For decades, the Rohingya population has been persecuted in Burma (Mynamar) to such an extent that the UN calls them one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Doctors Without Borders calls them among the most likely people to become extinct. There are roughly 3 million Rohingyas left in the world. This calls for serious, collective and urgent actions by world governments, media, corporations, interfaith organizations, and individuals. None of us can afford to remain silent any longer. Neighboring countries can specially play a vital role in stopping this.
According to human rights organizations, every war crime – genocide, rape, concentration camps, forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people – that the world witnessed in Bosnia 20 years ago has been committed against Rohingyas by the Burmese government for 30 years. In the past four months, things have gotten a lot worse in Burma.
Although Rohingyas have been living in Burma since the eighth century, the Burmese government revoked their citizenship by passing a Citizenship Law in 1982. In addition to claiming them as stateless, the current law also controls their everyday business and personal lives. They need the state's permission to get married. In most cases this permission is not granted for at least five years. They cannot have more than two children. They cannot attend schools. They need permission to move in and out of their own city. Their property has been confiscated. After the riots earlier this year, thousands of Rohingyas are being rounded up in temporary camps outside the cities.
Due to the systematic genocide by the Burmese military and civilian governments, the Rohingya population is diminishing dramatically. About 2 million have fled to the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Thailand and beyond. There are only 800,000 Rohingyas left in Burma. According to the reports compiled by Human Rights Watch, the current situation is horrific. They have found clear evidence of the involvement of the Burmese government of President Thein Sein in committing organized atrocities against the Rohingyas. And yet, for the most part, the world has remained silent.
About 100,000 Rohingyas are currently in concentration camps. Thousands of women and girls have been raped by security forces. Villages are burnt. According to the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs, Rohingyas face deteriorating living conditions in the temporary camps run by the government.. “Their condition is worse than animals,” said Mohammad Nawsim, secretary of the Rohingya Human Rights Association (RHRA) based in Bangkok. Those in the refugee camps in the neighboring countries are living a miserable life as well.
The Burmese government has denied access to international media and human rights organizations, so the picture of what is happening to the Rohingya is incomplete.
For the sake of humanity, justice, and the preservation of a global moral consciousness, the world community must take serious actions to stop the ongoing genocide against the Rohingya Muslims, as well as other human rights violations in Burma. It’s upon us all to save the most vulnerable, endangered Rohingya population. These are stateless, homeless and voiceless people with no real leadership. They have nobody but us to fight for them.
Burma Task Force – USA, a nationwide alliance of various national and regional Muslim organizations, has launched a concrete program with action items ranging from daily calls to governmental leaders, to organized peaceful protests to raise awareness and to demand justice for Burma’s persecuted populations. This is an initiative of the organization Justice for All, which launched Bosnia Task Force in the 1990s and played a crucial role in organizing Americans to help stop genocide in Bosnia.
This alliance includes regional umbrella groups such as Majlis ash shura of NY, CIOGC of Chicago, the councils from Detroit and Atlanta, (working with councils from LA, Northern California, Houston etc ) and national organizations such as ISNA, CAIR. Individual chapters of ICNA and Muslim civil and human rights groups also came together along with Rohingya-American groups.
The BTF has been working on several levels. Its board members have met OIC ambassador to the UN and secretary general in June as the new wave of ethnic cleansing was raging. They have been educating Muslim organizations by conference calls, Muslim community using booths at ISNA, distributing brochures and posters. They have been using social media including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube to engage online and community as well. Rallies were organized all across the country and in Canada raising awareness about the plight of Rohingya. Interfaith alliances have also been built.
The task force recommends that the United States, other countries, and the United Nations must keep pressing Burma to deliver peace and justice to its people. The restoration of the citizenship of Rohingya people must be demanded, as the Citizenship Law is in violation of international laws. Although a couple of reminders have been given to the President Thein Sein and to the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, they are not enough. There should be a concrete set of demands for the restoration of human rights, along with serious consequences, including trade sanctions, in the absence of the delivery of justice in a preset time frame.
The neighboring countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand must exert more pressure on Burma to halt this slow genocide immediately. It has been long time overdue for the neighbors to intervene directly, but it cannot be ignored anymore.
None of the above will be accomplished unless we, the people of the world, ask our governments, media, and leadership to do what is right. The task force asks all conscientious people to join us in this cause for the sake of justice and humanity. More information is available at BurmaMuslims.org.
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Zerqa Abid is a community activist and an independent blogger located in Columbus, OH. She is a board member of Burma Task Force USA and currently serves as a co-chair of its Media Committee. She can be reached atZerqa@burmamuslims.org.
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