The Stateless Rohingya Blog

(Photo: Brennan O’Connor/Al Jazeera) By  Sufyan bin Uzayr International Policy Digest August 19, 2014 Myanmar is undergoing upheaval and transformation, as the country experiences changes on the political, economic and social frontiers. Myanmar is also witnessing increased cases of religious intolerance. In spite of its rich cultural heritage and legacy of socio-religious harmony, present-day Myanmar is surely not the best place for its religious minorities. Recently, the government of Myanmar proposed a law that seeks to impose a virtual ban on religious conversions (any case of religious conversion will need prior approval of the state). This proposed law is just one of the many recent laws that are being put into effect to target the country’s religious minorities: there are plans to outlaw interfaith marriages, and also to limit the birth-rate among non-Buddhist families residing in Myanmar. But that’s not all. The worst part is the fact that these discr...

By Sufyan bin Uzayr International Policy Digest April 11, 2014 Aung San Suu Kyi, October 22, 2013 (Claude Truong-Ngoc/Wikimedia Commons) Respected Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, Thanks to the internet, I have the luxury of putting together this open letter for you (though of course, a busy Nobel Laureate such as yourself must be having better things to do than reading this letter). Last month, at the third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), you met the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. Both of you discussed various issues, such as the importance of providing micro-loans to rural women and the need to restrict the trafficking of meth pills in the region. It was good to hear that steps were being taken for the betterment of the entire region. However, something was missing. Yes, the plight of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Did you forget about them? Of course you did! You are a busy lady, after all! ...