Ethnic or religious minorities are being discriminated and persecuted all over the world. Methods of persecution are different in developed anddeveloping countries. Developed countries ban wearing of Hijabs or construction of minarets while in developing countries minorities face hostility and discrimination and acts of violence are committed against them by the majority population. If we specifically talk about South Asian region that is home to 1/5th of world’s population, the issue of minorities has remained neglected and has not been given such importance as it deserves. Close at home persecution of minorities is growing and the victims include not only Hindus and Christians but religious sects also.
The recent killing of Muslims in Myanmar has once again raised the concerns about insecurity of minorities. Buddhism is the dominant religion professed and practiced by 89 percent of Myanmar’s population. As far Muslims comprise 4 percent of the population but unofficial data puts the Muslim population at least around 10-12 percent. Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar had the legal status of minority till 1970 but they were denied citizenship rights through constitutional amendment by the military rulers in 1982. The government claims that their ancestors were not residing there at the start of British colonial rule, as required by 1982 Citizenship Law, therefore these Muslims are seen as foreigners and illegal settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh. While Rohingyas assert that their entry into the state predates the British colonial rule and can be traced back to late 1000 A.D when Muslim traders, travelers and sailors arrived there. Today’s Muslims are descendants of those early settlers.
As a matter of fact, Burma was annexed by the British and was made a part of India. The Arakan region of Myanmar extends along the coastal areas of Bay of Bengal and is described as an expansion of East Bengal separated by a chain of hills. There might have been Bengali immigrants but after living there generation after generation these immigrants have become part of the Burmese population and deserve to be treated as legal settlers. The unrest started in June 2012 with a clash between Muslims and Buddhists. Violence got intensified when Myanmar’s President Thein Sein declared that Muslims should be expelled from the country and sent to refugee camps run by the UN. The government declared a state of emergency and deployed troops to quell unrest but killing of innocent Muslims continued. It is reported that along with Bhuddist extremists, security forces in Myanmar were also involved in the killing of Muslims. It is not the first time that state machinery has been used against its own people while supporting the extremists from majority population. We saw similar brutality in India in the Gujarat Pogrom of 2002 that has shocked the world community.
It is ironical that International Human Rights Groups have maintained silence over the Rohingya issue. Western governments are deliberately ignoring the human rights violations in Myanmar. Political or religious parties in some Muslim states have been raising their voices against the Burmese Muslims plight but state representatives are silent. It is only the Iranian government that has taken a firm stand by writing to UN Secretary General Ban Ki –Moon and asked him to take adequate measures to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Myanmar.
In case of Myanmar, the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who stands for democracy, has not condemned the Muslim massacre which is odd. Democracy ensures the protection of human rights, by remaining indifferent to massive human rights violations Aung San Suu Kyi, weaken her own cause for restoration of democracy. Why do western governments only apply ‘Responsibility to Protect’ rules in selected countries as was done in Libya by NATO. Questions can be raised about the efficacy of international human rights standards. It doesn’t seem these are applied equally in all cases. There is a strong feeling that Muslim persecution in Myanmar and elsewhere is being deliberately ignored by the West generally and international organizations particularly.
—The writer works for Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
Source here
The recent killing of Muslims in Myanmar has once again raised the concerns about insecurity of minorities. Buddhism is the dominant religion professed and practiced by 89 percent of Myanmar’s population. As far Muslims comprise 4 percent of the population but unofficial data puts the Muslim population at least around 10-12 percent. Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar had the legal status of minority till 1970 but they were denied citizenship rights through constitutional amendment by the military rulers in 1982. The government claims that their ancestors were not residing there at the start of British colonial rule, as required by 1982 Citizenship Law, therefore these Muslims are seen as foreigners and illegal settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh. While Rohingyas assert that their entry into the state predates the British colonial rule and can be traced back to late 1000 A.D when Muslim traders, travelers and sailors arrived there. Today’s Muslims are descendants of those early settlers.
As a matter of fact, Burma was annexed by the British and was made a part of India. The Arakan region of Myanmar extends along the coastal areas of Bay of Bengal and is described as an expansion of East Bengal separated by a chain of hills. There might have been Bengali immigrants but after living there generation after generation these immigrants have become part of the Burmese population and deserve to be treated as legal settlers. The unrest started in June 2012 with a clash between Muslims and Buddhists. Violence got intensified when Myanmar’s President Thein Sein declared that Muslims should be expelled from the country and sent to refugee camps run by the UN. The government declared a state of emergency and deployed troops to quell unrest but killing of innocent Muslims continued. It is reported that along with Bhuddist extremists, security forces in Myanmar were also involved in the killing of Muslims. It is not the first time that state machinery has been used against its own people while supporting the extremists from majority population. We saw similar brutality in India in the Gujarat Pogrom of 2002 that has shocked the world community.
It is ironical that International Human Rights Groups have maintained silence over the Rohingya issue. Western governments are deliberately ignoring the human rights violations in Myanmar. Political or religious parties in some Muslim states have been raising their voices against the Burmese Muslims plight but state representatives are silent. It is only the Iranian government that has taken a firm stand by writing to UN Secretary General Ban Ki –Moon and asked him to take adequate measures to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Myanmar.
In case of Myanmar, the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who stands for democracy, has not condemned the Muslim massacre which is odd. Democracy ensures the protection of human rights, by remaining indifferent to massive human rights violations Aung San Suu Kyi, weaken her own cause for restoration of democracy. Why do western governments only apply ‘Responsibility to Protect’ rules in selected countries as was done in Libya by NATO. Questions can be raised about the efficacy of international human rights standards. It doesn’t seem these are applied equally in all cases. There is a strong feeling that Muslim persecution in Myanmar and elsewhere is being deliberately ignored by the West generally and international organizations particularly.
—The writer works for Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
Source here
Comments