| |
 Print
Burmese Muslims among the Most Persecuted People on Earth
6-14-2017
If we were to Google “Most Persecuted People on Earth”, the search would not result in Palestinians, Kashmiris, Chechens, or Syrians, rather it would net, Myanmar or Burma Rohingya Muslim Minority and the ethnic cleansing of 1.2 million Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine province, Myanmar, or Burma by the Buddhist majority in the country.
Unfortunately, last week, the Canadian government missed an excellent opportunity to raise the issue of persecution, the genocide – ethnic cleansing – that is under way in Myanmar when the democratically elected civilian leader of Burma, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, visited Ottawa. She also happens to be one of only six “Honorary Canadian Citizens.”
According to CBC, “Trudeau made no mention of the Rohingya situation during a brief public photo-op with Suu Kyi as the two exchanged pleasantries in his office.”
Even though, human rights organizations, and activists for years, especially since 2012, when the ethnic cleansing intensified, have been calling on Canadian government to put pressure on Burma to protect the Rohingya Muslims.
The Former NDP Premier for BC, and a former federal Liberal health minister, Mr. Ujjal Dosanjh, wrote on his blog, and published by Georgia Straight, stated, “Trudeau had promised to be different and more engaged than his predecessor on the world stage. In many respects he has lived up to that promise.” However Mr. Dosanjh added, “It has been disheartening to witness Trudeau's complete and utter silence on the violently persecuted, threatened, and frightened Rohingyas.”
Statement issued by the PMO states, “The two leaders discussed Myanmar’s transition to democracy and Canada’s support for ongoing reforms in Myanmar. The Prime Minister encouraged Myanmar to accelerate its efforts to uphold human rights, particularly with respect to women, youth, and protecting ethnic and religious minorities, including the Rohingya. They also discussed good governance, development cooperation, humanitarian issues, economic growth, and regional security.”
According to CBC, “While Trudeau's office said he did raise the investigation during the meeting, he didn't attach any strings. His office said Canada was giving Myanmar an additional $8.8 million in humanitarian assistance to promote "peace and stability" programs, including human rights.”
At AlAmeen Post this is an issue that is very dear to our community. Shortly after the genocide news, which started back in 2012, we not only talked about it. We also fundraised, pairing with HCI, to assist the Rohingya Muslims.
It is disheartening to see the utter silence on the part of the Canadian government on openly registering their protest on an international level with Myanmar about the ongoing genocide of 1.2 Million Rohingya Muslims.
Especially now that they have a democratically elected civilian ruler, her party, National League for Democracy, NLD, won a landslide majority in November 2015. She also happens to be among the unique group of six Honorary Canadian Citizen, which includes Nobel Price Laurette, such as Nelson Mandela, and Dalai Lama.
Mr. Dosanjh writes, “The Dalai Lama has already told Suu Kyi of her "moral duty...to speak more openly" on the plight of the Rohingyas and "to work to reduce the tension" between them and the Buddhist majority in Mayanmar. As prime minister of Canada and as a Canadian citizen, Trudeau should follow the honorary Canadian Dalai Lama's example and ask the honorary Canadian, Suu Kyi, to stand up and be counted for the besieged Rohingyas of her own country.”
Mr. Dosanjh points out, “That would send a strong message that Canada takes its honorary citizenships very seriously; and that it expects, as it must, even our honorary”
Ms. Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner herself, and Nobel Peace Prize Laurette, and as Honorary Canadian Citizen, has been attracting immense criticism for her apparent “Silence” over the ongoing genocide in her country.
The Toronto Star reported, “In fact, since last October, Burma’s NLD-led government has waged a brutal security “clearance operation” in Burma’s Rakhine State that has led to the killing of hundreds of Rohingya people and the forced the displacement of more than 30,000 others. Dozens of Rohingya villages have been burned, women raped, civilians arbitrarily arrested and children killed.”
Yes, Rohingya Muslim Women raped by Burmese soldiers under Suu Kyi’s rule, and her own website dismisses the atrocities committed against Rohingya women as “Fake Rape.” Yet, our feminist, gender-equality promoter PM did not consider raising this important issue, dear to his heart, with Ms. Suu Kyi when he met her last week.
Even though, in December 2016, a dozen other Nobel Peace Laureates signed an open letter to the UN Security Council that warned the crisis in Burma is a tragedy “amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
In March 2017, the UN office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued an urgent report that said the most recent abuses in Burma may amount to crimes against humanity. “While discrimination against the Rohingya has been endemic for decades, the recent level of violence is unprecedented,” the report said.
“UN observers and human rights groups have documented a litany of extrajudicial executions, random shootings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, rape, beatings, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments, looting, destruction of property and ethnic and religious discrimination.”
“The government doesn’t even recognize the name Rohingya,” states Mahdi Hasan of Aljazeera, “and you know who else doesn’t recognize the name Rohingya, Aung San Suu Kyi.” Not only that “she demanded that the US Government not used the name Rohingya.”
In a 2013 BBC interview with Mishal Hussain, Suu Kyi refused to condemn the systematic violence against the Rohingya – the same violence that the UN Special Rapporteur has said, could amount to crimes against humanity. In fact, according to some reports, she left the interview muttering, “No one told me I was going to be interviewed by a Muslim.”
We feel the only way to get the Canadian government to intervene and demand that Ms. Suu Kyi government does more to protect the Rohingya Muslims, and stop the genocide, would be by contacting out respective MP’s and demanding that they raise this issue with the government.
As the month of Ramadan ending soon, we pray to Allah to protect and defend Muslims and non-Muslims victims of unjustified war, ethnic cleansing, genocide, or persecution of any form – granting them strength and patience to bear the unjustified persecutions.
We would also like to thank out advertisers, our supporters, contributors, and our readers, and wish them and their families Eid Mubarak.
Footnotes:
|