Genocide of
Muslims in Myanmar
Mohammad Jamil
Despite, UN resolutions and Conventions in regard to genocide, the UN
has failed to take timely action to stop mass killings of Muslim minority in
Myanmar. Their enforced conversion into Buddhism, subjecting them to all sorts
of violence and harsh treatment, denying them fundamental human rights and not
accepting them as citizens with equal rights are some of the atrocities
committed by the majority Buddhists and Hindus. Dr. Mohammad Elmasry, Professor
in University of Waterloo, while writing in the Egyptian Gazette has enumerated
the different hardships the Rohingya Muslims have historically undergone. He
writes " They are subjected to various forms of extortion and arbitrary
taxation, land confiscation, forced eviction and house destruction and
financial restrictions on marriage. Rohingyas continue to be used as forced
labourers on roads and at military camps".
Historically speaking, Rohingya Muslims arrived in Burma in early
seventh century, but Myanmar military regime maintains that Rohingya Muslim
immigrants came from India during British colonial rule. The régime refuses to
issue them identification cards, deny them education, health and travel
facilities. They have no land property rights/ownership of the land on which
they live, which can be taken away at ay time. They are barred from government
employment, face marriage restrictions, and are subjected to forced labour,
extortion and other coercive measures. Recent massacre of Rohingya Muslim
minority in Myanmar has resulted in thousands of innocent people's killings,
including women and children.
Unfortunately, Muslim Ummah represented by the OIC, and international
community are indifferent to the sad plight of the Burmese Muslims, despite
various UN resolutions and conventions declaring genocide as crime. The
declaration made by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its
resolution 96 (1) dated 11th December 1946 stipulates that genocide is a crime
under international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of the United Nations
and condemned by the civilized world. According to Article 1 of 1951
Convention, it was confirmed that genocide, whether committed in time of peace
or in time of war, was a crime under international law, which the signatories
of the Convention undertook to prevent and to punish. Article 2 stated "In
the present Convention, genocide means any of the acts committed with intent to
destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
Thus, torturing, killing, inflicting physical pain and causing mental
harm or psychic trauma to any human being or group/community fall under the
category of criminal acts punishable under international law. In April 2004
marking the 10th anniversary of 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan had announced his Action Plan to Prevent Genocide. Belatedly, the
United Nations has come out of stupor and taken note of human rights excesses
and killings of Muslims in the Southeast Asian country, which is a welcome
development after a prolonged criminal silence over the mayhem that the
Buddhist population was unleashing over the Muslim minority in Rohingya.
For years, Muslims throughout the world are facing death and
destruction. It is still fresh in the minds of the Muslims throughout the world
the massacre that took place in Sabra and Shatila - Palestinian refugee camps
in Beirut, Lebanon between September 16 and 18, 1982, during the Lebanese civil
war. Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were massacred in the camps by Christian
Lebanese Phalangists while the camp was surrounded by the Israel Defence Force.
In that period of time, Israel was at war with the PLO in Lebanon. Israeli
forces occupied Beirut, controlled the entrances to the refugee camps of
Palestinians and to the city. On December 16, 1982, the United Nations General
Assembly condemned the Sabra and Shatila massacres and declared it to be an act
of genocide. There was no precise number of victims, but estimates range from
700-800 to 3,500 in a single massacre (depending on the source). Though
genocide is a crime under international law and is punishable, yet there was no
punishment, as Israel has unqualified support of the US.
Efforts are being made to divide the Muslims throughout the world.
Seymour M/ Hersh in his article captioned 'A strategic shift' and published in
The New Yorker magazine of 5th March 2007 wrote "The policy shift has
brought Saudi Arabia and Israel into a new strategic embrace, largely because
both countries see Iran as an existential threat". This is the way the
West views Shia and Sunni area of influence. One could infer from the testimony
of then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee when she said "There is a new strategic alignment in the Middle East
separating reformers and extremists". She referred to Sunni states as
centers of moderation and said that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah of Lebanon were
on the other side of the divide. The US in fact has twin-objectives one to
secure Israel, and secondly to control oil resources. Meanwhile, China has
clinched deals in African countries and has eye on other sources of oil, the
West could face serious crises in future.
Having that said, the fundamental cause for plight of the Muslims in
the world is that the Muslim world faces leadership crisis unparalleled in the
history. The Organisation of Islamic Conference and the Arab League have not
been able to provide either leadership or collective wisdom to extricate Muslim
Ummah from the multifaceted crisis. Had the rulers of the member countries
ensured socio-economic justice, strengthened the institutions, established
democracy and fostered the spirit of tolerance and accommodation in their
societies, they would have been spared the ordeal and ignominy they face today.
In other words, they did not try to discover the verities of freedom, equality
and solidarity, which is why some Muslim countries have become breeding grounds
for extremists and criminals. In view of the current world political scenario
whereby Muslim countries are looked upon as places that engender terrorism, it
is imperative for the Muslim countries to put their heads together and use
collective wisdom to improve their image, and also counter the shenanigans of
their enemies.
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