Islam in Laos

They are generally engaged in trade, agriculture, cosmetics, clothing and business (butcher shops and restaurants) though some have attained official roles with the government.

The Muslim community has, on a number of occasions, invited administrators from the Lao Front for National Construction and the Vientiane Prefecture to their celebratory festivals.

As of 2001, the Lao People's Democratic Republic government began to severely restrict and control the practice of Islam (and other religions) in the country.

[9] The small community of Chams first came to Laos from Cambodia to escape persecution from the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 20th-century.

Boasting a population of over 7000 in the mid-1960s, the Laotian Civil War and the political developments of the 1970s have driven much of the Chin Haw community to emigrate from Laos.

[7] Though majority of the Muslim population trace their origins to other countries, there is a small community of indigenous Lao, who are mostly converts to Islam.