Islam in Laos

History

The ethnic diversity of Laotian Muslims is associated with the history of how Islam spread into the region. Originally from southern China in places such as Yunnan, a community known as the Chin Haw worked as merchants throughout Myanmar, Thailand, southwest China, and Laos. They were known to have a presence in Laos as far south as Luang Prabang and even beyond, though they mainly reside in northern Laos.

The earliest South Asian Muslims to come to Laos are believed to have been the Tamil Muslims of Pondicherry who arrived to the country via Ho Chi Minh City during the French colonial period. Predominantly belonging to the Labbay community, these Tamils found employment as labourers and guards in the Laotian capital. During World War I, the British Army employed and stationed ethnic Pashtuns to Southeast Asia. South Asian Muslims are mainly found in Vientiane today. The small community of Chams first came to Laos from Cambodia to escape persecution from the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 20th-century. The Chams established the Azahar Mosque, which is popularly known by locals as Masjid Cambodia.

Formerly considered the largest Muslim community in Laos, the Chin Haw community have been sharply declining as many have begun to migrate overseas. 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. 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. Many of these converts intermarry with the other dominant Muslim communities. Nowadays, members of the Tablighi Jamaat frequent Laos from Thailand to spread their teachings.