ISLAM DI TANAH ANGKOR: JEJAK SEJARAH DAN KEBERLANJUTAN KOMUNITAS MUSLIM

Abstrak

Penelitian ini membahas proses masuk dan perkembangan Islam di Kamboja, dengan fokus pada peran komunitas Muslim Cham sebagai agen penyebaran, pelestarian, dan penguatan identitas Islam di tengah dominasi budaya Buddha. Kajian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan sejarah, mencakup tahapan heuristik, kritik sumber, interpretasi, dan historiografi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Islam masuk ke Kamboja melalui dua jalur utama: perdagangan maritim internasional dan migrasi etnis Cham dari wilayah Champa (Vietnam Tengah) setelah kekalahan kerajaan mereka oleh Annam. Komunitas Cham kemudian menetap di sepanjang Sungai Mekong dan membentuk jaringan sosial-keagamaan yang kuat melalui pendirian masjid, madrasah, serta sistem pendidikan Islam yang berfungsi menjaga keberlangsungan ajaran dan identitas mereka. Selama masa kolonial dan terutama pada era rezim Khmer Merah, komunitas Muslim menghadapi berbagai bentuk represi dan penghancuran aset keagamaan. Namun, pasca-1979, mereka berhasil melakukan rekonstruksi sosial dan pendidikan dengan dukungan dari negara-negara Islam seperti Indonesia, Malaysia, dan Kuwait. Dalam konteks kontemporer, meskipun masih menghadapi tantangan berupa keterbatasan ekonomi, diskriminasi kultural, dan akses pendidikan yang terbatas, komunitas Muslim Cham menunjukkan ketahanan sosial yang tinggi dan mulai memperoleh ruang representasi politik di tingkat nasional. Penelitian ini menegaskan bahwa keberlanjutan Islam di Kamboja bukan hanya hasil transmisi ajaran agama, melainkan juga wujud ketangguhan budaya dan solidaritas sosial komunitas Cham. Pengalaman mereka merepresentasikan model integrasi dan adaptasi minoritas Muslim di Asia Tenggara yang berhasil mempertahankan identitas keagamaan sekaligus berkontribusi terhadap kehidupan sosial-budaya negara mayoritas non-Muslim.

This study explores the introduction and development of Islam in Cambodia, focusing on the role of the Cham Muslim community as agents of dissemination, preservation, and reinforcement of Islamic identity within a predominantly Buddhist cultural context. Using a qualitative historical approach comprising heuristic, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography stages the research reveals that Islam entered Cambodia through two main routes: international maritime trade and the migration of the Cham ethnic group from the former Champa Kingdom (Central Vietnam) following its conquest by Annam. The Cham community subsequently settled along the Mekong River and established strong socio-religious networks through the founding of mosques, madrasas, and Islamic educational systems that ensured the transmission of religious knowledge and the continuity of Islamic identity. During the colonial period and especially under the Khmer Rouge regime, the Muslim community suffered extensive repression and the destruction of religious institutions. However, after 1979, they managed to rebuild their social and educational structures with support from Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Kuwait. In the contemporary era, despite ongoing challenges related to economic limitations, cultural discrimination, and restricted access to education, the Cham Muslim community has demonstrated remarkable resilience and has begun to gain political representation at the national level. This study concludes that the sustainability of Islam in Cambodia is not merely the result of religious transmission but also a manifestation of the Cham community’s cultural resilience and social solidarity. Their experience represents a valuable model of integration and adaptation among Muslim minorities in Southeast Asia who have succeeded in maintaining their religious identity while contributing positively to the broader socio-cultural life of a non-Muslim majority nation.