Second Storey Frames Are Up

The second storey frames are up. However we would not be able to proceed further because of short of funds of about USD 11 thousand.

Minister Noticed

Salams Mr Isa,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Azlinah Arif, Volunteer Relations Manager at Yayasan MENDAKI.

2 We are organising our yearly appreciation tea for active volunteers, donors, sponsors and partners on 19 January 2008 at Sunctec City Ballroom 2 & 3. The objectives of the appreciation tea is to -recognize the energy, time, ideas and creativity contributed by our active volunteers -motivate and sustain volunteers' interest in helping the community through Mendaki's programmes and -show appreciation to our sponsors and partners for their support to our programmes.

3 We met Minister, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, on 28 November where he shared that you are leading a group of volunteers to Cambodia to build a school and kindergarten. We would like to invite you and your group to share with our guests at the upcoming MENDAKI Appreciation Tea on how a group of invididuals with a common passion, proactively came together to work on a common cause.

Our Guest of Honour is Minister himself.

4 The presentation is for 10 minutes plus 5 minutes for guests during the Question & Answer segment.

5 We would appreciate it if you could consider our request and please do not hesitate to contact me at Tel: 6245 5760 for further clarifications.

Thank you.

Regards
Azlinah Arif

*******************************************

Salams Azlinah,

My team will be more than pleased to share our experiences in Cambodia.

Our presentation will be in the form of a short video (10 mins) showing our involvement, projects and also a glimpse of the lives of Cham Malays there.

Best regards
Isa

Once a Dilapidated Timber School

The 1st storey of the school is almost complete. The 2nd storey very much depends on the continuous flow of donations.

Walls of Hope

The walls of the school are slowly but surely being built by the villagers. Photos were received from the Mufti's office on 12 November 07.

Pillars of Love

Photographs showing the pillars of the school received from a friend who visited the construction site on 20 Oct 07.

Sukmaisa Concept Powerhouse

All projects as reflected in this blog are managed by SUKMAISA CONCEPT POWERHOUSE.

Please contact us.
Dr. Sukmawati Sirat
Isa Kamari

Address:
37 Lorong M, Telok Kurau
#03-02, Candeville
Singapore 425316
Phone: 65-63465504



Email: sukmaisa@singnet.com.sg
Email: isakamari@singnet.com.sg
Website: http://www.isakamari.com/

Forgotten Tradition & Culture

Please visit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4E8xYW3kAc

Linguists have classified Cham as a member of the Malayo-Polynisian family spoken by several ethnic groups lived along the coast of South China sea and the Malay Archipelago. As they come from one linguistic family, the Cham, Malay and Javanese languages share numerous lexical similarities. The written Cham is based on the Sanskrit alphabets. As early as the 3rd century AD, inscription of Sanskrit texts were found on the steles as they were used to record royal chronicle and important historical events. This epigraphic practice ceased in 1471 with the downfall of Champa. About the mid-16th century, a modern form of Cham emerged and gradually replaced the classical (old Cham) language which heavily used Sanskrit and Arabic vocabularies . Modern Cham became more popular in the 17th through the 19th century as a number of manuscripts and texts of history, religion, folklore and legends, poetry and epics were written in the new language.

Champa has a rich and illustrated literary heritage exemplified by numerous works in both oral and written forms. The most well known works of the classical Cham literature are:

Pramdit Pramlak: A popular and well loved folk story of two brothers Pramdit and Pramlak and their long journey to find and save Pram Dit's wife, princess Bia Cata.

Inra Sri Bikan: A folk prose of the Cham hero, prince Sang Jana and his struggle to reconquer his kingdom previously lost to the neighborly king Rayana.

Ariya Um Marup: This popular verse of 248 sentences believed to be composed around the end of 16th century-early 17th century. This epic tells the story of a prince, Um Marup who was converted to Islam by the Prophet who later helped him to destroy the dragon, which had devastated his father's kingdom. But his father, King Harum who did not accept his son's belief, decided to eliminate Um Marup. With help from the Prophet, the prince rendered harmless all weapons aimed at him. Finally, Um Marup waged a war against his father, he was killed in the battle, but the Prophet once again interceded, defeated King Harum, and in turn, converted the King to under the umbrella of Islam.

Akayet Deva Mano: This long verse of 480 sentences is considered the most popular work in the classic Cham literature. Believed to be adapted from a Malaysian story, this epic is well loved by the Cham people for its beautiful poetry as well as its high moral values. The epic tells the story of two princes Deva Mano and Deva Samulaik and their fighting to marry princess Ratna Cahya Sribiyong. Akayet Deva Mano takes a very special place in the heart of the Cham people because it emphasizes the universal values such as goodness over evil, marital faithfulness, friendship loyalty, parental sacrifices framed in a well composed story and melodic verses.

Inra Patra: This long verse of 582 sentences first appeared in the early 17th century. This work is believed to be an adaptation of a Malaysian legend with a strong Islamic intonation.

How It All Began

Potein is the ‘adopted hometown’ of the Mufti of Cambodia. He arrived there in the 70's alone, while fleeing from persecution by the Pol Pot regime. He was taken in by the villagers who restored his health and gave him shelter. To their delightful surprise, they discovered that the young man whom they saved was very well versed in religious knowledge. Quickly the young man became the religious master of the village.

After the downfall of the Pol Pot regime, a mosque and a school of timber were built in Potein. Slowly but surely Potein became famous because of his presence and influence. Villagers all over Cambodia and Vietnam started to send their children for religious education under the guidance of the young religious master. A new mosque of concrete and bricks were built. A hostel for male students was also added. The old timber school remained.

This modest school has since produced scholars and teachers who continue to guide and elevate the status of Islam and the Cham Malays in Cambodia. The young religious master was then invited to Phnom Penh and conferred the status of Mufti by the Administration. Young scholars like ustaz Musa, Abdul Wahid, Yusof and Gozali, who were former students of Potein, are assigned different regions of Cambodia to support the work of the Mufti.

The Mufti said that after his tenure he would return to Potein to continue to build the Cham Malay ummah from there. He said in passing that the old school needed to be rebuilt. I could not agree more after seeing its dilapidated condition. That is how this school project started. Also in the pipeline for Potein is a hostel for female students. Other villages also have similar needs.

Progress of School Construction

Letter received from the Mufti of Cambodia on 19 Ramadhan. Enclosed are photographs taken on 7 Ramadhan showing the construction of foundations for the school building which is located next to the village mosque.

Please contact me at isakamari@singnet.com.sg if you want to help in any way. Thank you.

New Home for Grandmother

The old tattered house above.

This new house was built for a grandmother and her three grandchildren at Potein at a cost of USD 1K.

Summary of Current Projects

1. School in Potein at USD 35K.
2. Modest homes for the poor & destitute at USD 1K each.
3. Wakaf Perigi (Wells) at USD 150/- each.
4. Qurban & Aqiqah (Please refer to Al-Ameen's website)
5. Mosques at USD 45K-50K each.

Please contact me at isakamari@singnet.com if you want to help in any way.

Qurban and Aqiqah

Al-Ameen Serve Holdings which is based in Malaysia has been organising the Qurban and Aqiqah for the Cham Malays in Cambodia for 14 years

In addition, the Waqaf Perigi project is also administered by Al-Ameen.

For details please visit Al-Ameen's website: http://www.korbanaqiqah.com.my/blog/

Modest But Safe Homes

This house was built with a budget of USD 1,000/-. Before, this family of a widow and three young children lived in a house that should be rightly called a shack which is submerged every September when the waters of the Tonle Sap rise 3m and above. The new house is built on concrete stilts, the walls are of timber and the roof of zinc sheets. It is modest but safe.

Cry In Anguish

Despite the tumultous past and the hardship and challenges faced by the Mufti today, he still has not lost his sense of humour.

He told me once that if the Japanese were to come to Cambodia, they would cry in anguish and disapproval. I asked why? The Mufti replied, "The motorcycle from Japan meant to carry 2, now has to carry 5 in the villages and pull 30 in the suburbs!"

I smiled. I know it is a clear indication of inadequacy. At the same time I marvel at the ingenuity and tenacity of a people driven by necessity.

A glimpse of the Cham Malays

My crew of four had the chance of filming slices of life of the Cham Malays in Cambodia. The trip brought us to Phnom Penh and several Cham Malay villages in Kampong Cham and Kampong Chnang regions. There are currently more than half a million Cham Malays living in Cambodia. According to Oknha Sos Kamry, the mufti of Cambodia, the figure was about 700,000 before the Pol Pot regime came into power but was significantly reduced to less than 400,000 after the dark years. The Cham Malays were originally from Vietnam but had settled down in Cambodia for about 300 years. Incidentally, some Cham Malays have also settled in Malaysia, Acheh and the Hainan islands since then. They speak the Cham language which is now written in the Jawi script. About 40% of the words in the Cham language can be identified as Malay.

The Cham Malays are scattered in Cambodia with a considerable number living as fishermen along the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. Our Cham Malay tour guide informed us that it is easy to spot a Cham Malay village along the two rivers which is marked by the village mosque and scores of perahus lining up the shore. Some of these villages are on the move as the fishermen frequently look for better fishing areas along the river.

Life is simple and hard for the Cham Malay fishermen, but once a year between November and January, the river brings joy to the fishermen. It is during these months that schools of fish from the Tonle Sap Lake in Vietnam come down south to the Mekong River. The fishermen would build rafts on the river along the flow of currents and haul up tons of fish in their 50m-70m long nets or pukat. One night’s catch could yield about to 10-15 tons of fish. Vietnamese and Khmer fishmongers would come to the rafts to buy fish wholesale before transporting them by boats to the markets along the river banks.

Many Cham Malays have moved and built villages inland. There are 24 regions in Cambodia of which 23 have a total of 420 Cham Malay villages. A concentration of about 200,000 Cham Malays in 140 villages can be found in the Kampong Cham region itself. Their habits and customs are typically Malay with focus on family and community values. Their source of living comes from agriculture namely padi and rubber. The mosque would be the centre of the activities among the villagers. A typical Cham Malay village would also have a school.

According to the mufti there are distinctly two groups of Cham Malays. The main group belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. Another small group of about 5% of Cham Malays practices an esoteric version of Islam. They called themselves Kaum Zahid and claimed to be the original Cham Malays from Vietnam. They believe in Allah and the prophet but only pray once a week on Friday instead of five times a day. They fast for only three days in the month of Ramadan and perform the pilgrimage at a sacred hill in which it is believed that the remains of their founder were buried. The Kaum Zahid is concentrated in the villages at Kampong Chnang.

The Cham Malays are a respectable community in Cambodia. They enjoy religious freedom as the mainly Buddhist Khmer communities. They are fondly referred to as Khmer Muslims and are represented in the current government. The Council for Islamic Religious Affairs is located at the outskirts of Phnom Penh at Chrang Chomreh.

Homes for the Poor & Destitute

In addition to schools, I am also building modest homes for the poor & destitute. Each house will cost about USD 1K to build.

Just look at their living conditions. Again, please contact me at isakamari@singnet.com.sg if you want them to have better homes.

Schools for the Cham Malay children

Just look at their faces. Without education, their future is bleak The school is for children like them.

School In Potein, Cambodia

I am building a new school in Potein, Cambodia. It will be 2 storeys with eight classrooms of about 60 sq m. each. The old timber school was run-down and recently demolished. The new school will be built of concrete frames, brick walls and clay roof tiles. It will cost about USD 35K to build.

Potein is the home town of the Mufti of Cambodia. The school project has his blessings. Construction began on 1st of Ramadhan and is expected to complete within 6 months. About USD 20K has been raised.

The project needs about USD 15K more to complete.

Please contact me at isakamari@singnet.com.sg if you are interested to contribute.

Thank you.