The great loss, being not Human being!

-Muise Wahabdeen-

The curse of May for powerless people living with us on this planet!
"Burma: Reject Discriminatory Population Bill" Human rights watch, May 11.
"Rohingya Muslims brave death at sea to escape 'open-air prison' in Burma" The guardian, May 13. Burma’s Rohingya exodus is a looming disaster" the Washington post May 19. "Jihadist group calls on Muslims to save Burmese migrants from 'savage Buddhists" The telegraph May 21.

No doubt that the month of May has highlighted the old horrible humanitarian crisis, from killing, burning, poverty, and displacement, to the sea. The thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Burma and Bangladesh fleeing persecution and poverty by risking their lives in search of a better life which is not found in Maynmar under the rule of Burmese Buddhists. Furthermore, in the time that there is a very real chance that thousands will die at sea from hunger, or drowning, there are no countries turned welcoming for those weaken people who don’t find humanitarian protection like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia who have turned to be unwelcoming for those people.

Is that a new emerged crisis? Why there is no welcome for them although they deserve it and this is a duty of the whole humanity?
Being not Human being!

This piece of the world which is called Burma or Myanmar in south East Asia includes Muslim groups of citizens from the Indo-Aryan ethnic group (Rohingyas) that live in northern Rakhine state in Myanmar, representing about 10 percent of the population faces killing and displacement, and governed by Buddhist militarists.

Statistics say that more than 140,000 of the estimated 800,000 to 1.1 million Rohingya were forced to seek refuge in displacement camps in 2012 in the aftermath of a series of conflicts with the majority Buddhists in Myanmar. An estimated 100,000 Rohingya have since fled the camps to escape systemic violence and persecution.

Persecution of Muslims there is not new story as in 1784 Arakan (Rakhine State) was occupied by the Buddhist King (Bodabaa) who annexed this territory to Myanmar according to his fears of the spread of Islam in the region, then the continuous series of blood and injustice continued by the Burmese Buddhists against Muslims, looting their property and encourage Buddhists with Indian origin on despicable forms of persecution, and in 1824 Myanmar was occupied by Britain and annexed to the Government of British colonial India and became independent colony separated from India. Muslims faced the British colonialists strongly for their freedom for their independence from colonialists. The British colonialism in return began its campaign to get rid of the influence of the Muslim by implementing their adopted known policies: divide and rule. They encouraged Buddhists against Muslims, and provided them with weapons causing horrible events like massacre in 1942 during which they killed one hundred thousand Muslims in Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Myanmar took got its independence from 1948 with the condition of giving the ethnicity who want to be independent from Myanmar what they want after 10 years, but Myanmar broke this condition and still keep Rakhine State as a part of Myanmar with the persecution and killing and displacement of its people with whole forms of atrocious of practices against its people. More than 3 to 4 million Muslims were displaced from Myanmar with hundreds of thousands of killed Muslims, still, Rakhine State circumstances are not changed even after 2010 elections in Myanmar.

Moreover, there are Burmese Buddhist monks who are Intolerant like this one called Ashin Wirathu, he has inaugurated the beginning of the year 2013 with a movement called "969" which calls for Buddhists to boycott shops owned by Muslims. In addition, he proposed a law that places restrictions on women seeking to marry Muslim men. We cannot be surprised if we know that someone like this terrorist Arathu has appeared on the cover of Time magazine under the title "the face of terrorism Buddhist" but the crisis is that the Burmese President Sein Thayet defended Arathu. Despite of the previous impression about Buddhist monks that they have long been viewed as symbols of peaceful resistance in their fight against colonialism and oppressive governments, but this is before radical Buddhism began stirring in Asia producing horrible terrorists.

Still, Up to 8,000 Rohingya joined by a number of Bangladeshi migrants stranded at sea, till the moment, the helpless, homeless, and powerless people face their destiny because of religious intolerance of Buddhists in Myanmar!
Why the world unable/discard to give a hand to the miserable Rohingya?
The thousands of desperate Rohingya Muslims in the sea are denied to get into the landfall in South East Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Every country has considerations regarding region's religious and ethnic dimensions as well as its fears of being swamped by an influx of migrants who are increasing. They still stranded at sea in Southeast Asia.

Thailand don’t accept the Rohingya, the Buddhist Thailand has been battling an Islamist insurgency in its south for decades besides budget limitations and other reasons mentioned by Thailand. In attempt to contain the situation, Thailand declared that they will let the sick come ashore for medical attention and has called for a regional conference on the issue in Bangkok for May 29.

Concerning Malaysia and Indonesia, the UN has called them to offer help to those stranded at sea by the rule of international law, after giving economic and other excuses, the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia said they would no longer turn away the stranded boat.

Despite of the largely loud response of Islamic African nations has been the loudest, such as Gambia in West Africa offered to resettle all the Rohingya in refugee camp. And most important the extremist violent Islamic groups like Al Qaida called for resettle them and to retaliate and defend them, which reflects the intolerance reflections of both sides in all religions there are violent intolerant, and situations like the neighboring droopy situation towards the stranded people in the sea, leaves doors opened in front of violent solutions in general.

Australia might has a point in not accepting the immigrants, as the Australian government see that might encourage people to get on a boat more and more.
Still, Myanmar is sleeping in the dark ages and still living in the tomb of intolerance and extremism.

May be it’s the time to pressure Myanmar with all forms with international and regional tools to stop discrimination, to stop affronting or even insulting the will of world societies towards equity and tolerance in the 21 century. Great wars and miserable people appear because of people like those extremist Buddhists in Myanmar. What can you do for those stocked in the sea waiting for us to do something?

-Muise Wahabdeen-