ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the extent to which religion can provide targeted groups with a means of resisting and responding to acts of genocide. It uses a case study of the experience of the Cham Islamic community, a group that was subjected to a genocide during the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979). Much of the research into the Cham’s resistance to genocide has focused on acts of armed rebellion. However, this chapter shines a light on what James C. Scott (1985) describes as acts of “everyday resistance” employed in the face of genocidal violence, focusing on forms of religious resistance. Drawing from fieldwork in March 2017, as well as accounts from Cham scholars, this chapter highlights how members of the Cham community strived to keep their religious practice alive in the face of suppression and violence. By focusing on the “everyday,” this chapter also reveals the particular role of women in resisting and responding to genocide.
