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103

Promoting Genocide Education andReconciliation through Oral History:
the Case of Cham Muslim Youthin Cambodia1
Farina So2

I

n March 2007,3 the Cham Muslim Oral History project of the Documentation
Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) invited one hundred Cham youth from acrossthe country to participate in an educational program consisting of visits to several
genocide commemoration sites and the courtroom of the Extraordinary Chambersin the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the
Period of Democratic Kampuchea (ECCC). The majority of these students were
university students. During the event, surveys were conducted to assess their viewson the Khmer Rouge regime and related issues such as genocide prevention andmethods of achieving reconciliation in Cambodia.
field was known as Choeung Ek, or crow’s feet.
The Choeung Ek field is now a memorial forthe executed prisoners. A tall white monument
was built near the entrance; incense sticks aresupplied at the foot of the monument for visitors to burn as they say prayers for the soulsof victims.
At the genocide museum and genocide memorial, Oral History project staffs conductedsurveys and interviews with the students. The
project team leader also announced the holdingof an essay contest. In an effort to connect Chamyouth to their parents, students were asked
to interview a parent about their experiences
during the genocide and write about it in an
essay. In the essay, students should also include
their own views on the Khmer Rouge regime.
Sincerity, creativity, along with practical criteria

At the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the
Choeung Ek Genocide Memorial Center (alsoknown as the Choeung Ek Killing Fields), students saw the visual reminders of the atrocities
committed under the Democratic Kampuchea
government. These included thousands ofprisoner photographs, images of mass graves,stained jail cells, and torture devices.
The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is locatedon the very place that was the microcosm of theterror, brutality, and paranoia that characterized Democratic Kampuchea. Formerly a highschool in the 1960s, the Tuol Sleng site wasturned into the highest level security prison by
Khmer Rouge leaders in 1975. An estimated
16,000 prisoners entered the prison where they
were forced to confess their “crimes” and ultimately executed in a nearby field. The nearby103

104  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

of style and language were used to select the
top ten essays.

After the Genocide
After the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime,
many survivors lost family members. Traumatized, demoralized, and left to grieve for a loved
one, some had feelings of revenge. Over timeand under the guidance of the Qur’an, thesefeelings dissipated. Although the Qur’an does
allow for retribution, forgiveness is preferred because it would constitute a blessing by Allah.
Some Cham families decided to leave Cambodia as a result of the political instability anddire economic conditions that enveloped thenation after the genocide ended in 1979. Suchfamilies have migrated to Malaysia, France, theUnited States, Australia, New Zealand, andJapan.4 As for those families which remainedin Cambodia, some returned to live in theirhome villages prior to the genocide while others relocated to other villages. El Yakin’s father
obtained a high government post in Takeo andwas even promoted to be governor of Takeo
province. His father decided to resign fromhis post however and returned to Kilometer 7
in Phnom Penh to reunite with his family. El’sfather reasoned that after everything that he had
been through, reunion with family and harmony
were the most important things in life.
The matter of legal prosecution of atrocities
committed under the Khmer Rouge is currently
underway at the ECCC. A handful of former
Khmer Rouge leaders have been arrested anddetained in detention facilities located behindthe six-hundred-seat ECCC courtroom. They
are charged with war crimes and crimes against
humanity, but none have been clearly charged
with crimes of genocide. Some scholars andlawyers (outside the ECCC) have made a caseof genocide in regards to the Cham population,
which constitute not only a distinct ethnic groupbut also religious group.
DC-Cam interviews with hundreds ofsurvivors reveal that the Khmer Rouge did
specifically target members of ethnic minorities
for abusive treatment and execution. Muktar
Rohany, a university student, wrote that Toloars
Tikah’s family and many other Cham families
in Kampong Cham province were killed basedon ethnic grounds. Toloars Tikah said, “theKhmer Rouge just wanted to eliminate Cham
Muslims, even though we are innocent. I was
one among my family who escaped the killings
because I hid my identity. I was then relocatedto another place.”
Under the overall policy of prohibition ofreligion during Democratic Kampuchea period, following the five pillars of Islam could
result in punishment or execution for Chams.
Muhammad Aly recalls his punishment for
praying. Born in Kampong Cham province,
Aly continued praying during the installment of
the new regime in 1975 until one day a Khmer
Rouge cadre saw him and warned him to stop.
The Khmer Rouge then “reeducated” him bymaking him transport large amounts of earth.
Afterward, they told him that if he was caught
praying again, he would be executed.
The general policy of separating members offamily into work units (such as the children’s
mobile unit or the women’s mobile unit) was
also devastating for Chams because traditionally, they live collectively in Cham communities. Many Chams were also forced to eat pork
and other non-halal (unlawful) foods. Many
mosques, like pagodas, were turned into stables,
reeducation camps, and storage. In Toloars
Faisha’s essay, she writes “…the Khmer Rouge
built communal halls and turned mosques into
pig pens or a storage space for grains and otherfoods; they even stored prahok (a fermented fishdish) in former places of worship.5
Cham children were deprived of religious
teachings during those four years; religious
teachings that were considered fundamental totheir spiritual growth. Instead, many were indoctrinated with Khmer Rouge ideology whichemphasized collective agricultural egalitarianismand self-reliance. In the first ever textbook on

Genocide Education and Reconciliation through History  105

the Khmer Rouge regime, author Dy Khamboly describes what children were taught atthat time:

In Democratic Kampuchea, there were no formal
schools. Instead children were sent to study undertrees or people’s houses. While children were
taught their ABCs, most of their education was
devoted to political instruction. Young children
were routinely taken from their homes and madeto attend indoctrination sessions so they could
serve as soldiers, bodyguards, or messengers.6

After the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea,
many villages were abandoned including Koh
Phal village which were essentially uninhabited.7
Haji Muftar, imam khet of Kampong Champrovince claims that six villages in Kampong
Siem district, Kampong Cham province wereabandoned after the Khmer Rouge collapsed
and that most of the villagers were killed or had
died during the regime.8
Despite the enormity of all these challenges,
Chams have worked hard to reincorporate
religious and traditional customs back into
their communities after the genocide. Over
three hundred mosques have been built acrossCambodia since the fall of the Democratic
Kampuchea government and plans are currently underway for the construction of moremosques.9 Also the number of people who go
for the hajj increased year by year, and in year
2008, there were over three hundred Cham
Muslims who made a pilgrimage to Mecca andMadina, in Saudi Arabia.10

Higher education and Cham youth
In 1992, the university enrollment rate
for Chams was quite low; only a dozen wereenrolled at the University of Medicine andEconomics according to H.E. Dr. H.J. Sos
Mousine.11 In 1999, the figure increased toapproximately two hundred as a result ofscholarships given by H.E. Ahmad Yahya,12 amember of Cambodia’s National Assembly. In

2001 however, funding for these scholarships
was cut off leaving many students without thefinancial resources to continue their education
after the second year of college. Consequently,
some students dropped out of school. Thosethat were able to financially sustain themselves
graduated and received their degrees. For all
the students, including those who were unable
to continue after the cessation of funding, theopportunity to attend college initiated a dialogue between parents and children about theimportance of education.
The Cambodian Islamic Youth Association,a non-governmental organization (NGO), hasalso been a driving force in the promotion of
education by providing scholarships for English
courses at the high school and college levels.
In 2005, the NGO received financial support
through joint efforts between donors such as the
U.S. Embassy, World Education, Australians,
UNAIDs, and educational institutions suchas Phnom Penh International University, Australian Cultural Centre, and the International
Computer School (ICS). This collaboration
has helped two hundred fifty students to attend
college and fifty-seven to attend short-term college programs by early 2008. Currently, there
are hundreds of Cham youth who are enrolled
in college, some of which are from the countryside.13
Scholarships have also been available for
Cham youth to study abroad in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United States, andin Arab states. There are hundreds students
pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Indonesia underthe Islamic Development Bank Foundation.
With support from the Almanar Foundationand other Islamic organizations, hundreds ofstudents are obtaining professional training ora bachelor’s degree in business in Malaysia.14
While there appears to be a rise in thenumber of Cham youths enrolled in college,
the greater majority of them do not enjoy thisprivilege. One significant factor is poverty, aproblem that their Khmer counterparts also
face. Another factor relates to constraints in106  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

their family situation. Some Cham girls in thesixth or seventh grade drop out of school underpressure from their parents to either pursue Islamic education or find a job to help support thefamily. 15 Although the aforementioned organizations work hard to alleviate these and othersocial and financial constraints, the problem ofaccess to higher education still looms large in
the Cham community.

Summary of Essay Contest
Forty seven essays were submitted in thewriting contest, twenty-six from female students
and twenty-one from male students. The top ten
essays were selected according to the following
criteria: (1) style and language, (2) coherence ofideas and viewpoints on the Khmer Rouge, (3)creativity and thoughtfulness, and (4) grammar
and spelling. In April 2008, the writers of thewinning essays were given a special award in asmall ceremony. All essays were published in
DC-Cam’s magazine Searching for the Truth.
The stories presented in the essays containmany parallels. The students wrote about largescale evacuations and relocations, difficult working conditions, constant fear, scarcity of food,struggles to practice Islam, strains on family
relationships, and executions. Beyond the experiences of their parents, many students also
wrote about their ideas of what constituted justice for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge and how
genocide could be prevented in the future.
Soth Naseath16 had a difficult time getting
his mother to speak about her life during the
genocide. After several attempts to get his
mother to talk, she began to cry. As her tears
flowed, she slowly started to describe her experiences to her son. Soth wrote,
In the end, I was able to encourage my mother totell me in her own words what happened. Tears
kept falling down her face and I greatly pitied
her. I was also quite frustrated because I could
not comprehend her enormous degree of pain.
In the end, she agreed to disclose her past because

she believed that teaching her children about theatrocities of the Khmer Rouge was important.

Soth’s mom was arrested and put in jail during that period. Her “crime” was escaping tothe other side of a river in an attempt to findfood because she was starving. She was caught
and immediately taken to prison without questioning. In prison, she was handcuffed and was
only given watery rice soup two times per day.
She was also forced to do a variety of physicallyexhausting labor that she deemed unbearable.
According to Son’s mom, dead bodies weretransported out of the prison everyday. She believed that her turn would soon come. Several
months later, however, she was released fromprison after the village chief testified that she
was innocent.
Von Navy17 wrote an essay titled, “My Parents are also Victims.” In her essay, she describes
the dramatic death of her older sister. In the
final minutes of her life, Von’s older sister lay
in her mother’s arms and whispered, “Mother,
I am very hungry.” Starvation was a constanttheme in many of the essays.
For Cham youth, information about the
genocide comes from various sources including
teachers, parents, neighbors, and scholarlyoriented magazines. The information comingfrom some of these sources may be limited inscope and therefore many youth will look toother sources to verify one source and/or to
obtain a more complete understanding of what
happened. In general however, much of theirinformation about Democratic Kampuchea
come from parents, relatives, and neighbors
because they are not formally taught in schools
and few relevant reading materials are available. One dominant way in which they learn
about the genocide is during mealtime. Parents
often tell their children how little they had toeat under the Khmer Rouge, that they starved,
and that many people died of starvation. As aresult the children learn much about difficult
life conditions, but hardly anything about thepolitical, economic, or military issues relevantGenocide Education and Reconciliation through History  107

to that era (something that many parents know
little about themselves).
Math Tahir, a young NGO volunteer basedin Kampot province, wanted more information
on Democratic Kampuchea. He has not only
visited the mosque located in another village,
but often contacts DC-Cam for Khmer Rouge
related publications. Math explains that, “Whenyou listen to survivor’s stories for the first time,it seems fictional or like a folktale, but when you
learn more about what happened from otherpeople and other sources, you realize that what
they are telling you is the truth.”
On genocide prevention, the Cham students
came up with several methods. One rather
simple, but significant suggestion was remembrance - keeping alive the history of what took
place by educating all Cambodians about what
happened and creating spaces for remembrance.
They believed that if the genocide was preservedin both people’s memory and historical records,
this would prevent it from happening again.
Having solid morals and respect for others werealso mentioned in the essays. Others suggested
that there should be more exhibitions about
the Khmer Rouge regime so that information
about this era would be more accessible to the
public. Lastly, some stressed that tolerance andforgiveness were necessary and should be practiced in the family, so that they could radiate
outward in society.
The essays also spoke about the conceptsof justice and reconciliation. Some definedjustice as honesty and impartiality while others
related it to equality before the law. Once justice
was achieved, according to some, the journey
towards reconciliation could begin. Others
thought that once apologies were offered, forgiveness would follow, reconciliation between
victim and perpetrator would occur. One female
student wrote however, “It is hard to forgethorrible experiences when you have experienced
them directly yourself.” The student’s father
lost his entire family in the genocide. Today her
father lives in the same village where the man
who killed his brother lives; her father does nothave peace. The student believes that only timeand Islamic teachings will help to mitigate hisanger and suffering. She writes,

He has never told us about this person, but I
know that he is suffering inside. I hope thattime and the happiness in our family will help torelieve his pain. Perhaps it is better if this person
comes forward and confesses in front of my father
because Islam teaches us to forgive those who
admit their guilt. As for me, if I knew that person
I might be angry with him at first, but later things
would become normal again because the event
took place so long ago and I certainly wouldn’t
want to continue living a miserable life.

Cham youth, like many people in Cambodia,
receive news of the ECCC through the radio,
newspapers, television, and select magazines
which feature articles about the tribunal. Overall, Cham youth seem to support the hybrid
nature of the tribunal, remarking that having
the involvement of the United Nations will help
to ensure that justice is properly attained. The
process of justice is not one that courts partake
alone however; Cham youth believe that it isalso important for Cambodians to learn about
the history of Democratic Kampuchea, attend
the trial proceedings, and if possible comeforward as witnesses. During a meeting at the
ECCC courtroom last year, many of them asked
tribunal officials about the structure, cases, andprocesses of the ECCC.

Oral History in a human rights context
Oral history can function in many fields andserve many purposes. It can be used in journalism, literature, business, anthropology, sociology, art history, and human rights. In the field of
human rights, it can be a tool for documenting
atrocities.18 For example, truth commissions often times use the oral history approach in truth
seeking. Victims are given the opportunity totell their stories; they are given voices. Oncethese stories are collected, an investigation can

108  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

follow and possibly the adjudication of humanrights violations cases.
Oral history gives voice to those whose voice
is little heard and empowers people to record
their personal experiences. According to Oral
History Society,19 oral history enables people
who have been hidden from history to be heard,
and for those interested in their past to record
personal experiences and those of their families
and communities.
The stories people tell can be a mixture offacts and opinions that are expressed in theirown terms. Some people are not able to remember all aspects of an event, especially with thepassing of time, and thus their stories may be
fragmented or illogical. This does not negate
their stories however, for each survivor has hisor her own truth which is real to them. As morestories are documented, collective experienceand collective memories are created. Oral historian, Valerie Raleigh Yow, agrees on the powerof oral history. She commented in her book20
that, “although there is no research that helps
us to make quick and definitive [stance] on accuracy of memory that can be used as evidence,
there are criteria, however, that can enable us toevaluate oral history evidence.”
The writing competition reveals the importance of the oral history approach in two main
ways: education and relationship-building. As
students listen to their parents telling them
about the atrocious conditions under the Khmer
Rouge regime, they not only learn about theexperiences of their parents, but they are also
gaining a better understanding of their parents.
Some of the students commented that writing
down their parent’s experiences was an important exercise for them because it gave them agreater appreciation of the difficulties of that
era and a greater appreciation of their parents
as well. One student from Kampong Thom
province said, “Prior to the writing contest,
my parents had told me very little about what
they experienced. Afterward, I realized how
incredible their experiences were.” Throughnegotiation and dialogue between parent andchild, a learning environment is created in thehome. Oral history becomes the vehicle whichhelps to connect the survivor generation withtoday’s youth; a connection that is needed in
Cambodian society today.

Conclusion
One challenge of moving forward in a nation traumatized by violent conflict and massive human rights atrocities is the treatment of
the past. The past cannot be forgotten in theburied memories of survivors and undisclosed
documents. All members in the new society
must work together to share, preserve, and understand the past, no matter how tragic it may
be. Oral history is one way in which the pastcan be treated in a manner which is conduciveto healing the country. By having Cham youth
ask their parents to speak about their everyday
experiences during Democratic Kampuchea,
they not only gain knowledge about that era but
also about where their parents are coming from.
As the parents share their stories with theirchildren, the bond between parent and childdeepens. Some parents have commented thatthey are happy in knowing that their children areinterested in their stories. Others even say thatthey feel a sense of relief and letting go of sorts,
as they narrate their stories to their children.
While I promote the use of oral history inthe context of informal genocide education,other approaches can be employed as well.
Students can take part in activities such as art
competitions, dramas, musical performances,and other creative lines - all centered on thethemes relating to the Khmer Rouge, as informal means of learning about their parent’s andtheir nation’s past. Visits to museums and otherplaces containing information about Democratic Kampuchea are also beneficial. Such
exercises encourage the discussion of genocidein Cambodia and thus contribute to reconciliation process in the country.

Genocide Education and Reconciliation through History  109

References
Cham Muslim Students. 2007. The 47 Essays about
their parents’ experiences under Democratic
Kampuchea. Phnom Penh: Documentation Centerof Cambodia.
Dy, Khamboly. 2007. A History of Democratic
Kampuchea. Phnom Penh: Documentation Centerof Cambodia.
Keo, Dacil. “Cham Muslim Students and Law Students
Tour: Learning about Genocide and the ECCC.”
Documentation Center of Cambodia. http://www.
dccam.org/Projects/Living_Doc/Cham20Youth20and20Law20Student20Report.pdf(accessed
January 15, 2008)
Oral History Society. “Oral History Practical Advice:
Getting Started.” http://www.ohs.org.uk/advace/(accessed January 28, 2008).
So, Farina. “Education for Cham Muslim Women in
Cambodia”. Documentation Center of Cambodia.
http://www.dccam.org/Projects/Public_Info/
Cham20Muslim20Leaders.htm (accessed January
15, 2008).
_________. “Website Development: Building Bridges
Between the Cham Muslim Community and theRest of the World.”
Documentation Center of Cambodia. http://www.
dccam.org/Projects/Public_Info/Buildin_Bridges_
Between.htm (accessed January 15, 2008)
Yow, Valerie Raleigh. 2005. Recording Oral History.
California: Rowman’s Little field Publishers Inc.
Ysa, Osman. 2006. The Cham Rebellion: Survivors’ Stories
from the villages. Phnom Penh: Documentation
Center of Cambodia.

Endnotes

I would like to thank Dacil Keo for her assistancein reviewing and editing this paper.
2
Farina So is the Oral History Project Leader inthe Documentation Center of Cambodia (Phnom
Penh, Cambodia).
3
Dacil Keo, “Cham Muslim Students and Law
Students Tour: Learning about Genocide and the
ECCC”, Documentation Center of Cambodia.
http://www.dccam.org/Projects/Living_Doc/
Cham20Youth20and20 Law20Student20Report.pdf(accessed January 15, 2008)
4
Cham Muslim Students. “One of the 47 Essays
about their parents’ experiences under Democratic
Kampuchea,” Documentation Center of Cambodia,
2007.
1

5
Toloars Faisha is a third year student of Norton
University. She wrote a seventeen-page essay of herparents’ experience under Democratic Kampuchea
and her views toward the regime.
6
Khamboly Dy, A History of Democratic
Kampuchea (Documentation Center of Cambodia,
2007), 35. This textbook is intended for high school
students and it has been officially accepted by Prime
Minister Hun Sen and Ministry of Education, Youth,and Sports as a reference book for teachers in 2007.
7
   Osman Ysa, The Cham Rebellion: Survivors’
Stories from the villages (Documentation Centerof Cambodia, 2006), 53. The village of Koh Phal islocated on an island in the Mekong River in Kroch
Chhmar district of Kampong Cham province.
Prior to the Democratic Kampuchea regime, Koh
Phal had 1,864 residents. After the regime fell andthe surviving residents came back home, only 183
people remained.
8   Those villages are Chamkar Samsib, Kokor,
Koh Rokar, Koh Prak, Ro-Ang, and Khvav. The
families in the six villages totaled 2,320 in 1970,
and there were only 110 families left after the fall of
Democratic Kampuchea regime.
9
Farina So, “Website Development: Building
Bridges Between the Cham Muslim in Cambodianand the Rest of the World,” Documentation Centerof Cambodia, http://www.dccam.org/Projects/
Public_Info/Building_Bridges_Between.htm(accessed 15 January 2008).
10
Seth Muhammad Sis (Officer of Khmerization
office, Department of Pedagogical Research, Ministryof Education, Youth and Sports), in discussion withthe author, 25 January 2008.
11
H.E. DR. HJ. Sos Mousine (Under-Secretary ofState, Ministry of Rural Development), in discussion
with the author, 25 January 2008.
12
H.E. Ahmad Yahya, in discussion with theauthor, 25 January 2008.
13
H.E. Hap Umaly, in discussion with the author,
25 January 2008.
14
Seth Muhammad Sis (Officer of Khmerization
office, Department of Pedagogical Research, Ministryof Education, Youth and Sports), in discussion withthe author, 25 January 2008.
15
Farina So, “Education for Cham Muslim
Women in Cambodia,” Documentation Centerof Cambodia, http://www.dccam.org/Projects/
Public_Info/Cham20Muslim20Leaders/Cham_
Muslim_Leaders.htm (accessed January 15 2008).
16
Soth Naseath is a graduate of Phnom Penh
International University with a management degree.
His mother is Khmer and his father is Cham.

110  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS
17
Von Navy is a junior at Western University
majoring in English. Her parents are from Angkor
Ban village, Kampong Cham province.
18
Columbia University Oral History Research
Office, “Telling the World: Oral History, Struggles
for Justice and Human Rights Dialogues.” The above
paragraph is derived from a discussion among thefellows and faculty members at Columbia University
Oral History Research Office, June 2007. I was oneof the fellows engaged in the discussion about theimportance of Oral history and Oral history as aninterdisciplinary subject. For further reading, go to
http://usearch.cc.columbia.edu/query.htmlqtOral20History20Research20Office.
19
Oral History Society, “Oral History Practical
Advice: Getting Started.” http://ww.ohs.org.uk/
advice (accessed January 28, 2008)
20
Valerie Raleigh Yow. Recording Oral History.
(California: Rowman’s Little field Publishers, Inc.
2005), 36.