Rohingya Refugees Flee Myanmar
October 16, 2017
The Rohingya people are a group of over two million individuals who are currently being persecuted by Buddhist Monks in the country of Myanmar. These people are often considered the “world’s most persecuted minority,” and it’s important to understand how this came to be.
The Rohingya population is a minority group made up predominantly of people who follow Islam. Because Myanmar is overwhelmingly Buddhist- over 91%- the Rohingya are not recognized as one of the country’s 135 ethnic groups under 1987 Myanmar National Law, making them a stateless people. Being a stateless people restricts them from freedom of state education, movement, and civil service jobs. Their freedom to marry, study, work, and travel has also been hindered.
But the brutal treatment of the Rohingyas does not stop there. UN officials now consider Myanmar’s treatment of these people as a form of “ethnic cleansing.” Their villages are being burned, their women are being raped, and they’re being forced out of the country by the Burmese government.
The U.N. Refugee Agency announced that there have been more than 123,000 refugees that have fled Southwestern Myanmar since August 25th, after things became a lot worse for the already persecuted group. There are now satellite images of their communities showing the mass destruction of the Muslim buildings within these communities and the burning of villages.
What the Rohingya people have turned to doing is fleeing to Bangladesh. This poses an even greater problem because Bangladesh, although they want to help these refugees, doesn’t have the resources to support them because Bangladesh is considered one of the poorest countries in the world.
As a community I believe that we should recognize the immorality of how the Rohingyas are being treated, and take steps to provide for them as they face this process of brutal persecution.
Located below are websites to where you can help donate to these minorities.
