The Stateless Rohingya Blog

150,000 Rohingya IDP (internally displaced people) are currently imprisoned in refugee camps outside of Sittwe in Rakhine State in Western Myanmar.Getty Images By : Ludovica Iaccino Source :  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ While many of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are preparing to celebrate Ramadan, the month of fasting, there are some who will not be free to acknowledge the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. IBTimes UK  looks at some of the countries where Muslims are persecuted for their beliefs and also looks back at examples of persecution of Muslims throughout history. Muslims are currently persecuted in: Myanmar The Rohingya are a Muslim minority, originally from Bangladesh, who live in the predominantly Buddhist of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) . Buddhist extremists refuse to acknowledge the Rohingya and claim they are Bengalis who belong in neighbouring Bangladesh. A New York Times  short documentary  broadcast this month, shows how Myanmar autho

  (Photo: Anurup Kanti Das) By Ananta Yusuf The Daily Star June 27, 2014 The Star explores the history and the origins of the Rohingya community in this week's issue “Our rooftop was filled with dried food The pasture was filled with harvest and chillies We came to Bangladesh leaving behind what we have Thought Muslims will embrace us with care and love How hard we tried to live in Burma, How long we've waited to go back Now memories floated adrift when we look back to the east….” (translated from a Rohingya song) Ayesha Begum (not her real name), a middle aged Rohingya refugee, was singing this Tarana (a form of folk song) on the sea beach of Shamlapur, Cox's Bazar. Time has passed her by all that remains are frustration and insecurity for her life. There is a misconception that Rohingyas do not have their own identity, history and culture. The mainstream media, researchers and political institutions of Myanmar have always tried to

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  The Maungdaw Township administration officer – U Kyi San – issued a new order for Rohingya community about death and birth, said Halim, a Human Rights Watchdog from Maungdaw. The order was issued today and dispatched to all village and block administration officers and to public place by the administration office, Halim said. The new order for death and birth is :- must witness and sign by  block/village administration officer, the clerk of village administration office, medical officer, education officer and an elder, Halim more added. This is for Rohingya only and it is a kind of harassment to Rohingya community as there is no education officer and medical officer from Rohingya community right now and it is a plan of Township administration officer to extort money from Rohingya, said Harron, a village administration officer from Maungdaw. The witness and signatory are non- Rohingya and they will not sign without any benefit, so Rohingya