Eruption of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state early this month not only threatens to derail the country’s democratic transition but also brought to light the plight of Rohingya Muslims. According to reports, Muslims account for about four percent of the total population of around 60 million in Myanmar, a resource-rich nation strategically positioned at Asia’s crossroads between India and China, Bangladesh and Thailand.

These Muslims were of Indian, Chinese and Bangladeshi descent entered Myanmar during British colonial rule which ended in 1948. The provenance of the Rohingya Muslims is as difficult to trace as that of many of Myanmar’s other ethnic groups.However, they appear to be a mixture of Arabs, Moors, Turks, Persians, Moguls and Pathans.

According to the United Nations Myanmar’s government counts more than 130 ethnicities in the country. The Rohingya Muslims are not on that list. They have been denied citizenship and are subjected to “forced labor, extortion, restriction on freedom of movement, the absence of residence rights, inequitable marriage regulations and land confiscation.

The United Nations described them as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, and “virtually friendless” among other ethnic groups in Myanmar.   »»» Sailan Muslim (Sri Lanka)

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