Origins of Islam in Vietnam
Mosque near Chau Doc, Vietnam
There are about 72,000 [1] Muslims in Vietnam, making up about 0.1% of the country’s population of 91 million people . Most of the Muslims in Vietnam are Champa Muslims. The second largest group of Muslims in Vietnam is the Inter-Racial Muslims, who are both the offspring of mixed marriages between the Vietnamese and Muslim traders and also the spouses who converted to Islam after marriage. The third group of Muslims in Vietnam is those that converted to Islam after interacting with Muslim traders and embracing the religion [2]. There are 79 mosques in Vietnam. Islam is the primary religion of the Cham people of Vietnam, with account for one third of the Islam population in Vietnam. The rest of the Muslims are Khmer, Malay, Minang, Viet, Chinese, and Arab [3].
There are different legends as to how Islam reached Vietnam, but all stories suggest that the Cham people brought the religion to Vietnam. Between 618-907 (the exact dates are not known), merchants and traders from the Muslim world sailed along the coastal cities of Indo-China on the way to mainland China, introducing the Islam religion along the way. One of the stops that the seafaring merchants made was in the Champa Kingdom, which is located in what is now modern Vietnam. Two gravestones of Champa Muslims from the 11th century is the earliest physical evidence of the transmission of Islam in Vietnam [4]. There are also Chinese documents that confirm that the Cham people familiarized themselves with Islam in the late 10th and early 11th centuries [5]. It was not until 1607-1676 that the majority of the Champa people converted to the Islam religion after the king of Champa became Muslim. By the 17th century, Champa province had been completely annexed and absorbed by the Vietnamese. Some of the Champa migrated along the Mekong River, where they intereacted with Malaysian Muslim traders which helped them preserve the true teachings of Islam. Other Champa Muslims in Vietnam settled in Central Vietnam, where they began blending Islam with other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism [4].
In 1959, the Champa Muslims from Central Vietnam started interacting with Champa Muslims in a village in South Vietnam and also with Muslims in Saigon. The Muslim Community in Saigon were Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, and Arabs. As a result of this coming together of the Muslims of Vietnam, the true teachings of Islam were again enforced. With the strengthened unity of the Islam followers of Vietnam, many mosques were built throughout South Vietnam to provide places of prayer and worship for the Muslims in Vietnam [4].
There are different legends as to how Islam reached Vietnam, but all stories suggest that the Cham people brought the religion to Vietnam. Between 618-907 (the exact dates are not known), merchants and traders from the Muslim world sailed along the coastal cities of Indo-China on the way to mainland China, introducing the Islam religion along the way. One of the stops that the seafaring merchants made was in the Champa Kingdom, which is located in what is now modern Vietnam. Two gravestones of Champa Muslims from the 11th century is the earliest physical evidence of the transmission of Islam in Vietnam [4]. There are also Chinese documents that confirm that the Cham people familiarized themselves with Islam in the late 10th and early 11th centuries [5]. It was not until 1607-1676 that the majority of the Champa people converted to the Islam religion after the king of Champa became Muslim. By the 17th century, Champa province had been completely annexed and absorbed by the Vietnamese. Some of the Champa migrated along the Mekong River, where they intereacted with Malaysian Muslim traders which helped them preserve the true teachings of Islam. Other Champa Muslims in Vietnam settled in Central Vietnam, where they began blending Islam with other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism [4].
In 1959, the Champa Muslims from Central Vietnam started interacting with Champa Muslims in a village in South Vietnam and also with Muslims in Saigon. The Muslim Community in Saigon were Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, and Arabs. As a result of this coming together of the Muslims of Vietnam, the true teachings of Islam were again enforced. With the strengthened unity of the Islam followers of Vietnam, many mosques were built throughout South Vietnam to provide places of prayer and worship for the Muslims in Vietnam [4].
Vietnamese perspective on islam:
Map of Vietnam
From the French colonial rule in Vietnam to the end of the Vietnam War in 1973, the Cham muslims have been victims to forced assimilation. Ho Chi Minh broke promises to the Cham Muslims of ethnic autonomy and many Cham leaders were incarcerated in communist re-education camps and even executed. Representation of Cham Muslims in Vietnam were mis-construed by French Scholars. Early French scholars that described Cham Muslims in Vietnam were influenced by the orientalist mode of scholarship discussed by Edward Said in his book Orientalism and by Dr. Bazian in class. The scholars and Vietnamese government officials accentuated the exotic quality of Cham life, painting static portraits of Cham culture from images derived from early translations of Islamic religious texts. This depersonalized the people described. Furthermore, the Cham culture and society was often depicted as inferior and uncivilized in comparison to the West. [6]
The Cham Muslims in Vietnam are an ethnic minority whose autonomy and traditional ways of life are no longer possible because of today's "incursions of armies, modernizing reforms, resource extraction, and a flood of new migrants." They suffer from government policies and pressures to conform to mainstream cultural standards or become marginalized. The individualism of the people are ignored and the Cham Muslims are referred to under a larger umbrella of "minorities", a classification, because of globalization and ethnic categorizing. Categorized as an ethnic minority, the Cham Muslims are depicted as "poor," "backward," and "deficient." They are often stereotyped, discriminated against as inferior, and when they protest, their voice is ignored and unrepresentative. Writer Phillip Taylor conveys that the Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam are "subjugated, disciplined, and circumscribed...their freedom has been lost; they are overrun, overwhelmed, and determined by forces over which they have little or no control." [7]
The Muslims in Vietnam still struggle to feel accepted in a country where their religion makes them a minority and an outcast. Vietnam is primarily a Buddhist country, and there are only about 72,000 Muslims in a country of over 91 million people. In an interview with Muslims in Vietnam, one named Hachot says that she does not feel like she is a part of the larger Vietnamese society or community. She says that although some of the Non-Muslims in Vietnam don’t care about their different religious practices, there are others who think that the Cham Muslims are dirty and object to the Muslims’ shunning of pork. Hachot states, “The Cham fell and lost their country. I feel like I live in another country and it’s not my home.” Some Cham Muslim women do not wear their headscarves to work, but instead wear jeans because of fear of discrimination by their co-workers. [8]
After the Vietnam War in 1975, most Muslims left Vietnam and immigrated to other countries such as America, France, Malaysia, India, Canada and Australia because they feared prosecution from the Socialist Government. Today, the Muslims that remained are extremely financially depressed and struggle to maintain their religious practices. The Socialist government fails to provide any financial subsidy to the Muslims in Vietnam, so they must rely on other Muslim communities in neighboring countries for financial support to build mosques, religious schools, and places of worship [9].
The Muslims in Vietnam are isolated from the mainstream world of Islam, which has caused repercussions [4]. In an interview, Mack Aly, a Muslim in Vietnam, he states that Islam in Vietnam is “not so strong” so he is less devout than most other Muslims in the world. Although he still adheres to the avoidance of pork, he does not pray 5 times a day, dates non-Muslim women, drinks alcohol, and smokes cigarettes [8]. Furthermore, Vietnam lacks religious schools that teach Islam. The isolation and lack of education has caused the practice of Islam in Vietnam to become blurred with other religions and less defined and strong [4]. Most Muslims and even religious leaders in Vietnam are not fluent in Arabic. Furthermore, some Muslims pray to Ali instead of Allah [10].
Upon conducting a google book search on "war on terror" and "Vietnam," there are many books written that draw parallels between the Vietnam War with the War on Terror. The Vietnam War is a horrific event in US history that terrorized Americans. In the books, Vietnam and the Vietnamese people are portrayed as the terrorizers. It casts a very negative view in Americans' minds and creates a feeling of anger and resentment towards the Vietnamese people by stereotyping them all as cruel communists. [12] By paralleling the Vietnam War with the current War on Terror, this shapes the American perspective that the War on Terror is horrific, just as the Vietnam War was. It also perpetuates Islamophobia by drawing similarities between the Vietnamese communists and terrorists.
The Cham Muslims in Vietnam are an ethnic minority whose autonomy and traditional ways of life are no longer possible because of today's "incursions of armies, modernizing reforms, resource extraction, and a flood of new migrants." They suffer from government policies and pressures to conform to mainstream cultural standards or become marginalized. The individualism of the people are ignored and the Cham Muslims are referred to under a larger umbrella of "minorities", a classification, because of globalization and ethnic categorizing. Categorized as an ethnic minority, the Cham Muslims are depicted as "poor," "backward," and "deficient." They are often stereotyped, discriminated against as inferior, and when they protest, their voice is ignored and unrepresentative. Writer Phillip Taylor conveys that the Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam are "subjugated, disciplined, and circumscribed...their freedom has been lost; they are overrun, overwhelmed, and determined by forces over which they have little or no control." [7]
The Muslims in Vietnam still struggle to feel accepted in a country where their religion makes them a minority and an outcast. Vietnam is primarily a Buddhist country, and there are only about 72,000 Muslims in a country of over 91 million people. In an interview with Muslims in Vietnam, one named Hachot says that she does not feel like she is a part of the larger Vietnamese society or community. She says that although some of the Non-Muslims in Vietnam don’t care about their different religious practices, there are others who think that the Cham Muslims are dirty and object to the Muslims’ shunning of pork. Hachot states, “The Cham fell and lost their country. I feel like I live in another country and it’s not my home.” Some Cham Muslim women do not wear their headscarves to work, but instead wear jeans because of fear of discrimination by their co-workers. [8]
After the Vietnam War in 1975, most Muslims left Vietnam and immigrated to other countries such as America, France, Malaysia, India, Canada and Australia because they feared prosecution from the Socialist Government. Today, the Muslims that remained are extremely financially depressed and struggle to maintain their religious practices. The Socialist government fails to provide any financial subsidy to the Muslims in Vietnam, so they must rely on other Muslim communities in neighboring countries for financial support to build mosques, religious schools, and places of worship [9].
The Muslims in Vietnam are isolated from the mainstream world of Islam, which has caused repercussions [4]. In an interview, Mack Aly, a Muslim in Vietnam, he states that Islam in Vietnam is “not so strong” so he is less devout than most other Muslims in the world. Although he still adheres to the avoidance of pork, he does not pray 5 times a day, dates non-Muslim women, drinks alcohol, and smokes cigarettes [8]. Furthermore, Vietnam lacks religious schools that teach Islam. The isolation and lack of education has caused the practice of Islam in Vietnam to become blurred with other religions and less defined and strong [4]. Most Muslims and even religious leaders in Vietnam are not fluent in Arabic. Furthermore, some Muslims pray to Ali instead of Allah [10].
Upon conducting a google book search on "war on terror" and "Vietnam," there are many books written that draw parallels between the Vietnam War with the War on Terror. The Vietnam War is a horrific event in US history that terrorized Americans. In the books, Vietnam and the Vietnamese people are portrayed as the terrorizers. It casts a very negative view in Americans' minds and creates a feeling of anger and resentment towards the Vietnamese people by stereotyping them all as cruel communists. [12] By paralleling the Vietnam War with the current War on Terror, this shapes the American perspective that the War on Terror is horrific, just as the Vietnam War was. It also perpetuates Islamophobia by drawing similarities between the Vietnamese communists and terrorists.
IN THE MEDIA:
Vietnamese woman embraces Islam |
Vietnamese Woman Embraces Islam:
This is an interview with a Vietnamese woman, Miss FiFi, who converted to the Islam religion after learning about and embracing Islam. Converts to Islam are the third largest group of Muslims in Vietnam. Miss FiFi has been living among other Muslims and they helped her greatly in her conversion process. This interview shows Miss FiFi saying the Shahada. The reciting of the Shahada the first of the five pillars of Islam. It is one of the first requirements of becoming a Muslim. The Shahada is the declaration of faith that Allah is the only God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet." [11] |
Cham vietnam |
Cham Vietnam
Cham Muslims make up the majority of the Muslim population in Vietnam. However, the Cham Muslims only make up about 0.1% of the entire Vietnamese population. They are isolated from other Muslims and often keep to their own communities because they still feel as if they do not fit in with the rest of the Vietnamese people. The Cham Muslim are very economically depressed, having low-paying and low-skill jobs. As a result, it is a struggle to maintain their religious practices and the Socialist government of Vietnam refuses to provide any financial help. |