60938 The majority fled to Vietnam, leaving the fishing industry to be maintained by the Cham.
60939 The Cham had expanded their influence to Cambodia and China from their base in central Vietnam, but after the 15th century they were pushed south by the Vietnamese.
60940 Islam began to take root with the Cham as they traveled up the Mekong River and settled in Cambodia, where they have maintained their Islamic faith in the Buddhist country.
60941 The Cham suffered under the reign of Pol Pot.
60942 Half of them died from the out-and-out oppression.
60943 Their religion was outlawed and the younger generations have lost their unique culture.
60944 The Cham are now pouring their energy into reviving their Islamic faith.
60945 These activities began in earnest when the United Nations-supervised interim government of Cambodia was in power.
60946 Aid from other Islamic countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia suddenly increased, and graduates of Phnom Penh's Islamic teacher's school took up teaching positions around the country last year.
60947 I am seventy kilometers east of Kampong Cham.
60948 At a ceremony to celebrate the completion of an Islamic school in the village of Sura, the women wore the hijab and the men wore white skullcaps.
60949 The school was built with 6,000 dollars in foreign aid.
60950 "For the revival of Islamic culture."
60951 Vice Minister of Religion and Cultural Affairs Usman gave a speech in front of 150 students aged eight to 20, and 50 villages in the province are in the process of building or rebuilding Islamic schools.
60952 Due to Cambodia's long war, the Mekong lagged behind in development and also remained isolated from such things as river pollution.