Something exists as a distinct entity when it exhibits its own characteristic behavior. For example, a copper atom differs from an iron atom because, when placed in the same environment, they react differently — their behaviors reveal that they are not the same.
The behavior of a system (or an object) comes from two things:
1. The components that make up that system.
2. How those components interact.
In nature, it is completely normal for different systems to share similar components while behaving differently. Copper and iron atoms share many common components such as electrons, yet they are not the same. If they were the same, they would behave the same.
Now let us examine the two systems: Bani and Islam. These are two distinct systems, each consisting of its followers, belief structures, and all related elements such as rituals, ceremonial tools, places of worship, and more.
A brief look at their behaviors already reveals a vast difference — as different as the moon and the sun:
Bani people: They are mostly worldly (secular) and do not need to follow any external religious doctrine. Their deepest beliefs, if any, revolve around the souls of deceased family members and the traditional Cham deities such as Po Rome, Po Dam, Po Klaong Girai, Po Nagar…
Muslims: From ordinary believers to religious leaders, all must absolutely believe in the Quran, believe that it is the word of God (Allah), and use it as the guiding principle for daily life, law, and faith.
Thus, the behavioral differences between Bani and Islam are already clearly visible.
Next, let us examine the components of the two systems (Bani and Islam):
1. Belief System
For Islam, everything written in the Quran is the word of God and absolutely correct.
For Bani, this is the point where many people misunderstand. Islam influenced Bani and left behind fragments of Quranic texts that the Bani call the Bani scriptures. However, the Bani scriptures do not function as a source of faith. They serve a purely ceremonial purpose, recited during rituals. No one — not even Bani religious officials — understands what those texts say, nor do they need to understand. The role of Bani scriptures is entirely different from that of the Quran.
The belief system of Bani people, as mentioned earlier, is mainly faith in the souls of ancestors and the Cham deities (Yang).
Islam has also influenced Bani in ritual calendar overlaps, such as the festivals Ramâwan and Ramadan, which share names and fall on the same dates. But their religious practices are completely different. Many people see the similarity in dates and hastily conclude that Bani is a branch of Islam — an extremely shallow and crude interpretation. It is like seeing that Vietnamese has 80% Sino-origin vocabulary and then claiming Vietnamese is a branch of Chinese.
2. Places of Worship
The Sang Magik of the Bani is clearly different from an Islamic mosque in both function and architecture.
Bani communities also have many Yang (deity) temples in each palei (village). For example:
- Palei Karang has Danaok Po Kabrah
- Palei Panat has Bimong Po At
- Palei Ram has Po Nai
… and many others.
Interaction Between Followers and Beliefs
Just one major difference illustrates it clearly:
In Islam, the Quran is the center — every believer must know and follow it.
In Bani, no one needs to know or understand the Bani scriptures.
Some argue that “Bani people don’t practice religion, just like many Muslims who don’t practice regularly but are still Muslim.”
This argument is incorrect, because the belief systems of Bani and Islam differ drastically — like fire and water.
Bani people constantly practice their religion through rituals such as land-offering ceremonies, purification rites, entering the Sang Magik, worshiping Yang, burial rituals, weddings, Rija Dayep, Rija Nâgar… These essential rituals exist in Bani and do not exist in Islam.
Therefore, a Bani person cannot practice like a Muslim, and a Muslim cannot practice like a Bani.
IN SUMMARY:
Two systems that behave differently — especially in religious behavior — are unquestionably two different religions.
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