Cambodia’s Phum Trea as Mirror Image of Religious Change

Abstract

The village of Phum Trea, located in rural Kampong Cham province, has long been known as the spiritual centre of Cambodia’s Muslim minority, the Chams. As such, the religious currents in Phum Trea reflect broader trends of religious change in the region. In fact, many of these currents have manifested themselves most visibly in Phum Trea and its vicinity. Apart from presenting an overview of major developments within Cambodian Islam, this article argues that certain developments, such as the arrival of Islamic modernism and the emergence of Tablighi Jamaat as a locally relevant mass movement, exemplify the traditionalist reaction to other currents of Islamic internationalism, currents that are presently reshaping Cambodian Islam.