Freedom of religion in Cambodia

[1] In 2022, religious leaders reported improved public acceptance of persons practicing non-Buddhist religions.

There are approximately 300,000 to 400,000 Muslims (2.0 percent of the population), predominantly ethnic Cham, who generally are found in towns and rural fishing villages on the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers and in Kampot Province.

Other religious organizations with small followings include the Vietnamese Cao Dai religion and the Baha'i Faith, each with an estimated 2,000 practicing members.

The distance limitation has begun to be enforced but applies only to new construction of places of worship and not to offices of religious organizations.

The government permits Buddhist religious instruction in public schools as an extension of this constitutional designation.

Despite re-issuance in June 2007 of a ban on door-to-door proselytizing, foreign missionary groups generally operated freely throughout the country and did not encounter significant difficulties in performing their work.

Government officials expressed appreciation for the work of many foreign religious groups in providing much needed assistance in education, rural development, and training; however, officials also expressed some concern that foreign groups used the guise of religion to become involved in illegal or political affairs.

On the morning of April 26, 2006, a Buddhist mob knocked down and burned an unfinished Christian church in Kandal Province.

The local church leader confirmed that the house had not been rebuilt but he planned to turn the property into a school.

Some Buddhists also expressed concern about the Cham Muslim community receiving financial assistance from foreign countries.