Cham Muslim recounts ordeal in Khmer Rouge tribunal
A Cambodian Cham Muslim has revealed unbelievable facts about the mass killing and persecution of Muslims at the hands of the Khmer Rouge cadres in the late 1970s.
The shocking testimony came Monday during the second trial of the two top surviving former Khmer Rouge leaders, where It Sen recounted the suffering of Muslim people and Khmer’s targeting of them at the time.
The hearing, which is backed by the United Nations, is the second held for the two surviving Khmer leaders, namely "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, 89, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 84, both already sentenced to jail for having a major hand in the deaths of up to two million Cambodians from 1975-1979.
Sen, 63, described how he and other Muslims were subject to mass killing orders, forced eating of pork and witnessing the copies of the Quran, their beloved religious book, burned.
He said Cham Muslims, the biggest minority group in Cambodia, were banned from speaking their language or they could face instant execution by Khmers.
“If they (Khmer Rouge soldiers) happened to hear us speaking the Cham language, we would be taken away and killed,” he said, adding that he personally saw how Khmer Rouge soldiers dragged a boat, to which dozens of Chams were roped, into a deep river and let them all drown.
The survivor said that Muslim women were banned from head coverings and they were forced to cut their hair.
He said Muslims were made to eat pork, which is strictly forbidden in Islam, while copies of the Quran were collected from houses and burned in front of the members of the religious minority.
“We were absolutely prohibited from any worship and if we were to make even the smallest mistake, we would be arrested and killed,” said Sen, who lost his wife and child, but managed to loosen ties around his hands and escape from house arrest.
In the current trial, the former Khmer Rouge leaders face charges over the killing of major ethnic groups, including Vietnamese and Muslim minorities, while they should respond to charges of forced marriage and rape during the time of the regime.
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