CAMBODIA'S MUSLIM LEADERS DISCUSS THE PRESIDENT'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000384 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS TO EAP/PD, EAP/MLS, P, D, S/CT NSC FOR E. PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KPAO PREL CB SUBJECT: CAMBODIA'S MUSLIM LEADERS DISCUSS THE PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH REF: A. STATE 55334 ¶B. PHNOM PENH 270 ¶C. 08 PHNOM PENH 968 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Ambassador hosted a group of Cambodian Muslim religious, business, NGO and government leaders June 8 to discuss issues raised in President Obama's Cairo speech. Cambodia has a very small Muslim minority, commonly known as the Cham or Khmer Islam, which enjoys tolerance and acceptance from most Cambodians, including the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). The response to the President's speech was overwhelmingly positive, with issues of understanding, educational and economic opportunities, and women's rights resonating most strongly with the invited guests. End Summary. History -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Although numbers vary, it is estimated that there are approximately 400,000 Muslims in Cambodia, the majority of whom belong to the Sunni Shafi'i school of Islam. This makes them the largest minority group, accounting for over 2.5 percent of the total population. The Khmer Rouge targeted the Cham Muslims due to their religion, perceived difference from "pure" Khmer, and collective resistance to the Pol Pot regime. It is estimated that anywhere from thirty to fifty percent of the Cham population was murdered over the four year period from 1975-1979. According to research compiled by the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam),there were 300 Islamic religious teachers and 113 mosques in Cambodia in ¶1974. By 1980, those numbers were radically reduced to 38 and 5 respectively. The Muslim community has spent the last few decades attempting to rebuild what was lost, but remains one of the poorest and least educated segments of Cambodia's population. Although the Cham Muslim population is generally seen as moderate, extreme poverty, low education levels, high levels of illiteracy and poor health within this community combined with porous borders, endemic corruption, and weak rule of law throughout the country all contribute to what experts believe is a continuing vulnerability to extremist recruitment, as evidenced by the 2002-03 Hambali activity (Ref C). Engagement -------------- ¶3. (U) Over the past year, the Embassy has embarked on an aggressive Muslim Outreach strategy which includes: high-level contacts with Muslim leaders; military medical missions and infrastructure development in predominantly Muslim areas; English language micro-scholarships; USAID's basic education program which supports minority population educational access; Embassy hosted Iftar dinners in Phnom Penh and the provinces, and a recent weeklong seminar on Islam for law enforcement, funded by the Ambassador's Fund for Counter-Terrorism (Ref B). The President's Cairo speech provided another opportunity for the Embassy to engage Cambodia's Muslim minority and better understand current challenges facing the community. ¶4. (U) Leading members of Cambodia's Muslim community were provided with a translated version of the President's Cairo speech prior to meeting with the Ambassador and members of the Public Affairs and Political section. The speech, once translated into Khmer, consisted of over 25 pages of text. On the day of the speech, PAO sent quick highlights in Khmer over its SMS texting service. Very few, if any, of the leaders within the Muslim community have the capacity to read or listen to and understand the speech in English. Additionally, internet capability is still very poor in Cambodia, and real-time streaming media often is patchy or interrupted, as was the case even in the embassy during the President's speech. Therefore, although some had viewed it on television or listened on the radio, it was not until they received a translated version that they were able to fully grasp the meaning of the speech. Short portions of the translated speech are being aired nightly on Cambodia's Cham radio stations, and copies have and will be distributed to Cham communities in the provinces. Reaction -------------- ¶5. (U) The overall reaction to the speech was exceedingly positive. One Parliamentarian credited Obama for his message of a new beginning and the need to speak the truth to one PHNOM PENH 00000384 002 OF 002 another. An RGC Secretary of State for Social Affairs stated that "every sentence in the speech had enough meaning for all in the world to find peace." An important government official, who is also a wealthy businessman and president of a Muslim NGO, highlighted important parts of the speech and stated that he will "definitely incorporate President Obama's message when resolving disputes and issues among the Cambodian Muslim community." ¶6. (U) After some encouragement from the Ambassador, one of the female guests expressed her interest in the women's rights portion of the speech, stating it was "very right" and in line with the Koran. Another female NGO leader stated that Cambodia is still a place where "the men would prefer their women to stay at home and due to poverty, prefer to educate their sons. President Obama's words about his daughters and countries which educate their women being more prosperous was so important for our community to hear." ¶7. (U) Many of the guests commented that the Cham lag behind their Khmer neighbors in the professional world mainly due to poverty and limited access to education. They were therefore very interested to read of the President's emphasis on educational and economic opportunities, and requested continued support and assistance from the Embassy. In particular, they asked for additional scholarships to help Cham students continue their studies both in Cambodia and in the United States. They also asked for support in completing the translation and publication of the first Khmer language Koran which is in the final stages of development. The Ambassador pointed out that the Embassy could not directly support such a venture but that we will work with the community to determine future needs and joint projects. ¶8. (U) Comment: The President's speech in Cairo received positive press in Cambodia and was met with interest and appreciation by members of the Cham Muslim community who feel the speech will have an overall positive effect on relations between America and the Muslim world. Although some portions of the speech, such as Mideast relations, seemed to be of little interest to the insular Cham community, the speech nonetheless provided Post with an opportunity to discuss issues of understanding, democracy and basic human rights with an important minority group. End Comment. RODLEY