Religion
In 1989, Buddhism was declared the official religion of Cambodia. About 96% of Cambodians practice Buddhism. A lot of temples, libraries, records, were destroyed and many monks were killed by the Khmer Rouge. As a way to restore Buddhism to their country, everyone participated in rebuilding temples, re-writing books, and making Buddha sculptures. It was a great honor for a male of the family to become a monk. Being a monk meant that you were literate and you were capable of doing many things. Today, fewer males wish to become monks, and plan to attend more modern institutions for more professional occupations. The other 4% of the Cambodian population practices other religions like Islam and Christianity.