Kan Imam San

The Kan Imam San ("San" often romanized as Sann), sometimes called the Cham Bani of Cambodia,^[1] are an Islamic sect that make up about 10% of the population of ethnic Chams in Cambodia. Their spiritual and officially recognized administrative center is the Tralach District of Kampong Chhnang Province, particularly the Au Russey (or Orussey) Mosque, but their historic mosque atop Phnom Oudong is the home to many of their most important rituals and festivals. They are also notably represented in Pursat and Battambang provinces — a geographic trace of villages following the southern side of the Tonlé Sap lake, extending northwest from the Tralach District in Kampong Chhnang — with small numbers in Kandal, Kampot, and Kratie Provinces.^[2] They are the last users of Western Cham script, which is used for their holy books as well as some signs and other text within their villages.^[3]

Internally, they often refer to themselves as the "sevens" due to only praying and visiting their mosque once a week, while referring to Sunni Muslims as "fives," referencing the five pillars of Islam.^[4] This distinction is also one of their most noteworthy characteristics, compared to the 90% of Cambodian Muslims who pray five times per day, in line with most Islamic practices around the globe.^[1]