Rohingya

Rohingya By Karen Pillar The Rohingyas are a Muslim ethnic minority group who are concentrated in the northern part of Rakhine State. This is a geographically isolated area in western Burma, bordering Bangladesh. The Rohingya population is mostly concentrated in three northern townships of Rakhine State: Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung. Whilst it is difficult to determine the exact number of Rohingyas living in Rakhine State, it estimated that of the approximately three million people living in Rakhine State, between 700,000 and 1.5 million of them are Muslims, the vast majority of which are Rohingyas from northern Rakhine State 1. Ethnically, the Rohingyas are genetically related to the Bengalis, Indians , Arabs and Moors, with early Muslim settlements in Rakhine State dating back to 7th century A.D. Rakhine Buddhists (also known as Arakanese or Arakan) comprise the majority ethnic group in Rakhine State. However, there are also other Muslim ethnic groups who live in Rakhine State. Such groups identify themselves as Arakanese Muslims (Rakhine State is also known as Arakan State). Nevertheless, it is estimated that since Burmese independence in 1948 approximately 1.5 million Rohingyas have left Burma and are in-exile. They mostly live in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. A small number of Rohingyas are also located in UAE, Thailand and Malaysia. The largest Rohingya exoduses from Burma occurred in 1972 and 1991/1992 when large numbers fled to Bangladesh, although outside of these times there has still been a steady flow of Rohingya out of Burma. Refugees International estimated that as at March 2003 there were 100,000 Rohingyas living illegally in Bangladesh 2. These individuals are in addition to the 21,902 individuals from Nothern Rakhine State living in the two UNHCR refugee camps in the Cox's Bazaar region of Bangladesh 3. Of these individuals, the UNHCR notes that 58% were under the age of 18 at the start of 2003. However, the numbers living in refugee camps in Bangladesh has declined significantly since 1994 as thousands of Rohingya have been returned to Burma under the auspices of a UNHCR repatriation program (235,000 have been repatriated from 1994 onwards). Whilst there is some concern voiced in the international humanitarian community as to the voluntary nature of this repatriation, cases of forced repatriation are very difficult to substantiate. The Rohingyas have a distinct dialect and culture. They speak a Bengali dialect which is similar to that which is spoken in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh. This is mixed with words from the Urdu, Hindi and Arabic languages, although some words from the Bama and English languages are also included in the dialect. Religion is particularly important to the Rohingya. There are mosques and religious schools in every quarter and village, and traditionally, whilst the men pray in congregation, women pray at home. It is common for elderly Rohingya men to grow beards, and for the women to wear the hijab. As with other ethnic groups in Burma, rice is the staple food grain of the Rohingya. Their diet generally consists of rice, fish, vegetables, milk and chilies, with meat included on rare occasions. End Notes: Source: Amnesty International Report: The Rohingya Minority, Amnesty International, 2004 Source: Forgotten People: The Rohingya of Burma, Refugees International, 15 March 2003. Source: UNHCR Country Operations Plan 2004, Bangladesh. Sources: Amnesty International Report: The Rohingya Minority, Amnesty International, 2004 Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO), www.rohingya.org Refugees International, www.refugeesinternational.org UNHCR Country Operations Plan 2004, Bangladesh