Rohingya

the forgotten people

Qolbi Lillah

Country of origin : Burma ,Arakan

Rohingya

Rohingya

Countries of residence : Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia

Total population : approx 1.5 million in Burma, approx 200,000 in Bangladesh

Rohingya

Language : Rohingyan, Bengali, ArakaneseReligion : Islam

Rohingya

Who are the Rohingyas? (1)

• The Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted communities in the world.

Persecuted (v.)meaningto treat someone cruelly or unfairly over a period of time, especially because of their religious or political beliefs:

Who are the Rohingyas? (2)

They have been living in the stateof Arakan since the 8th century.

They haven't been recognised as citizens of The Union of Burma since Burmese independence in 1948, instead they are known as 'non citizens‘.

They have been under extreme scrutiny by the Burmese government.

The Burmese Junta have discriminated the Rohingya,

because they are not similar in ….

Why are the Rohingyas in trouble? (3)

o Looks

o speak a different language

o have a different religion.

• As a means of clamping down on the Rohingya, the Junta have restricted even the most basic of rights such as education, marriage and citizenship.

Why are the Rohingyas in trouble? (4)

Why are the Rohingyas in trouble? (5)

o The Burmese government endorse the Burmese culture and the Buddhist faith for their national citizens.

o But the Rohingyas fall outside of this ideal criteria because they want to retain their own culture and the Muslim faith.

o As a result, the Rohingyas, sidelined and marginalised, have to live with their derogatory national status of 'non-citizens‘.

o Between 1978 and 1992, approximately 200,000 Rohingyas left Burma to escape the tyranny of the Burmese military.

The exodus

o Most of them moved to southern Bangladesh where they remain as refugees.

o In one of the most densely populated countries in the world, life in Bangladesh proved just as hard as it did in Burma.

Situation in Bangladesh

o In Bangladesh, the Rohingyas are faced with hardly any protection from their host country.

o Another camp 15 miles away, in Leda Bazaar where approximately 25,000 Rohingya live, is where our focus has been.

o A burden to the densely populated country, the Rohingyas are denied humanitarian aid which forces them to turn to other means of income such as drug trafficking.

o There is one registered camp situated meters away from the registered camp where 90,000 refugees live.

• Human rights abuses against the Rohingyas in Burma.

Human rights abuses against the Rohingyas in Burma (1)

• In 1962, the Rohingyas were systematically denied of political, civil, economic and social human rights.

Human rights abuses against the Rohingyas in Burma (2)

• This affects their education and access to medication.

• Nowadays, the Rohingyas in Burma cannot commute from one village to another due to the security forces known as 'Nasaka' who patrol their movement at various checkpoints.

• Rohingyas are denied citizenship despite living in Arakan for centuries because Muslims are portrayed as 'relics of a colonial past'.

Human rights abuses against the Rohingyas in Burma (3)

• This stems from the fact that Muslims supported the British during the colonial period because they were promised autonomy in Rakhine previously known as Arakan.

• Rohingyas have been subject to the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, forced labour, and land confiscation. Over 3,500 villages have been destroyed since 1996.

Human rights abuses against the Rohingyas in Burma (4)

What is the best solution for solving Rohingya issues ?

o This issue is very complex, we should try to deal with more than simply government policy, but a cultural divide as well.

o The intolerance spans throughout the general populace, thus you see violence against Rohingya, not only by authorities, but by 'lynch mobs' as well.

o The answer is two-fold; government policy change, and community development.

o Community cohesiveness must include the Rohingyas, as opposed to them, or any Muslim, being an easy targets for xenophobia.

o The government must set examples by integrating and showing tolerance, while equally, improving living conditions and industry in local communities.

xenophobia (adj.)strong fear or dislike of people from other countries

What can we do for them? (1)

• Raise the Rohingya people issue in your local communities, mosques, churches (and other faith institutions) and gatherings.

• Seek to meet with members from the Rohingya communities in order to learn from them directly.

What can we do for them? (2)

• Contribute to media outlets including social networks. In particular the interfaith networks need to be mobilized to ensure that religious differences are not abused by the ethnic tensions

What can we do for them? (3)

• Lobby your local MP and bring local community pressure on them about the Rohingya people issue.

What can we do for them? (4)

What can we do for them? (5)

• Write letters of protest to the Myanmar Embassy: Myanmar Embassy, Consulate Section, 19A Charles Street, Berkeley Square,London W1J 5DX Tel. 02033974463.

• Lobby the Bangladesh Embassy in London and the Government to allow aid agencies to continue to work with existing refugees.

What can we do for them? (6)

• Encourage and contribute to charitable fund giving for the Rohingya people through registered charities, e.g. Muslim Aid.

What can we do for them? (7)

Refferences

o http://www.restlessbeings.org/projects/rohingyao http://merhrom.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/news-u

pdate-from-arakan-state/o http://www.thestateless.com/2012/07/rohingya-say-

they-are-being-terrorized.htmlo http://islamicforumeurope.com/images_uploaded/2

012/08/img3456.pdf

Thank you