*ARCHIVED OCTOBER 2007 // CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT DATA

Cambodia (click here to view a satellite map)

Cambodia, Southeast Asia

Population: 13,607,069
Christians: 1-2%
Dominant Religion: Buddhism
Persecution Ranking: Not Ranked
Political Leader: Prime Minister Hun Sen
Religious Freedom in Constitution: Yes

Cambodia’s genocidal Khmer Rouge regime tried to eradicate all religion during their brutal rule from 1975 to 1979. About two million people were killed, including Church leaders, and up to 90 percent of Cambodia’s Christians perished. In 1979, the regime was overthrown by Vietnamese forces. Some of the Christians who survived started the underground Church because the government did not yet allow religious freedom. This Church ran secretly until 1989. In 1990, Christianity was again permitted in Cambodia after 15 years of prohibition.
After U.N. peacekeepers left Cambodia, the government’s main concern was rebuilding the country. Their attention to Christianity was diminished, and this gave Cambodian Christians an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and plant new churches without harassment. During the 1990s, churches were planted in every Cambodian province. However, the government is not totally relaxed in how they view Christians. Therefore, religious freedom is still very fragile.
Buddhist nationalism has increased in Cambodia in recent years. In November 2002, the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA) recommended that all references to “God” be removed from school textbooks. CITA maintains such references are unconstitutional as Cambodia’s constitution states that Buddhism is the state religion. They even said that God “is a medicine that is poisoning students and will lead to social unrest.” In February 2003, Cambodia’s ministry of cults and religious affairs issued a directive to ban all Christian proselytising.
Prayer Points

	Pray for complete and well-entrenched religious liberty for Christians in Cambodia.
	Pray that Buddhist nationalism will decrease in Cambodia and that the Cambodian government and authorities will treat Christians fairly and respect their religious freedom.
	Pray for the growth and spiritual maturity of the Cambodian Church and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will spread throughout that country.

Almighty God, we thank You for the growth of the Cambodian Church despite the loss of so many Christians to Khmer Rouge atrocities. We pray that Christians will be able to make a major contribution to the rebuilding of Cambodia and assist Cambodians in tackling their many social problems. We pray for complete religious freedom for Cambodia’s Christians and that Buddhist nationalism will significantly decrease in Cambodia. O LORD, protect Cambodia’s Christians, including the Vietnamese Montagnard refugee community. May these refugees not be deported, but rather find permanent asylum in Cambodia or another country.

ADDITIONAL INFO ON CAMBODIA-

• View additional info on the Joshua Project site
• Praying Through The Window 6
• Praying Through The Window 7
• 2006 Weekly Prayer Points