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Cambodian Muslims are in dire need of copies of the Noble Qur'an. |
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — While Muslims worldwide are busy reciting and studying the Noble Qur'an during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Cambodian Muslims can hardly find a copy of the holy Muslim book in the Buddhist country.
"Copies of the Qur'an are hard to get in Cambodia," Mufti Karmaruddin Yusof said in statements carried Saturday, September 29, by Malaysia's Bernama news agency.
He said copies of the holy book are usually stolen from mosques in the Southeastern Asian country.
This makes it difficult to explain and spread the Islamic teachings in the Buddhist country, he said.
Ahmad Zahid, the chairman of the Dewan Amal Islam Hadhari (Damai), said at least 200,000 copies are needed to the Muslim minority.
He urged Malaysia, the chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, to meet this serious shortage.
Zahid added that his organization has collected so far RM200, 000 for its Wakaf Al-Quran program.
There are estimated 700,000 Muslims in Cambodia, making up 5 per cent of the country's 13 million population.
Cambodian Muslims are generally located in towns and rural fishing villages on the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers and in Kampot Province in the south.
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