VZCZCXRO4095
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK RUEHLH
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHPF #0384/01 1601020
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091020Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0809
INFO RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 0166

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