Transformations of Buasan 甫阿散 (Middle Chinese: fjyə /fuə ʔa san ) since 958: From Cham Envoy to Cham Muslim Convert to Arab Muslim Envoy in the Service of Champa

This article traces the transformation of an envoy of Champa in 958 in western secondary scholarship from a local Cham to a foreign Arab Muslim. A survey of the Chinese source material precedes an analysis of the assumptions and view held and developed by scholars over the last hundred and more years. In conclusion, neither the Chinese texts nor Arab texts substantiate the alleged existence of a colony of Arab Muslims in Champa in the tenth century.