not China which is complaining about invasions 2,000 years ago but Vietnam engages in that behavior, so I'm going to highlight what actually happened)

China was in control of most of northern and central modern day Vietnam 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty. In 192 a son of a local government official in modern day central Vietnam revolted against the government and established the Kingdom of Linyi (Lam Ap in Vietnamese).

Champa (ancient kingdom, Indochina) -- Encyclopedia Britannica

The Kingdom of Linyi became the Kingdom of Champa and it was quickly Indianized and became Hindu due to influence from its neighbor Funan. For the next few centuries while northern Vietnam was under China's rule, Champa would raid the cities in northern Vietnam and China would raid Champa back. Most of the time these raids were for booty and not conquest.

This situation changed in 938 after Vietnam became independent. Vietnam and Champa quickly became enemies and began launching more deadly raids against each other. Champa also sought an alliance with China against Vietnam and stopped all hostilities with China. It was also at this time Islam was first introduced to Champa by Muslim merchants. The Hindu Cham King appointed Muslims as envoys bearing gifts to China. Islam began to be propagated among the Cham.

From Ancient Cham to Modern Dialects: Two Thousand Years of Language Contact ... - Graham Thurgood - Google Books

The Indianized States of South-East Asia - George Cœdès - Google Books

The Vermilion Bird - Edward Hetzel Schafer - Google Books

A History of Early Southeast Asia: Maritime Trade and Societal Development ... - Kenneth R. Hall - Google Books

Vietnam and Champa engaged in various major wars throughout medieval times.

Dictionary of Wars - George C. Kohn - Google Books

In 1406-1407, in response to Vietnamese raids on Champa and China, China declared war on Vietnam and conquered Vietnam. It was under Chinese control for twenty years until 1427 when the Vietnamese revolted and regained independence.

The Cambridge History of China: The Ming dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1 - Google Books

The fatal blow to Champa was dealt in 1471 when the Vietnamese decided to completely reduce the Kingdom of Champa through extermination. Tens of thousands of Cham were slaughtered in the invasion, taken into slavery and the capital was razed to the ground and burned in a genocide. The Cham population was permanently reduced to a low level of a few tens of thousands of people. Vietnamese colonists settled in Champa by the thousands and now Vietnamese are in the tens of millions in former Champa while the Cham are only around 200,000 in Vietnam today.

Blood and Soil: Modern Genocide 1500-2000 - Ben Kiernan - Google Books

Champa asked China to intervene and China condemend the Vietnamese invasion, but did not enter the war because of its decades long wars with the Mongols and Burmese which exhausted the military forces and revenue of the empire.

A rump, tiny Cham state was set up at Panduranga (Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm) and it was forced into vassalage by the Vietnamese.

Thousands of Cham refugees fled to other countries like China and Cambodia. In Cambodia Kampong Cham s named after the area where Cham fled to and in Hainan island in China, there is a Muslim community called the Utsuls descended from the Cham when China allowed a Muslim Cham prince and is followers who fled the Vietnamese invasion to settle in China. Both of them are all Muslim communities with no Hindus.

Viet Nam: Borderless Histories - Google Books

The Languages of China - S. Robert Ramsey - Google Books

Utsul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During this time, Islam continued to expand among the Cham people and eventually the King became a Muslim as well. Cham culture continued to flourish in the tiny rump state with both Hindu and Muslim Cham present. The Vietnamese decided to annex this remnant of Champa finally in 1832. However there was resistance to this final annexation. The Malay Katip Suma led a Jihad against the Vietnamese from 1833-1834 to resist until the rebellion was put down.

The Art of Champa - Jean-François Hubert - Google Books

http://chamunesco.com/index.php?opt...m-malay-relations&catid=45:van-hoa&Itemid=120

Meanwhile, lack document to record the yourneys of Malay came to Champa by sea. Execpt, the yourney of Tuen Phaow from Kelantan come to Champa by sea to lead a Jihad movement to expel theVietnamese army from the land of Champa

History of Islam in Vietnam

History of Islam in Vietnam

History of Islam in Vietnam

The exact dates of Islam's spread in Indo-China is not known for certain. However, generally speaking, Islam arrived in Indo-China before it reached China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was introduced by merchants from the Muslim world who sailed along the coastal cities. The following is a map and a quote from "Arab Seafaring" by George F. Hourani:

"After the passage through the Malacca Strait, known to the Arabs by its Malay name of Salaht ("Strait"), a call was made at Tiuman Island. Next cutting across to Indo-China, they stopped at ports in Sanf, the Champa kingdom in the eastern coastal, then at an island off the coast, known as Sanf Fulaw (corrupted in our texts to "Sandar Fulat"). From there vessels might coast round the Gulf of Tongking to Hanoi, known as Luqin, before they made for their final destination, Canton, which was called Khanfu."


What is known for sure is that by the 11th century, Islam was already in Vietnam due to recent discovery of two gravestones belonging to the Champa Muslims, dated from the early 11th century.

Before we proceed further, we need to understand the historical background of the Champa people. The kingdom of Champa was found in the 2nd century and lasted until the 17th century. Their land stretched along the Central coast of what is now modern Vietnam from Hoành S½n massif (Müi Ròn) in the north to Phan Thiªt (Müi Kê Gà) in the south. The people is of Malayo-Polynesian stock with indianised culture.

When Islam came, few Champa people adopted it. However, some time between 1607 and 1676, the king of Champa became Muslim thus precipitating most of his people to enter Islam also.

Throughout the century, the Champa provinces were slowly annexed one by one until finally, by the 17th century they were completely absorbed by the ÐÕi Vi®t (vietnamese). During the reign of the Vietnamese king, Minh MÕng, the Champa were severly persecuted. As a consequence, the last Champa Muslim king, Pô Ch½n, decided to gather his people (those on the mainland) and migrated south to Cambodia. Whereas those on the coastline, they migrated to Trengganu (Malaysia). The area where the king and the mainlanders settled is still known to this day as Kompong Cham. They were not concentrated in one area but were scattered along the Mekong river in Vietnam, forming 13 villages along it. Throughout the years, their children were sent to Kelantan (Malaysia) to learn Qur'an and Islamic studies. Once studies were completed, these children then return home to teach others in these 13 villages. Also, another factor which helps them to preserve the true teaching of Islam was the interaction between them and the Malaysian Muslim traders who sailed through the Mekong river.

Not all the Champa Muslims migrated with the king. A group stayed behind in Nha Trang, Phan Rang, Phan Rí, and Phan Thiªt provinces (Central Vietnam). With their increasing isolation with other Muslims, they began to mix Islam with Buddhism, Hindism and Bà La Môn . Hence, their descendents became lost to the true teachings of Islam. In 1959, these descendents came into contact with the Champa Muslims in Châu Яc (one of the 13 villages in South Vietnam) and also with the Muslims community in Saigon (H Chí Minh city). The Muslim community in Saigon, mainly consisted of Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians and Arabs. (See "Who are the Vietnamese Muslims?") As a result of this interaction, the descendents who had lost Islam began to return to true Islam. Furthermore, with the help of the Muslims community in Saigon, mosques were built in Vån Lâm, An Nh½n, and Phѽc Nh½n (Central Vietnam).

Apart from the Champa Muslims, there are also two groups of Vietnamese Muslims which will be discussed in the article "Who are the Vietnamese Muslims?" After April 30th 1975, while the majority of Vietnamese Muslims remain in Vietnam under the communist regime, a sizable number of them managed to escape to other countries. The majority of them settled in America, France, Malaysia, India, Canada and a handful in Australia.


References:
1.D± Häi Minh (1965) "Dân Tµc Chàm Lßþc sØ" Saigon.
2.Hourani, George F. (1979) "Arab Seafaring" Princeton University Press, New Jersey.
3.Tarling, Nicholas (1992) "The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia" vol.1 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

These events are in the distant past. Since all the people involved in these events are dead, theres no use complaining over them now but thats exactly what Vietnam does when it points to China taking over Vietnam 2,000 years ago! And not just the people, but Vietnamese government officials do this.

This was the flag of the Front de Liberation du Champa

This was the flag of BAJARAKA

Now in my next post I get to the present situation on minorities in Vietnam.

@ChinaToday @theniubt @ChinaToday @shuttler @HongWu @darkhero @cirr @ChengDao

 

[Wholegrain]

The Cham community in Vietnam is made out of Hindus and Muslims. There is no tensions or fighting between the two Cham religious communities. They only have problems with outsiders like the Vietnamese.

Why doesn't India complain about how Cham Hindus are treated in Vietnam like they constantly complain about Hindus in south asia? @Black Widow

This is the Vietnam which presents itself to the world as a victim of China.

Mission to Vietnam Advocacy Day (Vietnamese-American Meet up 2013) in the U.S. Capitol. A UPR report By IOC-Campa.

Mission to Vietnam Advocacy Day (Vietnamese-American Meet up 2013) in the U.S. Capitol. A UPR report By IOC-Campa.
Written by Khaleelah Porome

Khaleelah Porome
The IOC, is an organization that promotes the preservation of the Kingdom of Champa’s history and culture. The Champa people are an indigenous group of people that have existed in Vietnam since the 7th century. It remained in its glory days until its fall in the 10th century to its northern neighbor, Dai Viet (present day Vietnam). In 1653, Champa became a vassal state of the Nguyen until, in 1832,

Emperor Minh Menh annexed its remaining territories. This caused the erasure of the Kingdom of Champa from the map. Today all that remains of the Kingdom of Champa are it’s archaeological sites and the survivors of Emperor Minh Menh’s ethnic cleansing policies. After 1975, when Saigon fell to the communist government of North Vietnam, the Cham lost their farms, land and properties, because they were confiscated by the government. They have been prohibited to worship and practice their religions. Practicing Hindu Cham had several ancient temples that were used for worship, confiscated and converted into tourist destinations by the Vietnamese government for their own financial benefit, violating the Cham Hindu beliefs.

About 130,000 Cham people in Vietnam currently exist in Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces (central Vietnam); Chau Doc, Ho Chi Minh City, and Tay Ninh (Southern Vietnam). The rest have fled seeking refuge in the U.S., Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and across Europe.

The Cham people are currently recognized by the Vietnamese government as minority group, even though they are indeed and in fact, indigenous. They meet all requirements by the UN standards and criteria, to be considered indigenous, however the Vietnamese government refuses to acknowledge this.

Recent human rights violations by the Vietnamese government against the Cham people:

In 2012, the local police used their power to bust into a local Mosque and took away a generator that provided electricity to over 40 families in the village of Chau Giang, and not long after that they came and kidnapped young village girls at their discretion to rape and sexually abuse them, eventually releasing them.

On 2009, a farm land owned by 13 Cham families From Vân Lâm villages was confiscated, when they tried to stand up for their ownership, they were apprehended by the police and discarded in an undisclosed remote location in the jungle.

In 2010, two young Cham college students from Thành Tín village are on vacation took a walk from their village to the city being stop and beat up to death.

In March 2013, a poor Cham college student Thành Xuân Thịnh from Phươc Nhơn village took out a loan for school, upon graduation he was unable to get a job and sought the help of staffing agency to place him in a position, so he could pay back his student loans. The agency had promised to staff him within weeks. After a few months, he was still unemployed, and when he approached the agency about a refund, they set him on fire, and he burned to death.

Cham people who have escaped Vietnam and have become U.S. citizens, have tried to return to their native land, of Vietnam to visit family and friends. Each time they return to Vietnam they are discriminated against, harassed, and even imprisoned. Mr. Nguyen V. Xung, an exchange student to Saudi Arabia in 1973 went back to Vietnam to visit his aging mother, was kept in the hotel overnight then was eventually deported out a day after that. Mr. Musa Porome, went to Vietnam in 1989 was kept at a hotel for 5 days while being interrogated by police agents and was eventually deported out of the country. Mr. Qasim Tu went to Vietnam in 2004, and was harassed and subjected to intimidation by Vietnamese secret agent over several days, and unable to visit his family. When Mrs. Man Jone tried to visit she was arrested and imprisoned under the accusations that she was trying to introduce a new religion to the community.

The Vietnamese government is currently building a nuclear power plant in a Cham village, with old and used technology from old North Korean power plants. Many people have fought against it, including Vietnamese politicians and scientists, citing the long term adverse affects it would have on the local villages and eventually extended further into the major cities of Vietnam. People that have spoken out publicly or post anything on social media sites, are immediately approached by and harassed by the Vietnam government. A prime example is when Mr. Musa Porome wrote a letter questioning the reasoning for the development of the nuclear power plant in a currently populated area, and speaking out about it. The government immediately fired back by threatening and intimidating him and his remaining family that still resides in Vietnam. They later tried to retract the statement, when he did not back down. But, he was unable to go back to Vietnam back in November 2012, for fear that they would do something to him if he went to visit.

There are ancient Cham towers that still remain in these indigenous areas. These towers are currently being funded by UNESCO for up keep and maintenance to benefit the tourism industry. These towers are highly visited by tourist all over the world. The profit received does not benefit any of the Cham people, nor the villages in which the towers exist. It is a direct violation of the terms of agreement for the UNESCO funding.

These are just a few of the incidences against the Cham people, that have recently been relayed and documented. Many go undocumented because most people are in fear of their lives and their families lives if they speak out and protest the wrongful actions of the government.

I've observed that the Cham community in America appears to be very much against the current government of Vietnam.

http://web.archive.org/web/20120607215940/http://www.chamtoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=218:thecaseofthefallenchampa&catid=47

The case of the fallen Champa
Written by Suleiman Idres Bin
Monday, 12 September 2011 23:36
For quite a very long time, the world leaders have forgot Champa, and no ordinary people know anything about what has happened to Champa. By virtues of modern technologies, the history of the fallen Champa is now being revealed in the media networks and has attached worldwide attentions. The Champa’s history is the worst of all the world histories. The Champa’s enemy destroyed the whole country and everything it contained, massacred all its population, annihilated all its indigenous

races and wiped out all the country’s boundaries. The Champa’s declared enemy is the north Vietnam, the Champa’s country is the so called central and South Vietnam and the Champa’s population and indigenous races are the Cham, Jarai, Radhe, Chru, Koho, Mnong Maa, Bahnar, Sedang, Cham Hroi and Stieng...Etc. The North Vietnam conquered the entire Champa’s territories and committed genocides on its whole population in order to expand land from North-Viet to south-Viet. The so-called central-Viet and south-Viet did not exist before the first half of 18th century. There is nothing left for the Champa’s survivors now but the conquered country itself which is absolutely priceless. The total number of the Champa’s living people today is estimated 1.5 million half of which live in Cambodia.

It is a phenomenon that Champa was found by its indigenous people with a multiplicity of races and tribes. All of these people today are the progeny of their Champa’s ancestors living in their own country without their own government and their rights to self determination are denied even basic human rights. Politically they are the oppressed races and socially they are isolated citizens and apartheid. All the inhabitants of highland areas, remote hills and no-man land areas throughout the country belong to the communities of the same tribe men whose living condition is dependent on weather and nature. Their basic needs, foods, clothing and shelters are relying only on what is described as self-supporting methods. Their primitive life goes on without education, healthcare and welfare to support life whatsoever. This is the kind of status and people that the newly adopted UN Declaration means to protect. In part it reads, “The Declaration emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.”

The official name of Champa during its entire existence from 2nd century until it was conquered by north Viet and completely ceased to exist in 1832 was Kingdom of Champa. Prior to this date it had been known as Linyi since 192 C.E. The Kingdom consisted of five states with one central government. From North to South they are: Indrapura (Binh Tri Thien), Amaravati (Quang Nam, Quang Ngai), Vijaya (Binh Dinh), Khauthara (Nha Trang), and Panduranga (Phanrang, Phanri and Phanthiet). The location of Champa’s territories in its entirety is between 11th and 18th parallel line of latitude. The country coexistent bordered North Viet in the north and Kambuja (Cambodia) in the south and the west.

The north Viet was formerly known as Dai-Viet (great Viet) in the history. It was its intention and scheme that one day its neighbor champa would become its own country by all means and would be called south Viet. To carry out its policy of expansionisms successfully the Dai-Viet needed to take two courses of action. First was invasion and second was ethnic cleansing. One could not substitute the other. At all cost the Dai-Viet had committed crimes against humanity, violated the international laws, and ignored the rights of its neighbor’s country as a consequences of which Champa was erased from the Indochina’s map indefinitely.

During peaceful coexistence with all neighbors from 2nd through 9th century, Champa’s population was living in happiness and prosperity and enjoying high civilization. But from 10th century until its end, Champa always had had problems with the Dai-Viet’s aggressions. In 1036 and again in 1306 the Viet attacked Champa and the King surrendered resulting in the lost of northern lands. But from the years 1311 through 1353, Che Bong Nga, a brilliant general of Champa had defeated the Viet and recaptured successfully his lost lands. Unfortunately after his death, the Viet regain the victory over Champa. Constantly the Viet invaded the capital of Vijaya and destroyed it completely in 1471 while Champa lost a part of Khauthara in the central part in 1611. In another front the Viet infiltrated Camranh and settled there as its new border in the year 1653. It was obvious that Champa was overpowered by Viet’s manpower. Finally it was in the year 1832 when the entire Champa nation was destroyed and conquered by the Viet until today. For the Viet, the mission was accomplished with the destruction of Champa, the “killing fields” of the 19th century and the death of its whole population, the unforgettable races.

The history of Champa and its tragic story were written in many languages including Cham, Chinese, Vietnam, Khmer, Indonesian, Malay, English and French. It contained it full accounts and all the events of the last 900 years of its life. It is available in stone, and wood inscriptions and all forms of documentation of conceivable past. Everything was documented to such an extent that the world should be able to find justice and liberate Champa for its people of all generations to come, this only rightful owner.

The case of the fallen Champa is very unparallel, and it deserves a presentation in the UN assembly. It has indeed attracted much attention of the international academics such as university scholars, men of letter, writers and historians. It has been the case study for their thesis, treatise and discourse and so on. They undertake the task of writing about Champa, its people and cultures for their countries. (Part of their works are provide at the end). Today Champa appeals to all peace-loving countries of the world to support the fundamental rights and the noble cause of the fallen races so that the peaceful solution and justice could be found in the international forum.

All people of Champa are united under one leadership to continue their struggles for the independent land whether or not they have the support of the new UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. First they resolved to liberate their country through non-violence approaches such as diplomacy, politics and economics. The needs and aspirations mentioned explicitly in the declaration mean that every indigenous people have their rights to self-determination and self-government in their own native land. In light of the UN declaration, the people of Champa demand that they be authorized to join the UN assembly for self-introduction presentation as one of the indigenous peoples of the world coming from a country whose name is King of Champa.

Whatever nation is ruling Champa today is being condemned by all the peoples of the world regardless of their differences of belief and religion. No one nation has the right to rule or colonize another nation on the basis of one being the victor and another being the vanquished. In the history of mankind, there has been no such a rule that applies to the game of sport and gamble. Colonization in those olden days existed only within time limits although it brought both advantages and disadvantages to the host country.

To achieve to autonomy in the territory populated by the native people of Champa, namely the central Vietnam, the case of Champa can be handled in the same way the UN was doing for east Timor of Indonesia about ten years ago. The number of Champa native population is twice of that of East Timor and so is the size of the country. In every respect, the case of the fallen Champa is far more feasible and favorable for the UN to pursue accomplishment in its mission than the case of East Timor, an island country newly independent. For the sake of the great diversity of the indigenous tribes and their national land, all people around the world shall not forget Champa.

Up to the present day, the Viet rulers and leaders with their national citizens, populations and governments and regimes inside Champa are all but new comers from their north lands and are all but descendants of the late Dai-Viet ancestry and Nguyen dynasties who had converted Champa into their new Vietnam since 18th century. These Viet people called Champa (Dat Nuoc) or new motherland illegitimately or in violation of all laws and norms of humanity. In fact they are both imperialists and colonialists in one of the countries of the Indo-Chinese peninsula. They call their Leader emperors Nguyen, emperor Gia, emperor Minh, and president Ngo, president Ho...Etc. who had reigned Champa in succession since their success of conquest. All of these rulers have ignored and denied the rights to self-determination of neither the racially native and indigenous population nor have they had in the least a lenient policy toward them, not to mention their other crimes against the Champa Kingdom.. These are the Viet leaders who have been suppressing all the Champa’s nationalists’ resistances and oppositions of all form.

Only and only the Champa’s people have the right to rule their own country in order to have peace and justice in our society and in our region, all foreigners do not have that right and are not entitled to absolutely. Such are the inalienable rights of every people living in the world. According to the geographic study, the almighty God has granted a country or a homeland to every people of every race in every location on the blessed earth. This has become the law of nature. All living creatures in land and sea bear witness and testimony to this eternal truth. Human being has no right to deny or change it. The territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Champa is indeed the gift from almighty God to the Champa people. Therefore, its sovereignty must belong to them at all times.

 

[Wholegrain]

DAWN.COM | World | Vietnam's minority Chams cling to Muslim faith

Vietnam's minority Chams cling to Muslim faith

Tuesday, 07 Sep, 2010


In a picture taken on August 25, 2010, Cham muslim men pray inside a mosque in district 8 Southern Ho Chi Minh City. -AFP Photo
EDITORIAL
Nine years on
MEDIA GALLERY
Muslims across the world celebrate Eidul Azha
HO CHI MINH CITY: The call to prayer from the minaret reaches out over tightly-packed alleys in a Ho Chi Minh City neighbourhood as men in white knitted skullcaps and colourful sarongs walk to their local mosque.
The scene is more reminiscent of Malaysia, Indonesia or Brunei – not Vietnam and its Chinese-influenced culture where Muslims are a tiny fraction of the population.

This small community in an area known as District 8 says it is the largest enclave of Cham Muslims in the metropolis informally still known as Saigon.

It has more than 1,300 residents, halal restaurants, a large mosque and a madrassa that regularly sends students to Malaysia for further study.

These and other Cham communities in southern and central Vietnam are all that remain of the Champa kingdom that ruled for centuries.

There are more than 100,000 Chams in the Buddhist-dominated country of 86 million, the government says.

“The Cham fell and lost their country. I feel like I live in another country and it's not my home,” says a noodle-seller who gave her name only as Hachot, 49.

The Cham were a Hindu people who ruled parts of south and central Vietnam for hundreds of years and gradually converted to Islam.

But by the late fifteenth century the Vietnamese had pushed south and Champa was in decline.

Today, the kingdom's most visible legacy is the My Son temple ruin near Danang city. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and popular with tourists.

These days more than 80 percent of Cham are adherents of Islam, researchers say.

According to government data, Muslims are the smallest of six major religious groups in the country, with Buddhism the largest.

Religious activity remains under state control in communist Vietnam but worship among a variety of faiths is flourishing. However, Catholics have had a long-running dispute with the government over land, and some minority Buddhist groups have complained of persecution.

The Muslims have kept a lower profile.

“We just follow this religion. We don't care about politics,” says Haji Mou-sa, 52, deputy manager of the local madrassa. He is fluent in Malay and knows some Arabic.

Mou-sa says Ho Chi Minh City has more than a dozen imams, all trained in Vietnam. Foreign imams also visit, especially from Malaysia, and the Koran has been translated into Vietnamese.

A slight man in a collarless shirt, sarong, and metal-rimmed glasses, he has lived in District 8 since the 1960s, when Chams first began moving to the area.

Many came from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, where Chau Doc city is still home to a significant Cham Muslim population.

In the beginning, the District 8 Cham homes were made from wood and thatch.

Electricity came to the area in 1990, and much later a bridge was built connecting the once-isolated area to downtown, leading to improved roads and rapid development of the surrounding area.

According to residents, there are 16 mosques in Ho Chi Minh City, some of them built with assistance from Muslim nations.

A plaque in the Cham neighbourhood's Masjid Jamiul Anwar says it was rebuilt in 2006 with funds from the United Arab Emirates and the Red Crescent.

Although they get support from the Middle East, Cham relations remain strongest with Malaysia and Indonesia, thanks partly to shared cultural and religious values.

“Malaysians came here and supported schools and better jobs,” Hachot recalls. The ties started more than 20 years ago after Vietnam began a policy of gradual economic openness.

She says she does not feel a part of wider Vietnamese society, even though the government helped to rebuild her house some years ago.

Attitudes of the majority Kinh ethnic group towards the Cham vary, Hachot says.

“Some Kinh say the Cham are dirty,” she says, and they object to the Muslims' shunning of pork. “Other people don't care.”Many older Muslim residents make pilgrimages to Mecca, and most Cham have Arabic names on their government-issued identity cards.

Mohamath Zukry, 22, moved from his small town in An Giang more than 18 months ago to study and live at the madrassa. He plans to go to Malaysia to finish his religious education, and to study information technology.

Less devout Mack Aly, 29, a real estate agent who lives outside the Cham neighbourhood, says he still enjoys an alcoholic drink with his friends, and dates a non-Muslim woman.

“In Vietnam religion is not so strong. I won't eat pork. But I don't pray five times a day. And I drink and smoke,” he explains at an upscale coffee shop.

Aly and his family have taken advantage of the opportunities offered by the Muslim diaspora. His brother works in Egypt and his sister in Indonesia.

Headscarves, long skirts and sleeves are common in Cham neighbourhoods but women leave their heads uncovered when they go to work, and may opt for jeans.

They say this is partly out of a fear of discrimination by co-workers.

Ngo Van Dong, 50, is among a small number of Kinh who have converted, despite initial opposition from his family who thought the religion "weird." The mechanic says he adopted Islam more out of love for his Cham wife than religious piety. Over time, he came to understand his adopted faith better.

Like their fellow Muslims around the world, the Cham in District 8 are marking the holy fasting month of Ramadan until about September 9.

They commonly also enjoy Vietnam's biggest celebration, the Tet Lunar New Year in February, although they do not engage in the spiritual rituals that accompany it.

"But we still have fun," says Dong.-AFP

http://www.muinebeach.net/chamculture.htm

The Champa Kingdom: Cham Culture


A Cham woman preparing for the Kate Festival at Thap Po Shanu
The Cham people are descendants of the once great kingdom of Champa. Their present-day population of approximately 100,000 is centered around the city of Phan Rang, near the North Eastern border of Binh Thuan province. Cambodia has the largest concentration of Cham; with a population between 500 thousand and 1 million people.

The Cham people are a matriarchal society, in which women inherit all property. Many Vietnamese believe Cham women posess magical powers and can bewitch men to mary them and give over their property. The Cham speak a unique language and write in a form of sanskrit. They are also known for a bizarre ritual of digging up their dead relatives on the one-year anniversary of their death. Then they hold a large feast, at the end of which they burn the bones and re-bury the remains. The practice is thought to bring good luck and fortune.

The Cham are most known for their beautiful textiles and patterns. They make clothing, shawls, blankets, wallets and many other items; for sale throughout Vietnam. They also make lesser-known but distinctive ceramics and carvings. They have a rich and highly developed culture, with a strong history of art, music and dancing. The Cham people have many elaborate festivals, including the Mbang Kate Festival which was highlighted in the recent Binh Thuan Tourism Festival.

The population of Cham within Mui Ne and the city of Phan Thiet is actually small, though there are many people living in other villages throughout the province. They are best represented in Mui Ne at the Forest Restaurant, where most of the staff are ethnically Cham, and come originally from Phan Rang. At the forest Restaurant you can see fine examples of Cham clothing and textiles, weaving demonstrations, dancing and other cultural examples from the Cham and other minorities.

The first known religion of the Champa was a form of Shaivite Hinduism, brought from India. As Arab merchants stopped along the Vietnamese coast en route to China, Islam began to infiltrate the civilization, and Hinduism became associated with the upper-classes.

There are now two distinct religious communities. Muslim or Cham Bani constitute about 80-85% of the Cham, and Hindu or Balamon constitutes about 15-20%. In both Cambodia and Vietnam, they form the core of the Muslim communities. Like many religions in the region however, there is a mixing of beliefs within the communities. Non-Cham Vietnamese often worship ancestors or buddha at Cham holy sites, and Cham people adopt local superstitions and pantheistic religious beliefs from the surrounding communities. There are strong influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam in their culture and religion.

The Cham people are renowned for great hospitality, generosity and kindness. They are friendly and welcoming to travelers and strangers.

 

[Wholegrain]

In 1832 Minh Mang forcefully annexed the Cham in a brutal war.

Mekong-The Occluding River: The Tale of a River - Ngo The Vinh - Google Books

The Diem regime was dumping Catholic Vientamese settlers onto Montganard land (central highlands of Vietnam whic is Cham land as well), which was what caused the FULRO group to form.

United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fire in the Lake - Frances FitzGerald - Google Books

The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders: A Historical ... - Oscar Salemink - Google Books

Vietnam: On the Margins : Rights Abuses of Ethnic Khmer in Vietnam's Mekong ... - Google Books

Fulro tr

The Vietnamese government also attacked the Hmong minority

UNPO: Report on the 20th session of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (Second day - Afternoon)

Chang Yang, Hmong International Human Rights Watch
This is our fifth time to testify at WGIP. We ask for two things

1) Stop ethnic cleansing of Hmong in Laos.
2) Give access to refugees in Laos and Thailand.

The Hmong capitol has disappeared. When the Laos and Vietnamese community captured the Hmong, they would cut off the penis off and place in the mouth. For the women captured, they are raped and killed. All have sharp object shoved from the vagina to the chest cavity. For children captured, they have toes cut off and also head bashed on trees. Mr. Chair, this is a new century.

Vietnam is a member of the family of nations. We have picture of top Vietnamese General and his officers killed in 1998. They came to kill the Hmong people. I have pictures of the innocent people slaughtered by Vietnamese government. The people are coming to kill the Hmong people. The Hmong refugee that live in Laos and Thailand should be granted refugee status.

Khmer Krom

Kampuchea Krom - Colonial France gives KK to Vietnam on June 4, 1949

UNPO: Khmer Krom: Demonstration at European Parliament

Khmer Krom

Kampuchea Krom - Colonial France gives KK to Vietnam on June 4, 1949

KKF | Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation

The Khmer Krom Network | News and information about Kampuchea-Krom and her people

The 64rd Anniversary of losing Kampuchea Krom territorial integrity to Vietnam

This land was given to Vietnam in exchange for a Vietnamese princess by a Cambodian King who couldn't control himself.

 

[Enemy]

The Cham community in Vietnam is made out of Hindus and Muslims. There is no tensions or fighting between the two Cham religious communities. They only have problems with outsiders like the Vietnamese.

Why doesn't India complain about how Cham Hindus are treated in Vietnam like they constantly complain about Hindus in south asia? @Black Widow

This is the Vietnam which presents itself to the world as a victim of China.

Mission to Vietnam Advocacy Day (Vietnamese-American Meet up 2013) in the U.S. Capitol. A UPR report By IOC-Campa.



I've observed that the Cham community in America appears to be very much against the current government of Vietnam.

The case of the fallen Champa

Do they look Hindus to you?

Cham or whatever they are, they are definitely not Hindus. They might have been in the remote past but they are no longer Hindus.

Buddy, when it does not quack like a duck, walk like a duck, rest assured, it is not a duck.

 

[Wholegrain]

@HINDUs

@Black Widow @Srinivas @nastikan @hinduguy @INDIC

Indians do "concern trolling" for Tibetans.

The Vietnamese government has been turning Hindu Cham temples into tourist playgrounds, wheres the complaints? And in Binh Thuan temples were destroyed during the war and after reunification too.

Oh yeah and I really don't want you guys stepping into Vietnam either for the Cham or the Vietnamese. Just wondering why the fake concern over Tibetans because they are "dharmic".

Do they look Hindus to you?

Cham or whatever they are, they are definitely not Hindus. They might have been in the remote past but they are no longer Hindus.

Buddy, when it does not quack like a duck, walk like a duck, rest assured, it is not a duck.

Yes the Hindu ones worship Hindu gods like Shiva.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

India only loves the Tibetan land, not Tibetans.

Champa is only a tiny piece of land compare to Tibet, thus they won't give a crap about it whether they are Hindus or not.

 

[livingdead]

@HINDUs

@Black Widow @Srinivas @nastikan @hinduguy

Indians do "concern trolling" for Tibetans.

The Vietnamese government has been razing Hindu Cham temples, wheres the complaints?

Oh yeah and I really don't want you guys stepping into Vietnam either for the Cham or the Vietnamese. Just wondering why the fake concern over Tibetans because they are "dharmic".



Yes the Hindu ones worship Hindu gods like Shiva.

I hope GoI will talk to vietnam govt .. within limits that is.... its a sovereign matter and govt should not take public stand...
hindus sheldom protest for such things, I dont want them to.

 

[Enemy]

@HINDUs

@Black Widow @Srinivas @nastikan @hinduguy

Indians do "concern trolling" for Tibetans.

The Vietnamese government has been razing Hindu Cham temples, wheres the complaints?

Oh yeah and I really don't want you guys stepping into Vietnam either for the Cham or the Vietnamese. Just wondering why the fake concern over Tibetans because they are "dharmic".

Yes the Hindu ones worship Hindu gods like Shiva.

To be a Hindu, you have to have a Gotra and Caste/Jaati according to the Sastras. Can you tell me what their Gotra and Caste are?

One can worship whatever he wants, tree, stone, pebble, penis, vagina, a$$hole... but that won't make him a Hindu. I guess you know nothing about Hindu.

India only loves the Tibetan land, not Tibetans.

Champa is only a tiny piece of land compare to Tibet, thus they won't give a crap about it whether they are Hindus or not.

Of course, why not?

 

[Wholegrain]

To be a Hindu, you have to have a Gotra and Caste/Jaati according to the Sastras. Can you tell me what their Gotra and Caste are?

One can worship whatever he wants, tree, stone, pebble, penis, vagina, a$$hole... but that won't make him a Hindu. I guess you know nothing about Hindu.



Of course, why not?

Encyclopaedia of the South-east Asian ethnography - Google Books

Religion and expressive culture - Cham

 

[kalu_miah]

@Wholegrain You bring many interesting topic and always a lot of interesting history with it.

Is it ok to ask about your ethnic origin? Is it Hui from mainland?

On topic: I have heard about Champa Muslims. I guess Muslims could not make much headway in South East Asia other than the archipelago areas of Mindanao (now marginalized), Malaysia and Indonesia. Smaller and weaker tribes get defeated by bigger or stronger tribes, that has been the history on any part of the world, Vietnam defeating Champa is no different from others, like Burmans defeating Mon's for example.

 

[Wholegrain]

The bottom line is that Vietnam needs to shut up with the victimhood bullcrap.

The Cham community in America hates the Vietnamese government and supports independence since some of them were separatists from the Vietnam war. The Cham's numbers are incredibly low (only tens of thousands) that they barely pose a threat to the Vietnamese government or Vietnamese demographics (Vietnamese in former Cham areas number in tens of millions. Since the genocide and displacement largely happened hundreds of years ago.

The the Cham are still in poverty compared to the Vietnamese Kinh, discrimnated against and it would be extremely simple for the Vietnamese government to implement affirmative action exactly because there are so few Cham. (And all those violent incidents and rapes against the Cham by Vietnamese did happen).

The Vietnamese government has also not rectified Ngo Dinh Diem's settlement policies against the Montagnards in the central highlands.

I also do not see any successfuly separatist insurgency arising because of the impossible demographics which are stacked against the Cham.

However, China has the ability to use the Cham issue to irriate Vietnam if it settles Chinese Cham (Utsuls from Hainan) in the disputed Paracel islands or settles Utsuls and Cham from Vietnam in the Spratly islands and declare it an Utsul-Cham autonomous area.

 

[Wholegrain]

@Wholegrain You bring many interesting topic and always a lot of interesting history with it.

Is it ok to ask about your ethnic origin? Is it Hui from mainland?

On topic: I have heard about Champa Muslims. I guess Muslims could not make much headway in South East Asia other than the archipelago areas of Mindanao (now marginalized), Malaysia and Indonesia. Smaller and weaker tribes get defeated by bigger or stronger tribes, that has been the history on any part of the world, Vietnam defeating Champa is no different from others, like Burmans defeating Mon's for example.

No I'm from Taiwan. I'm not Hui. We have several thousand Hui in Taiwan and we never had any instance of religious rioting or discrimination, our record is far better than any other place in east asia regarding religion.

 

[ViXuyen]

The OP fails miserably trying to portrait the Cham as "victim" of Vietnamese "aggression".

For centuries the Cham waged countless wars against Viet Nam; they even sacked Ha Noi in the 14th century. The Cham were determined to wipe the Vietnamese off the map but they were not strong enough to do so and in the process; the Cham got wiped out by Viet Nam.

Viet Nam's annexation of Kampuchea without losing 1 solder but that's another story that the OP might want to create another to rant

 

[Wholegrain]

By 1832 the Cham had not raided anyone for hundreds of years. Emperor Minh Mang's annexation of Champa was purely motivated by taking the last remnant of their territory.

The Cambodian King Chey Chettha II gave the Mekong Delta (including Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh city) to the Vietnamese in exchange for marriage to the Vietnamese Princess Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Vạn.

The Cham King King Jaya Sinhavarman III gave two province two Vietnam in exchange for the Vietnamese Princess Huyen Tran.

Its just a case of men being dumb. Vietnam didn't do anything spectacular to win the Mekong Delta.