The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has awarded eminent academic, Dr Azeem Ibrahim, with the 2019 Engaged Scholar Prize.

Glasgow born Ibrahim, who is also a Dhaka Tribune columnist, received the global scholar prize for his "exemplary vision and influence" in the study of human rights violations and mass violence cases.

Dr Ibrahim has been recognized principally for his work on the genocide committed by the Myanmar state against the country’s Rohingya minority in his book "Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s Genocide (Hurst: 2016)." 

Ibrahim has also researched and written extensively on the impact of displaced populations including the Syrians, Uyghur Muslims and others.

His publications have appeared in prominent media outlets like New York Times, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Foreign Policy, CNN, Daily Telegraph, Yale Global, Dhaka Tribune and many others.

Congratulating Ibrahim for receiving the prestigious award, Henry C. Theriault, president of the IAGS, said: "The entire board is thrilled that the award has gone to Dr Ibrahim as his accomplishments and commitment to human rights are truly impressive." 

Dr Ibrahim is currently a Director at the Centre for Global Policy in Washington DC and is working on creating the Rohingya Genocide Archives which aims to investigate and document the crimes committed against the Rohingyas by Myanmar and create a databank that can then be used by scholars, historians, researchers and any possible future tribunals.

Dr Ibrahim was one of a handful of scholars to foresee and warn of the impending genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in 2016, when the Myanmar military undertook a policy of ethnically cleansing over 700,000 Rohingyas, forcing them into Bangladesh which now houses the largest refugee camp in the world. 

He is now regularly invited to brief policy makers around the globe on possible solutions for this complex situation. 

Founded in 1994, the IAGS is a global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on genocide prevention. 

This award recognizes an individual scholar who has had a substantial impact in the study of genocide and mass violence.