By Noor Hamad Wariman
JEDDAH, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Whenever there is an invitation to attend a seminar abroad, 68-year-old Tan Prohim would never waste the opportunity to raise funds for the Cambodian Muslim Teachers and Students Association.
The invitations would come from foreign government agencies as well as the private sector corporations.
This had taken Tan Prohim, who is the association president to countries like Japan, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asian nations including Malaysia.
"I have to ask for assistance from the foreign community as many among the Champa Muslim youths in Cambodia need help to further their studies in the universities at Phnom Penh or abroad", he said.
According to Prohim, some 50 students from poor families in the Muslim Champa community who are studying in Phnom Penh universities need financial assistance between US$320 and US$500 each a year.
They are relying for assistance from the association as well as from other organisations.
MORE CHAMPA MUSLIMS TO BE SUCCESSFUL
"Some (of the students) receive assistance from the association while other are helped by Jamiah Al-Muslim, Japan and several other countries including Malaysia, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt," he said.
Prohim said he had always reminded the former students, who are now successful and have become lecturers in universities in other countries including Malaysia, to assist the other students back in their home land.
The bitter experience during the Cambodian civil war in the 1970s has given Prohim the awareness that he needs to assist the Champa Muslims.
"Even though there are those who have become elected representatives, senators and others, I want to see more of them in the government service", he said.
PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE
Being aware of the students needs, Prohim is determined to request for assistance whenever he is outside Cambodia.
When he was invited to perform the haj in Mecca in a programme organise by the Saudi Arabian government, Prohim did not waste the opportunity to seek assistance from the country's Culture and Information Ministry.
His ability to converse in Arabic had helped Prohim to meet the minister's representative before he returned to Cambodia after performing the haj pilgrimage.
He even waited for the whole day in order to meet the minister's representative despite others who were in the programme taking the opportunity to visit places of interest in the city.
"Its alright, I have been made an appointment to see the minister's representative after the zohor prayers", he told this writer when declining the invitation to join the media entourage that included Bernama Photo Unit head Mustaza Mohd Yusuf, Brunei Radio's Awang Hasnan Suhaili and Indonesia's Republika newspaper Teguh Setiawan for some sight-seeing at a shopping complex in Al-Balad here.
ALWAYS THANKFUL
Several hours later after the media group returned from Al-Balad, the writer met Prohim who looked cheerfull after meeting the minister's representative.
"Even though the amount pledged is not that much, it is good enough and I am thankful for their generosity", he said without the disclosing the amount of assistance pledged.
Prohim, who had studied Syariah at Al-Azhar University, Egypt in 1963, also holds religious 'ceramah' at his home, assisted by three others, that draw the attendance of some 200 people.
Despite having retired from serving as the head of Islamic Affairs at Cambodia's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Cult for 18 years from 1979 and Deputy Mufti of Cambodia for five years since 1997, Prohim never turned away from helping his fellow Muslims even though sometimes having to spend from his own pocket.
Apart from helming the association, Prohim is also the programme director for 'Voice of Cham', a private radio station that airs many programmes on Islam.
HELP PURSUE FURTHER STUDIES
The radio station also needs his assistance to raise funds as many among its staff and DJs are university students who perform part-time jobs in order to earn extra cash for the studies.
Apart from monitoring the radio programmes to ensure that they do not deviate from the Islamic teachings and country's regulations, Prohim also has to think of ways on how to raise funds to pay some US$50 every two or three months for each of the part-time staff.
"If there is not enough money, then I will inform the villagers about it. Usually the villagers are willing to help out depending the amount that they can afford", he said.
-- BERNAMA
JEDDAH, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Whenever there is an invitation to attend a seminar abroad, 68-year-old Tan Prohim would never waste the opportunity to raise funds for the Cambodian Muslim Teachers and Students Association.
The invitations would come from foreign government agencies as well as the private sector corporations.
This had taken Tan Prohim, who is the association president to countries like Japan, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asian nations including Malaysia.
"I have to ask for assistance from the foreign community as many among the Champa Muslim youths in Cambodia need help to further their studies in the universities at Phnom Penh or abroad", he said.
According to Prohim, some 50 students from poor families in the Muslim Champa community who are studying in Phnom Penh universities need financial assistance between US$320 and US$500 each a year.
They are relying for assistance from the association as well as from other organisations.
MORE CHAMPA MUSLIMS TO BE SUCCESSFUL
"Some (of the students) receive assistance from the association while other are helped by Jamiah Al-Muslim, Japan and several other countries including Malaysia, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt," he said.
Prohim said he had always reminded the former students, who are now successful and have become lecturers in universities in other countries including Malaysia, to assist the other students back in their home land.
The bitter experience during the Cambodian civil war in the 1970s has given Prohim the awareness that he needs to assist the Champa Muslims.
"Even though there are those who have become elected representatives, senators and others, I want to see more of them in the government service", he said.
PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE
Being aware of the students needs, Prohim is determined to request for assistance whenever he is outside Cambodia.
When he was invited to perform the haj in Mecca in a programme organise by the Saudi Arabian government, Prohim did not waste the opportunity to seek assistance from the country's Culture and Information Ministry.
His ability to converse in Arabic had helped Prohim to meet the minister's representative before he returned to Cambodia after performing the haj pilgrimage.
He even waited for the whole day in order to meet the minister's representative despite others who were in the programme taking the opportunity to visit places of interest in the city.
"Its alright, I have been made an appointment to see the minister's representative after the zohor prayers", he told this writer when declining the invitation to join the media entourage that included Bernama Photo Unit head Mustaza Mohd Yusuf, Brunei Radio's Awang Hasnan Suhaili and Indonesia's Republika newspaper Teguh Setiawan for some sight-seeing at a shopping complex in Al-Balad here.
ALWAYS THANKFUL
Several hours later after the media group returned from Al-Balad, the writer met Prohim who looked cheerfull after meeting the minister's representative.
"Even though the amount pledged is not that much, it is good enough and I am thankful for their generosity", he said without the disclosing the amount of assistance pledged.
Prohim, who had studied Syariah at Al-Azhar University, Egypt in 1963, also holds religious 'ceramah' at his home, assisted by three others, that draw the attendance of some 200 people.
Despite having retired from serving as the head of Islamic Affairs at Cambodia's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Cult for 18 years from 1979 and Deputy Mufti of Cambodia for five years since 1997, Prohim never turned away from helping his fellow Muslims even though sometimes having to spend from his own pocket.
Apart from helming the association, Prohim is also the programme director for 'Voice of Cham', a private radio station that airs many programmes on Islam.
HELP PURSUE FURTHER STUDIES
The radio station also needs his assistance to raise funds as many among its staff and DJs are university students who perform part-time jobs in order to earn extra cash for the studies.
Apart from monitoring the radio programmes to ensure that they do not deviate from the Islamic teachings and country's regulations, Prohim also has to think of ways on how to raise funds to pay some US$50 every two or three months for each of the part-time staff.
"If there is not enough money, then I will inform the villagers about it. Usually the villagers are willing to help out depending the amount that they can afford", he said.
-- BERNAMA
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