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==History== ==History==
They came from hell.
{{See also|List of Rohingya villages}}
] have existed in Arakan since the arrival of ]s there in the 8th century CE. The direct descendants of Arab settlers are believed to live in central Arakan near ] and ] townships, rather than the ] frontier area (near ], ]), where the majority of Rohingya are populated.<ref>{{harv|Aye Chan|2005|p=397}}</ref>

===Kingdom of Mrauk U===
Early evidence of Bengali Muslim settlements in Arakan date back to the time of King ] (1430–1434) of the ]. After 24 years of exile in ], he regained control of the Arakanese throne in 1430 with military assistance from the ]. The ] who came with him formed their own settlements in the region.<ref name="chan398">{{harv|Aye Chan|2005|p=398}}</ref><ref name="yegar23">{{cite book|last=Yegar|first=Moshe|title=Between integration and secession: The Muslim communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma / Myanmar|year=2002|publisher=]|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=0739103563|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S5q7qxi5LBgC&pg=PA23|accessdate=8 July 2012|page=23}}</ref>

Narameikhla ceded some territory to the Sultan of Bengal and recognised his sovereignty over the areas. In recognition of his kingdom's ] status, the kings of Arakan received ]ic titles and used the Bengali ] within the kingdom. Narameikhla minted his own coins with ] on one side and ] on the other.<ref name="yegar23"/> Arakan's vassalage to Bengal was brief. After Sultan ]'s death in 1433, Narameikhla's successors repaid Bengal by occupying Ramu in 1437 and Chittagong in 1459. Arakan would hold Chittagong until 1666.<ref name=app-78>Phayre 1883: 78</ref><ref name=geh-140-141>Harvey 1925: 140–141</ref>

Even after gaining independence from the Sultans of Bengal, the Arakanese kings continued the custom of maintaining Muslim titles.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yegar|first=Moshe|title=Between integration and secession: The Muslim communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma / Myanmar|year=2002|publisher=]|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=0739103563|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S5q7qxi5LBgC&pg=PA23|accessdate=8 July 2012|pages=23–4}}</ref> The Buddhist kings compared themselves to ]s and fashioned themselves after ] rulers. They also continued to employ Muslims in prestigious positions within the royal administration.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yegar|first=Moshe|title=Between integration and secession: The Muslim communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma / Myanmar|year=2002|publisher=]|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=0739103563|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S5q7qxi5LBgC&pg=PA24|accessdate=8 July 2012|page=24}}</ref> The Bengali Muslim population increased in the 17th century, as they were employed in a variety of workforces in Arakan. Some of them worked as ], ] and ] ]s in the Arakanese courts, which, despite remaining mostly Buddhist, adopted Islamic fashions from the neighbouring Sultanate of Bengal.<ref name="chan398"/> The ], who are regarded as one of the official ethnic groups of Burma, are descended from these Muslims.<ref>{{cite book|author=Maung San Da|title=History of Ethnic Kaman (Burmese)|location=Yangon|year=2005}}</ref>

===Burmese conquest===
Following the ] conquest of Arakan in 1785, as many as 35,000 ] fled to the neighbouring ] of British Bengal in 1799 to escape Burmese ] and to seek protection from ].<ref>{{harv|Aye Chan|2005|pp=398–9}}</ref> The Burmese rulers executed thousands of Arakanese men and deported a considerable portion of the Arakanese population to central Burma, leaving Arakan as a scarcely populated area by the time the British occupied it.<ref name="chan399">{{harv|Aye Chan|2005|p=399}}</ref>

According to an article on the "''Burma'' Empire" published by the British ] in 1799, "the '']s'', who have long settled in ''Arakan''," "call themselves ''Rooinga'', or natives of ''Arakan''."<ref name="buchanan_burma"/> Sir ] saw many Muslims serving as ]s in ] ] while on a diplomatic mission there.<ref>Thant Myint-U (2007), p. 126 {{Google books|tsTOKi8l1ywC|The River of Lost Footsteps: Histories of Burma|page=126}}</ref><ref>Yegar (1972), p. 10 {{Google books|wzxuAAAAMAAJ|The Muslims of Burma|page=10}}</ref><ref>Takkasuilʻ myāʺ Samuiṅʻʺ Sutesana Ṭhāna (2007), p. 57 {{Google books|CXQMAQAAMAAJ|Myanmar historical research journal, Issue 19|page=57}}</ref><ref>Fleischmann (1981), p. 49 {{Google books|IfEaAAAAMAAJ|Arakan, Konfliktregion zwischen Birma und Bangladesh: Vorgeschichte und Folgen des Flüchtlingsstroms von 1978|page=49}}</ref> These Muslim eunuchs came from ].<ref>Peletz (2009), p. 73 {{Google books|BFXpi5ZKKF8C|Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times|page=73}}</ref><ref>Peletz (2009), p. 73 {{Google books|-YnQJXxspJUC|Gender Pluralism: Southeast Asia Since Early Modern Times|page=73}}</ref>

===British colonial rule===
British policy encouraged Bengali inhabitants from adjacent regions to migrate into the then lightly populated and fertile valleys of Arakan as ]s. The ] extended the ] to Arakan, thus there was no international boundary between Bengal and Arakan, and no restrictions on migration between the regions. In the early 19th century, thousands of Bengalis from the Chittagong region settled in Arakan seeking work.<ref name="chan399"/> In addition, thousands of ] from Arakan also settled in Bengal.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?peo3=13207|title=Rakhine people in Bangladesh|publisher=Joshuaproject.net|accessdate=2010-07-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?peo3=17671&rog3=BG|title=Rakhine people who speak Marma|publisher=Joshuaproject.net |accessdate=2010-07-22}}</ref>

The British census of 1891 reported 58,255 Muslims in Arakan. By 1911, the Muslim population had increased to 178,647.<ref>{{harv|Aye Chan|2005|p=401}}</ref> The waves of migration were primarily due to the requirement of cheap labour from ] to work in the paddy fields. Immigrants from Bengal, mainly from the Chittagong region, "moved en masse into western townships of Arakan". To be sure, Indian immigration to Burma was a nationwide phenomenon, not just restricted to Arakan.<ref name=tmu-2006-185-187>Myint-U 2006: 185–187</ref>

Historian ] writes: "At the beginning of the 20th century, Indians were arriving in Burma at the rate of no less than a quarter million per year. The numbers rose steadily until the peak year of 1927, immigration reached 480,000 people, with Rangoon exceeding New York City as the greatest immigration port in the world. This was out of a total population of only 13 million; it was equivalent to the United Kingdom today taking 2 million people a year." By then, in most of the largest cities in Burma, ] (Yangon), ] (Sittwe), ] (Pathein), ], the Indian immigrants formed a majority of the population. The Burmese under the British rule felt helpless, and reacted with a "racism that combined feelings of superiority and fear."<ref name="tmu-2006-185-187" />

The impact of immigration was particularly acute in Arakan, one of less populated regions. In 1939, the British authorities, alert to the long-term animosity between the ] Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslims, formed a special Investigation Commission led by James Ester and ] to study the issue of Muslim immigration into the Rakhine state. The commission recommended securing the border; however, with the onset of ], the British retreated from Arakan.<ref name=kzt/>

===World War II Japanese occupation and inter-communal violence===
{{main|Rohingya massacre in 1942}}
During ], ] forces invaded ], then under ]. The British forces retreated and in the power vacuum left behind, considerable inter communal violence erupted between ] Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya villagers. The British armed Rohingyas in northern Arakan in order to create a buffer zone that would protect the region from a Japanese invasion when they retreated.<ref name="Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim 2009">{{cite book|url=|title=Defeat Into Victory: Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942–1945|author=Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim|year=2009|publisher=Pan|location=London|page=|isbn=0330509977|pages=|accessdate=}}</ref>

The period also witnessed violence between groups loyal to the British and the Burmese ]s.<ref name="Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim 2009"/>

Aye Chan, a historian at the Kanda University, has written that as a consequence of acquiring arms from the British during World War II, Rohingyas tried to destroy the Arakanese villages instead of resisting the Japanese.<ref name="aye-chan">{{cite web | url=http://www.soas.ac.uk/sbbr/editions/file64388.pdf | title=The Development of a Muslim Enclave in Arakan (Rakhine) State of Burma (Myanmar) | publisher=SOAS | year=2005 | accessdate=November 1, 2011 | author=Aye Chan| ref=harv}}</ref>

On 28 March 1942, around 5,000 Muslims in the ] and ]s were killed by Rakhine nationalists and ]. Rohingya Muslims from Northern Rakhine State killed around 20,000 Arakanese.<ref name=kzt>{{cite journal | title=Background of Rohingya Problem | author=Kyaw Zan Tha, MA | year=2008 | month=July | page=1}}</ref>

The Japanese committed countless acts of rape, murder and torture against thousands of Rohingyas.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jIxCUXI38zcC&pg=PA263&dq=rohingya+japanese&hl=en&ei=kASlTamKAdGi0gHRyaHlCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=rohingya%20japanese&f=false|title=Genocide and gross human rights violations: in comparative perspective|author=Kurt Jonassohn|year=1999|publisher=Transaction Publishers|location=|page=263|isbn=0765804174|pages=|accessdate=12 April 2011}}</ref> During this period, some 22,000 Rohingyas are believed to have crossed the border into ], then part of British India, to escape the violence.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oyzfkz1gcVsC&pg=PA86&dq=rohingya+japanese&hl=en&ei=kASlTamKAdGi0gHRyaHlCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=rohingya%20japanese&f=false|title=Protracted displacement in Asia: no place to call home|author=Howard Adelman|year=2008|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|location=|page=86|isbn=0754672387|pages=|accessdate=12 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gIOFAAAAMAAJ&q=Independence,+and+Rohingya+Flight+In+1942,+Japanese+forces+invaded+Burma+and+during+the+British+retreat+communal++22000+refugees&dq=Independence,+and+Rohingya+Flight+In+1942,+Japanese+forces+invaded+Burma+and+during+the+British+retreat+communal++22000+refugees&hl=en&ei=XCClTZbrE4TUgQfZqoSdCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA|title=Burma/Bangladesh: Burmese refugees in Bangladesh: still no durable solution|author=Human Rights Watch (Organization)|year=2000|publisher=Human Rights Watch|location=|page=6|isbn=|pages=|accessdate=12 April 2011}}</ref> Defeated, 40,000 Rohingyas eventually fled to Chittagong after repeated massacres by the Burmese and Japanese forces.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=tdMtAQAAIAAJ&q=The+Burmans,+in+collaboration+with+the+Japanese,+massacred+many+Rohingyas+and+kicked+out+40000+refugees+to+Chittagong.11+In+the+post-colonial+period,+in+between+l959+and+l978,+there+were+multiple+major+Burmese+military+operations&dq=The+Burmans,+in+collaboration+with+the+Japanese,+massacred+many+Rohingyas+and+kicked+out+40000+refugees+to+Chittagong.11+In+the+post-colonial+period,+in+between+l959+and+l978,+there+were+multiple+major+Burmese+military+operations&hl=en&ei=wASlTYSFE4630QG25PWGCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA|title=Asian profile, Volume 21|author=|year=1993|publisher=Asian Research Service|location=|page=312|isbn=|pages=|accessdate=12 April 2011}}</ref>

===Post-war Islamic insurgency===
{{See also|Rohingya insurgency in Western Burma}}
The Mujahid party was founded by Rohingya elders who supported a ] movement in northern Arakan in 1947.<ref>{{cite book|url=|title=The Talibanization of Southeast Asia: Losing the War on Terror to Islamist Extremists|author=Bilveer Singh|year=2007|publisher=|location=|page=42|isbn=0275999955|pages=|accessdate=}}</ref> The aim of the ] party was to create an autonomous Muslim state in Arakan. They were much more active before the ] by General ]. Ne Win carried out some military operations against them over a period of two decades. The prominent one was "]" which took place in 1978; as a result, many Muslims in the region fled to neighbouring ] as refugees. In addition to Bangladesh, a large number of Rohingyas have also migrated to ], Pakistan (see ]).<ref name="huffington"/>

The Burmese ] (Islamic militants) are still active within the remote areas of Arakan.<ref> July–Sept 1996, Nida'ul Islam magazine.</ref> The associations of Burmese mujahideen with Bangladeshi mujahideen were significant, and they have extended their networks to the international level and other countries, during recent years. They collect donations, and receive religious military training outside of Burma.<ref name="asiantribune.com">] and ] camps in Afghanistan] By William Gomes – Bangladesh, 1 Apr 2009, .Asian Tribune.</ref>

===Burmese juntas===
The military junta which ruled Burma for half a century, relied heavily on Burmese nationalism and ] Buddhism to bolster its rule, and, in the view of US government experts, heavily discriminated against minorities like the Rohingyas, ] people like the ], and ] (Chinese Muslims). Some pro-democracy dissidents from Burma's ethnic Burman majority do not consider the Rohingyas compatriots.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfa.org/english/east-asia-beat/rohingya-06122012225150.html |title=Violence Throws Spotlight on Rohingya |publisher=Rfa.org |date= |accessdate=2013-10-18}}</ref><ref name=nyt-20120712>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/opinion/ethnic-cleansing-of-myanmars-rohingyas.html |title=Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar |author=Moshahida Sultana Ritu |newspaper=The New York Times |date=12 July 2012 |accessdate=13 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Burma's monks call for Muslim community to be shunned |author=Hanna Hindström |date=25 July 2012 |journal=The Independent |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmas-monks-call-for-muslim-community-to-be-shunned-7973317.html }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Freedom to Hate |author=Hanna Hindström |date=14 June 2012 |journal=Foreign Policy |url=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/14/the_freedom_to_hate }}</ref>

Successive Burmese governments have been accused of provoking riots against ethnic minorities like the Rohingyas and Chinese.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nrN077AEgzMC&pg=PA530&dq=rohingya+japanese&hl=en&ei=zQelTY2TGerq0gG7ucT1CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=rohingya%20japanese&f=false|title=Civil wars of the world: major conflicts since World War II|author=Karl R. DeRouen, Uk Heo|year=2007|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=|page=530|isbn=1851099190|pages=|accessdate=12 April 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, a senior Burmese envoy to Hong Kong branded the Rohingyas "ugly as ogres" and a people that are alien to Myanmar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j_x2afxfntqJUV3PuaTz6Jy12_Yg |title=AFP: Myanmar envoy brands boatpeople 'ugly as ogres': report |publisher=Google.com |date=2009-02-10 |accessdate=2013-10-18}}</ref>

===2012 Rakhine State riots===
{{main|2012 Rakhine State riots}}

The 2012 Rakhine State riots are a series of ongoing conflicts between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine in northern ], ]. The riots came after weeks of sectarian disputes and have been condemned by most people on both sides of the conflict.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-myanmar-violence-idUSBRE85714E20120608 | title=Four killed as Rohingya Muslims riot in Myanmar: government | agency=Reuters | date=8 June 2012 | accessdate=9 June 2012}}</ref>
The immediate cause of the riots is unclear, with many commentators citing the killing of ten Burmese Muslims by ethnic Rakhine after the rape and murder of a Rakhine woman as the main cause.<ref name=PhilInquirer>{{cite news|last=Lauras|first=Didier|title=Myanmar stung by global censure over unrest|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/271174/myanmar-stung-by-global-censure-over-unrest|accessdate=15 September 2012|newspaper=Agence France-Presse in the Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=15 September 2012}}</ref>

Whole villages have been "decimated".<ref name=PhilInquirer /> Over three hundred houses and a number of public buildings have been razed. According to Tun Khin, the President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), as of 28 June 650 Rohingyas have been killed, 1,200 are missing, and up to 140,000 people have been displaced.<ref name="dvb_hindstorm"/> <ref>http://www.unhcr.org/51b1af0b6.html</ref> According to the Myanmar authorities, the violence, between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, left 78 people dead, 87 injured, and thousands of homes destroyed. It also displaced more than 52,000 people.<ref name="UN News">{{cite news|title=UN refugee agency redeploys staff to address humanitarian needs in Myanmar|work=UN News|date=29 June 2012|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42356|accessdate=29 June 2012}}</ref>

The government has responded by imposing curfews and by deploying troops in the region. On 10 June 2012, a ] was declared in Rakhine, allowing the military to participate in the administration of the region.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://burma.irrawaddy.org/archives/11901 | title=အေရးေပၚအေျခအေန ေၾကညာခ်က္ ႏုိင္ငံေရးသမားမ်ား ေထာက္ခံ | publisher=The Irrawaddy | date=11 June 2012 | accessdate=11 June 2012 | author=Linn Htet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first = Fergal | last = Keane | authorlink = Fergal Keane | title = Old tensions bubble in Burma | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18402678 | publisher = BBC News | date = 11 June 2012 | accessdate = 2012-06-11 }}</ref> The Burmese army and police have been accused of targeting Rohingya Muslims through mass arrests and arbitrary violence.<ref name="dvb_hindstorm">{{cite news|last=Hindstorm|first=Hanna|title=Burmese authorities targeting Rohingyas, UK parliament told|url=http://www.dvb.no/news/burmese-authorities-targeting-rohingyas-uk-parliament-told/22676|accessdate=9 July 2012|date=28 June 2012|agency=]}}</ref><ref name="presstv">{{cite news | url=http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/13/250651/un-focuses-on-myanmar-amid-muslim-plight/ | title=UN focuses on Myanmar amid Muslim plight | date=13 July 2012 | agency=PressTV | accessdate=13 July 2012}}</ref> A number of monks' organisations that played a vital role in Burma's struggle for democracy have taken measures to block any humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya community.<ref name="ti_hindstorm">{{cite news|last=Hindstorm|first=Hanna|title=Burma's monks call for Muslim community to be shunned|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmas-monks-call-for-muslim-community-to-be-shunned-7973317.html|accessdate=25 July 2012|date=25 July 2012|work=]}}</ref>
In July 2012, the Myanmar Government did not include the Rohingya minority group–-classified as ] Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh since 1982—on the government's list of more than 130 ethnic races and therefore the government says that they have no claim to Myanmar citizenship.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3703383.ece|title= Rohingyas are not citizens: Myanmar minister| date= 1 August 2012}}</ref> More than 100,000 Rohingya in Burma remain confined in IDP camps. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-holocaust-museum-highlights-plight-of-myanmars-downtrodden-rohingya-muslims/2013/11/06/291db608-46bb-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html</ref>


==Religion== ==Religion==

Revision as of 21:01, 1 January 2014

Ethnic group
Rohingya people
Flag of the Rohingya Nation
Regions with significant populations
Burma (Arakan), Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, India
 Burma800,000
 Bangladesh300,000
 Pakistan200,000
 Thailand100,000
 Malaysia28,000
Languages
Rohingya
Religion
Islam
Islam by country
World percentage of Muslims by country
Africa
Asia
Americas
Europe
Oceania
Islam portal

The Rohingya people (Ruáingga /ɹuájŋɡa/, Template:Lang-my rui hang gya /ɹòhɪ̀ɴɡjà/, Template:Lang-bn Rohingga /ɹohiŋɡa/) are an ethnic group who practice Islam and speak Rohingya, an Indo-European language of the Eastern Indic branch, closely related to Chittagonian and more distantly to Bengali. The origin of this group of people is disputed with some saying they are indigenous to the state of Rakhine (also known as Arakan, or Rohang in the Rohingya language) in Burma and others contending that they are Muslim migrants who originated in Bengal, latterly Bangladesh, and migrated to Burma during the period of British rule.

The Rohingya are linguistically related to the Indo-Aryan peoples of India and Bangladesh (as opposed to the mainly Sino-Tibetan languages of Burma). As of 2012, 800,000 Rohingya live in Burma. According to the United Nations, they are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Many Rohingya have fled to ghettos and refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, and to areas along the Thai-Burma border. More than 100,000 Rohingya in Burma continue to live in camps for internally displaced persons, forbidden by authorities from leaving. The Rohingya have been in the news in the wake of the 2012 Rakhine State riots.

Etymology

The term "Rohingya" comes from Rohang, the Rohingya word for the state of Arakan, from where the Rohingya originate. Though some Rohingya historians, like Khalilur Rahma, contend that the term Rohingya may be derived from the Arabic word Rahma meaning 'mercy', this is unlikely. They trace the term back to a shipwreck in the 8th century CE. According to them, after the Arab ship wrecked near Ramree Island, Arab traders were ordered to be executed by the Arakanese king. Then, they shouted in their language, 'Rahma'. Hence, these people were called 'Raham'. Gradually it changed from Raham to Rhohang and finally to Rohingyas.

The claim was disputed by Jahiruddin Ahmed and Nazir Ahmed, former president and Secretary of the Arakan Muslim Conference respectively. They argued that shipwreck Muslims are currently called 'Thambu Kya' Muslims, and currently reside along the Arakan sea shore. If the term Rohingya was indeed derived from that group of Muslims, "Thambu Kyas" would have been the first group to be known as Rohingyas. According to them, Rohingyas were descendants of inhabitants of Ruha in Afghanistan. Another historian, MA Chowdhury argued that among the Muslim populations in Myanmar, the term 'Mrohaung' (Old Arakanese Kingdom) was corrupted to Rohang. And thus inhabitants of the region are called Rohingya.

Burmese historians such as Khin Maung Saw have claimed that the term 'Rohingya' was unknown before the 1950s. Another historian, Dr Maung Maung, notes that the word Rohingya is not used in the 1824 census, conducted by the British. Historian Aye Chan from Kanda University of International Studies states that the term Rohingya was created by descendants of Bengalis in the 1950s who migrated into Arakan during colonial times. He also holds that the term cannot be found in any historical source in any language before the 1950s. However, he accepts that Muslim communities have lived in Arakan for centuries, many of whom settled in the region during the Kingdom of Mrauk U, when Arakan enjoyed strong political, military and trade relations with the Bengal Sultanate.

Arakan history expert Dr Jacques P. Leider points out that the term Rooinga was in fact used in a late 18th century report published by the British Francis Buchanan-Hamilton. In his 1799 article “A Comparative Vocabulary of Some of the Languages Spoken in the Burma Empire,” Buchanan-Hamilton stated: "I shall now add three dialects, spoken in the Burma Empire, but evidently derived from the language of the Hindu nation. The first is that spoken by the Mohammedans, who have long settled in Arakan, and who call themselves Rooinga, or natives of Arakan." Leider also adds that the etymology of the word "does not say anything about politics." He adds that "You use this term for yourself as a political label to give yourself identity in the 20th century. Now how is this term used since the 1950s? It is clear that people who use it want to give this identity to the community that live there."

Contradicting this opinion, somewhat, is Professor Aye Chan, an expert in Burmese linguistic and cultural history employed at Kanda University of International Studies. Aye Chan has published work dating from 2003 on the Muslim Community in Rakhine State. He asserts that there has never been a nation of Rohingya people adding that, "in the chronicles of Myanmar, there never were Rohingya people." He has put forward the view that the term "Rohingya" was first coined in 1951 by a man named Abu Gaffer writing for the "Guardian" daily newspaper in Rangoon. Further, Professor Aye Chan claims that it was Abu Gaffer who first claimed that the Muslims residing in Buthitaung and Maungtaw townships "were not the illegal migrants sneaking from the other country, but the descendants of Arabs from the Middle East who survived a ship wreck in the sea and settled down by marrying the local Rakhine women." Aye Chan dismisses this story as a fabrication without any reliable evidence to support it.

Citing Jacques Leider, Professor Aye Chan states that, "I and French historian Jacques Leider had earlier disproved this theory about the shipwrecked. There was no solid, firm evidence of the shipwreck. We historians uphold primary source of evidence. The secondary sources were not reliable and contained doubtful factors. Moreover, there may be conspiracy and hidden agenda."

Language

Main article: Rohingya language
A coin from Arakan used in Great Bengal minted 1554/5

The Rohingya language is the modern written language of the Rohingya people of Arakan (Rakhine) State of Burma (Myanmar). It comes from the Indo-Aryan sub-branch of the greater Indo-European language family and is closely related to the Chittagonian language spoken in the southernmost part of Bangladesh bordering Burma. While both Rohingya and Chittagonian are related to Bengali, they are not mutually intelligible with the latter, despite what is often proposed in the Burmese national narrative. Rohingya scholars have successfully written the Rohingya language in various scripts including Arabic, Hanifi, Urdu, Roman, and Burmese, where Hanifi is a newly developed alphabet derived from Arabic with the addition of four characters from Latin and Burmese.

More recently, a Latin alphabet has been developed, using all 26 English letters A to Z and two additional Latin letters Ç (for retroflex R) and Ñ (for nasal sound). To accurately represent Rohingya phonology, it also uses five accented vowels (áéíóú). It has been recognised by ISO with ISO 639-3 "rhg" code.

History

They came from hell.

Religion

Further information: Islam in Burma

The Rohingya people practice Sunni Islam with elements of Sufi worship. Because the government restricts educational opportunities for them, many pursue fundamental Islamic studies as their only educational option. Mosques and religious schools are present in most villages. Traditionally, men pray in congregations and women pray at home.

Human rights violations and refugees

See also: Persecution of Muslims in Burma

The Rohingya people have been described as “among the world’s least wanted” and “one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.” They have been denied Burmese citizenship since a 1982 citizenship law was enacted. They are not allowed to travel without official permission, are banned from owning land and are required to sign a commitment not to have more than two children.

According to Amnesty International, the Muslim Rohingya people have continued to suffer from human rights violations under the Burmese junta since 1978, and many have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh as a result:

The Rohingyas’ freedom of movement is severely restricted and the vast majority of them have effectively been denied Burmese citizenship. They are also subjected to various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation; land confiscation; forced eviction and house destruction; and financial restrictions on marriage. Rohingyas continue to be used as forced labourers on roads and at military camps, although the amount of forced labour in northern Rakhine State has decreased over the last decade.

In 1978 over 200,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, following the ‘Nagamin’ (‘Dragon King’) operation of the Burmese army. Officially this campaign was aimed at "scrutinising each individual living in the state, designating citizens and foreigners in accordance with the law and taking actions against foreigners who have filtered into the country illegally." This military campaign directly targeted civilians, and resulted in widespread killings, rape and destruction of mosques and further religious persecution.

During 1991–92 a new wave of over a quarter of a million Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. They reported widespread forced labour, as well as summary executions, torture, and rape. Rohingyas were forced to work without pay by the Burmese army on infrastructure and economic projects, often under harsh conditions. Many other human rights violations were committed by the security forces in the context of forced labour of Rohingya civilians.

As of 2005, the UNHCR had been assisting with the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, but allegations of human rights abuses in the refugee camps have threatened this effort.

Despite earlier efforts by the UN, the vast majority of Rohingya refugees have remained in Bangladesh, unable to return because of the negative attitude of the ruling regime in Myanmar and fear of persecution. Now they are facing problems in Bangladesh as well where they no longer receive support from the government. In February 2009, many Rohingya refugees were rescued by Acehnese sailors in the Strait of Malacca, after 21 days at sea.

Over the years, thousands of Rohingyas have also fled to Thailand. There are roughly 111,000 refugees housed in 9 camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. There have been charges that groups of them have been shipped and towed out to open sea from Thailand, and left there. In February 2009 there was evidence of the Thai army towing a boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees out to sea. A group of refugees also rescued in February 2009 by Indonesian authorities told harrowing stories of being captured and beaten by the Thai military, and then abandoned at open sea. By the end of February there were reports that a group of 5 boats were towed out to open sea, of which 4 boats sank in a storm, and 1 boat washed up on the shore. On 12 February 2009 Thailand's prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that there were "some instances" in which Rohingya people were pushed out to sea.

There are attempts, I think, to let these people drift to other shores. when these practices do occur, it is done on the understanding that there is enough food and water supplied. It's not clear whose work it is but if I have the evidence who exactly did this I will bring them to account.

The prime minister said that he regretted "any losses", and was working to rectify the problem.

Steps to repatriate Rohingya refugees began in 2005. In 2009 the government of Bangladesh announced that it will repatriate around 9,000 Rohingyas living in refugee camps inside the country back to Burma, after a meeting with Burmese diplomats.

On 16 October 2011, the new government of Burma agreed to take back registered Rohingya refugees. However violence, rape, torture, ethnic cleansing, persecution and genocide by the nationalists against the Rohingyas inside the very secretive nation of Burma continues unabated.

See also

Notes

  1. Macan-Markar, Marwaan (15 June 2012). "Ethnic Cleansing of Muslim Minority in Myanmar?". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  2. 729,000 (United Nations estimate 2009)
  3. "Myanmar Rohingya refugees call for Suu Kyi's help". Agence France-Presse. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  4. "Homeless In Karachi | Owais Tohid, Arshad Mahmud". Outlookindia.com. 29 November 1995. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  5. "Box 5925 Annapolis, MD 21403 info@srintl". Burmalibrary.org. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. Husain, Irfan (30 July 2012). "Karma and killings in Myanmar". Dawn. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  8. Thomson Reuters Foundation Correspondent (28 June 2013). "Fleeing Rohingya find safety but not peace in Malaysia". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 12 October 2013. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. "Ethnic cleansing in Myanmar: No place like home". The Economist. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  10. "'Mass graves' for Myanmar's Rohingya - Features". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  11. "The plight of Rohingya Muslims – The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  12. "Myanmar, Bangladesh leaders 'to discuss Rohingya'". Agence France-Presse. 29 June 2012.
  13. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/20/burma-rohingya-muslim-refugee-camps
  14. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-holocaust-museum-highlights-plight-of-myanmars-downtrodden-rohingya-muslims/2013/11/06/291db608-46bb-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html
  15. Al Jazeera Investigates - The Hidden Genocide, Al Jazeera English, 11 Dec 2012
  16. Al Jazeera Investigates - The Hidden Genocide, Al Jazeera English, 9 Dec 2012
  17. ^ (MA Chowdhury 1995, pp. 7–8)
  18. (Khin Maung Saw 1993, pp. 93)
  19. (Khin Maung Saw 1993, p. 90)
  20. KYAW ZWA MOE. "Why is Western Burma Burning?". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  21. (Aye Chan 2005, p. 396)
  22. ^ Leider, Jacques P. (9 July 2012). "Interview: History Behind Arakan State Conflict". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  23. Buchanan-Hamilton, Francis (1799). "A Comparative Vocabulary of Some of the Languages Spoken in the Burma Empire" (PDF). Asiatic Researches. 5. The Asiatic Society: 219–240. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  24. Directory Database of Research and Development Activities, Aye Chan
  25. Eleven: No.1 Newsmedia in Myanmar, No Rohingya in Myanmar, 15 March 2013
  26. "ISO 639 code tables". Sil.org. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  27. Mark Dummett (18 February 2010). "Bangladesh accused of 'crackdown' on Rohingya refugees". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  28. "Myanmar, Bangladesh leaders 'to discuss Rohingya'". Agence France-Presse. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  29. ^ Jonathan Head (5 February 2009). "What drive the Rohingya to sea?". BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  30. Myanmar – The Rohingya Minority: Fundamental Rights Denied, Amnesty International, 2004.
  31. "UNHCR threatens to wind up Bangladesh operations". New Age BDNEWS, Dhaka. 21 May 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  32. Dummett, Mark (29 September 2007). "Asia-Pacific | Burmese exiles in desperate conditions". BBC News. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  33. "Kompas - VirtualNEWSPAPER". Epaper.kompas.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  34. Rivers, Dan (February 12, 2009). Thai PM admits boat people pushed out to sea. CNN.
  35. Press Trust of India (29 December 2009). "Myanmar to repatriate 9,000 Muslim refugees from B'desh". Zee News.
  36. Staff Correspondent (30 December 2009). "Myanmar to take back 9,000 Rohingyas soon". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  37. "Myanmar to 'take back' Rohingya refugees". The Daily Star. 16 October 2011.
  38. "Little help for the persecuted Rohingya of Burma | Akbar Ahmed and Harrison Akins | Comment is free". theguardian.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.

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