What's Arakan?

28 Ekim 2012 07:45 tsi
Who are Rohingyas?

Who are Rohingyas?

Ans:  Muslims living in the Northern part of Arakan State in the border area West Burma and Bangladesh.

Where have they come from?

Ans: They are mainly descendants from Indo – Aryan and local population mixed who converted to Islam. In the ancient trading capital of Maruk U  there were Turkish,Persian traders  also who had intermarried. Also, along the coast line you had Arab traders who settled and intermarried and thereby converting locals to Islam, but primarily they are Indo-Aryan decentants whom have converted to Islam.

When did they arrive in the region?

Ans:  From the 10th Century Rohingyas have lived in the Eastern side of Naf River on Burma side along the coast line and in the areas of Akyab (Sittwe) Capital, Muangdaw and Buthitaung.

They are also found on the large Island of Ramaree  in the Bay of Bengal.

Why and How has the  Atrocities occured?

  Ans: The Military Government is under pressure due to its Policies which I have detailed below, they created an incident on this Ramaree Island  and this sparked the killings. In my opinion, this was all organised by the Military Government for the following reasons,

To divert attention of what is happening in the eastern border areas with China, where 5 Dams are being built across the Irrawaddy River which will destroy hundreds of villages and displace many thousands of ethnic peoples, with little or no compensation.

By creating these sectarian strife and causing mayhem and killings of the Rohingyas Muslims, they have not only burned the Masjids, homes, businesses and all properties of the Muslims, they have Ethnically Cleansed these areas where Muslim Rohingyas have been living and working for Centuries. They are all rounded up and placed in camps with all their possessions lost, except for what they have on their backs and very few possessions. They have rounded up all Muslims and placed in these camps, so that they can take over the Muslim’s properties.  I have accounts that people are being starved in these camps, even UN or NGOs are not allowed to help in any way. Muslims from Rangoon and other parts of the country have collected and try to send food and  money to the Arakan State effected areas but most are being stolen and only small percentage of these donations are getting through to the refugees in the camps or the affected areas.

The benefits of Dam buildings, Oil and Gas from the Bay of Bengal, Off Shore from Arakan State will go mainly to the Chinese people with cheap oil ,gas and electricity and revenue earned will go only to the cronies of the military government, no revenue will ever reach to the ordinary peoples of the area or country.

 Land seizures from farmers all over the country which are occurring again by the cronies of the military for their personal gain. 

Because of the populist objections on these Dam, Oil and Gas projects and unjust acts, the military government has created this ethnic strife between Muslims and Buddhist and thus hope to divert attention away from their heinous acts. 

Was there any incident before this current killings?

 Ans:    Unfortunately, this is not the first time it has happened.

 There was a mass massacre of Muslims in 1660-63 AD during the crisis of Arakan King Sanda Thudamma versus exiled Moguul Prince Shah Shujah. Again the gruesome massacre of Muslims in 1942 is another landmark of Arakan State, after the British withdrawal from Burma. These are the two major massacres recorded; while there have been sporadic clashes right through the Centuries right up to the present time. Hundreds, if not thousands have died because of their belief in Islam.

What has happened to the Muslims fleeing the Arakan State?

Ans:    Over the years mainly men have tried to escape by  rickity over laden wooden boats following the Gulf Stream from Bay of Bengal towards Thailand and Malaysia. If they are lucky they arrive in Malaysia. Unknown number are lost at sea and furthermore if they arrive in Thailand, the authorities mistreat them severely by torturing them and many are towed out to sea after their engines have been remove, with little or no food or water they are set adrift to meet their faith. Only, Allah SWT knows how many have perished at sea, either due to starvation or by drowning.

Also, the refugees fleeing across from Arakan State by small wooden boats across the Bay of Bengal and Naf River to Bangladesh has been refused entry by the Prime Minister Sheik Hassina, therefore the authorities have turned back the poor people to the waters whence they had come from after escaping the trechrous waters and the atrocities in Burma. Again, only Allah SWT knows how many would survive their return journey to the unknown. 

How can we the fellow Muslim Umma Help?

Ans: By first making Dua for all the Refugees in the World and to request our Goverments to put pressure on Sheik Hassina to accept and help the Rohingya Muslims from Burma.

And to donate your time,effort and money for Allah’s Sake towards these Refugees

  

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Bangladeshi entered into Arakan en masse or not?   

 

It is one of the latest accusations against the Rohingyas. They say it because they are free to say so. Seasons favor them. They think they can delude the world. It is part of the strategy to strip Rohingya of all their rights, to discolor their image, to perpetrate discriminatory grasp forever. Their version in this connection is,Bangladeshis poor with an overcrowded population of 150 million. It has not alternative other than sending its people into neighbouring countries. So India had  to erect barrier away across the border. So indeed there might be infiltration into Myanmar too which needed preventive actions. Facts in grassroots are not as we imagined. Bangladeshis fully aware of the political, social, economic situation of Arakan. It is neither industrialized nor socially harmonious region. There is refugee problem too. Native Muslims are almost a starving. These natives have no right to go beyond their own townships.  

 

They are toiling hard to meet both ends. They are just eking out for a living. Do they share their fortune with foreigners? I think not. Due to economic scarcity they have a lot of family disputes for fair division of family property. Above all there is a furcating Government mechanism. There is full enforcement of law. How can a foreigner enter to this place? Further a Bangladeshi is very distinctive in the midst of Rohingya. Accent of dialect is different.  

Anyone can easily single out him or her and trips will very promptly go to the Government agent or department concerned which is why it is about 15 years, now there have been a Na  

Na Sa Ka Force (Border Immigration Control Forces) stationed along the border on several places, but no news of illegal entrants ever heard. I think this fact alone is more than to modify the above accusation.   

 

 Rohingya different culturally from Rakhine to consider them to be Rakhine or Myanmar national: Name, Language different, even different from general Burmese Muslims. Important point is being different from Rakhine is not a crime. Thinking it as a crime and fostering that notion to strip Rohingya of their right is only racism. Every people have its own right to preserve their culture and language. Of course there is some rationale that over sea immigrants should have to discard their old being and adopt the culture of their new choice of land. But Rohingyas are not over sea immigrants. As seen above they are there from the start of the history. From legal point of existing Myanmar Law Rohingyas are not bound to be alike to Rakhine. 

Myanmar Laws don’t force anyone to adopt other’s culture. The region Rohingyas line has been culturally independent for many many centuries. It is not like the environment of Myanmar Muslims, who live in this midst of Burman. Burmese automatically became their first Language. Most of them are Burmese mix-blood. When we study the Etymology of Arakan it has never been a Rakhine Pyi. Rakhine Pyi became only from 1974. There was an “Arakanistan” movement led by U Hla Tun Pru, for many Myanmar State Council Member, during pre-independence period. (See: U Kyaw Wints; “History of Myanmar”, 1958, Pg-62). 

So Arakan is for all Arakanese. If it was the property of only Rakhine, we could have abandoned it from the very beginning. Making cultural affinity a criteria of enjoying nationality is hegemonic tendency, and racial chauvinism.

16 YILDIZ

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