Cham Muslim Community USAGM
Metadata
- Cham Muslim Community USAGM
- April 25, 2022
- Content Type Program
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE Playbook Slug: TV Cham Muslim Community - Gunawan Headline: The Forgotten People, Cham Muslims Preserve Their Culture in Seattle Teaser: Descendants of Cham Refugees in the US strive to preserve their identity, cultural heritage, and Islamic religious tradition Published at: 4/25/2022 AT 9:45AM Byline: Virginia Gunawan Contributor: Dateline: Seattle, Washington Videographer: Supri Yono, Ariadne Budianto Producer: Script editors: KE(1st); MAS Video source(s): VOA, AFP, Cham Refugees Community Platform(s): TRT: 2:18 Vid approved by: KE Type: TVPKG ((INTRO)) [[The turbulent 1970s brought a wave of immigrants into America from Southeast to escape war and persecution. One such group founded a home in the (Western) state of Washington to preserve their identities and continue to welcome new refugees. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports.]] ((NARRATOR)) Concentrated around the Seattle, Washington area (on the US West Coast,) there is a diaspora community of Cham Refugees that – even by its own admission - is not widely known. (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (male, in English) “Cham is the indigenous people in Vietnam. And so, as the Vietnamese migrated south or eventually to Cambodia and southern Vietnam, we just assimilated it with the Vietnamese culture and the Cambodian culture. But we still maintain our language and our culture, even though we don't have a country” ((NARRATOR)) Dubbed as the forgotten people, the Cham are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, in a region that is predominantly Buddhist. Many who now call Seattle home settled here the 1970s, after fleeing the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (male, in English) “A lot of us came to U.S. by boat and some by just walking - a long walking distance - from Cambodia to Thailand” (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((NARRATOR)) The Cham diaspora in the U.S. established the Cham Refugees Community in 1982, serving as both a house of worship and a community center. ((Yakkob Man, Imam of Cham Refugees Community)) (male, in English) In our community we have lectures every week. So in one month we have four weeks of lectures. So two weeks in English and to weeks in Cham. We know for our youth don’t really understand Cham, but the purpose is just to share with them at least they understand a little bit. ((NARRATOR)) One concern is first- and second-generation Cham Americans, and whether they can preserve their identity in such a diverse city. ((Abdolhamid Abdorohman, Cham Refugees Community Program Manager)) (male, in English) “Something that the CRC (Cham Refugees Community) here is trying to like, to preserve the language. So having like programs to teach like, you know our basic languages, alphabets, and some of the stuff like that script.” (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((NARRATOR)) As one of the first Muslim diaspora to settle in Seattle, the Cham are also helping newer refugee communities adapt to life in America. ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (man, in English) “We've been there. We went through it, and we want to get back to that, that those group of people that needs our help.” ((NARRATOR)) Among them are newly resettled Afghan refugees, with the Cham advising on financial resources and helping them communicate with officials in their new community. From Seattle, Washington, Virginia Gunawan, VOA News.
- Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE Playbook Slug: TV Cham Muslim Community - Gunawan Headline: The Forgotten People, Cham Muslims Preserve Their Culture in Seattle Teaser: Descendants of Cham Refugees in the US strive to preserve their identity, cultural heritage, and Islamic religious tradition Published at: 4/25/2022 AT 9:45AM Byline: Virginia Gunawan Contributor: Dateline: Seattle, Washington Videographer: Supri Yono, Ariadne Budianto Producer: Script editors: KE(1st); MAS Video source(s): VOA, AFP, Cham Refugees Community Platform(s): TRT: 2:18 Vid approved by: KE Type: TVPKG ((INTRO)) [[The turbulent 1970s brought a wave of immigrants into America from Southeast to escape war and persecution. One such group founded a home in the (Western) state of Washington to preserve their identities and continue to welcome new refugees. VOA’s Virginia Gunawan reports.]] ((NARRATOR)) Concentrated around the Seattle, Washington area (on the US West Coast,) there is a diaspora community of Cham Refugees that – even by its own admission - is not widely known. (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (male, in English) “Cham is the indigenous people in Vietnam. And so, as the Vietnamese migrated south or eventually to Cambodia and southern Vietnam, we just assimilated it with the Vietnamese culture and the Cambodian culture. But we still maintain our language and our culture, even though we don't have a country” ((NARRATOR)) Dubbed as the forgotten people, the Cham are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, in a region that is predominantly Buddhist. Many who now call Seattle home settled here the 1970s, after fleeing the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (male, in English) “A lot of us came to U.S. by boat and some by just walking - a long walking distance - from Cambodia to Thailand” (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((NARRATOR)) The Cham diaspora in the U.S. established the Cham Refugees Community in 1982, serving as both a house of worship and a community center. ((Yakkob Man, Imam of Cham Refugees Community)) (male, in English) In our community we have lectures every week. So in one month we have four weeks of lectures. So two weeks in English and to weeks in Cham. We know for our youth don’t really understand Cham, but the purpose is just to share with them at least they understand a little bit. ((NARRATOR)) One concern is first- and second-generation Cham Americans, and whether they can preserve their identity in such a diverse city. ((Abdolhamid Abdorohman, Cham Refugees Community Program Manager)) (male, in English) “Something that the CRC (Cham Refugees Community) here is trying to like, to preserve the language. So having like programs to teach like, you know our basic languages, alphabets, and some of the stuff like that script.” (Still image courtesy: Cham Refugees Community) ((NARRATOR)) As one of the first Muslim diaspora to settle in Seattle, the Cham are also helping newer refugee communities adapt to life in America. ((Asari Mohamath, Cham Refugees Community President)) (man, in English) “We've been there. We went through it, and we want to get back to that, that those group of people that needs our help.” ((NARRATOR)) Among them are newly resettled Afghan refugees, with the Cham advising on financial resources and helping them communicate with officials in their new community. From Seattle, Washington, Virginia Gunawan, VOA News.
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date April 25, 2022 10:14 EDT
- Byline Virginia Gunawan
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English