Updated 15 August 2012

Muslims in Myanmar are being persecuted on religious and ethnic grounds by Rakhine Buddhists. By June 2012, 77 people had died in the violence, 109 were injured and nearly 5,000 homes had been burnt down. The government declared a state of emergency. Since then, communal violence has continued, with attacks mostly directed at the Muslim Rohingya population.

Government forces seem to be complicit in the crimes, turning a blind eye to the atrocities. Human Rights Watch said police and troops did not intervene to stop the mobs from beating the Muslims to death, and that some Rohingyas who tried to flee or put out fires at their homes were shot at by paramilitaries.

Myanmar has a diverse ethnic and religious make-up, including at least 800,000 Rohingyas, but they are not recognised as one of its ethnic groups and are denied citizenship by the government because it considers them illegal settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh. Bangladesh also denies the Rohingyas citizenship, arguing that they have been living in Burma for centuries and should be recognised as citizens there instead.

Thousands of Rohingyas attempt to flee every year to Bangladesh, Malaysia and elsewhere, trying to escape a life of abuse that rights groups say includes forced labour, violence against women and restrictions on movement, marriage and reproduction that breed anger and resentment.

The Secretary General, Shan-E-Abbas Hassam said, “The World Federation is extremely concerned over the recent events in Myanmar.  These tragic acts of violence and hatred have left several dead, and injured and even more homeless and distraught.  We urge the Myanmar government to act quickly to ensure the safety of the citizens of Myanmar and take all measures necessary to put an end to this senseless violence. It is important for our community members to be active on this and the other fronts in the Middle East where human rights are being violated.”

The World Federation calls for the government of Myanmar to:

1. Ensure the safety of its citizens and those inside its borders
2. Ensure the immediate cessation of all forms of collusion in these crimes by government forces
3. Ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought swiftly to justice
4. Ensure such crimes fuelled by ethnic and religious discrimination does not happen again
5. Enable access to humanitarian agencies and to invite international monitors
6. Accept Rohingyas as citizens and to recognise them as an ethnic group native to Burma

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