News

On the 14th of February, Hizb ut Tahrir / Malaysia, organized a demonstration and submission of memorandum at the embassy of Myanmar in Kuala Lumpur. This event was organized as an urgent call to end the oppression of Muslims in Myanmar. It is alleged that the Government of Myanmar is making preparations to remove the Rohingya Muslim population in the country, before the Myanmar population census is to be conducted on 30th March to 10th April 2014. According to the Burma Times, which quoted an inside source within Myanmar, the army led by President Thein Sein is preparing to commit a genocide in the State of Rakhine, west of Myanmar. The source explained that the central government in Naypyidaw is already issuing detention orders against all adult men and Muslim Rohingya children aged 10 and under. If implemented, the Myanmar authorities would be carrying out a genocide resembling what had been perpetrated by the Bosnian Serb army in Srebrenica and Zepa during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

Comment

Although the authenticity of the news is yet to be ascertained, it is something that is not unexpected. Approximately 800,000 Rohingya Muslims are now living in Myanmar, of which 90 percent are in the state of Rakhine.

Myanmar does not consider the Muslims of Rohingya as its citizens and the Muslims are often faced with atrocities supported by the Myanmar government for the past 30 years. Over the past decades, until today, the population of Muslims living in Rakhine are exterminated from time to time, their women raped, their houses burnt, their rights to education, health and other rights are deprived of them and they are treated like animals by the regime to an extent that they are refugees in their own country. At this moment, about 1.5 million of Rohingya Muslims live in Myanmar and another 1.5 million live abroad to avoid oppression and persecution.

What is sad is that although the oppression on the Rohingya Muslims had been occurring for the past 30 years, the fate of these Muslims has not changed until today. Muslims states have been excruciatingly silent on this issue. Bangladesh, which neighbours Rakhine, for example, lacks the will and compassion to help its own Muslim brothers and sisters where Rohingya Muslims are denied the right to access the border, receive aid or work. There are around 28,000 Rohingya Muslims who live in officially recognised camps and around 200,000 illegally live outside the camps. In fact on many occasions, the Bangladeshi government treats the Muslims of Rohingya in a similar manner as that perpetrated by the Myanmar regime. It is indeed sad to see our Muslim brothers and sisters being oppressed and their blood spilled yet not a single Muslim leader stood against these oppressions. The situation of Muslims in Myanmar epitomizes the problems of oppressed Muslims the world over. Our oppressed brothers are left to handle their own problems, contrary to the spirit of a Muslim being the brother of another Muslim. Muslims must not remain silent on the issues of oppressed Muslims, including the oppression on Rohingya Muslims because taking care of the affairs of Muslims is part of the perfection of faith. Allah (swt) said:

((إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ))

"The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy." [TMQ: 49:10]

And Rasulullah (saw) said:

الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرُبَاتِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِمًا سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

"A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, will not mistreat it and will not submit (to the enemy). Whoever strives to meet the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs. He who relieves its suffering from a Muslim then it Allah will remove one of the discomforts of the Day of Judgment. Those who cover the disgrace of a Muslim, Allah will cover his shame, shame on the Day of Judgment" (Bukhari and Muslim)

It is imperative that the Muslim Ummah realize the gravity of the problems faced by our brothers and sisters in Myanmar and work towards re-establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate".

Under the Khilafah "Caliphate", the Khaleefah, the sincere leader of the Ummah will solve the problems of Muslims all over the world, including those faced by our brothers and sisters in Myanmar. The Khilafah "Caliphate" shall be our shield, behind which protection is offered and with which we shall ensure that Islam and the Mercy of Allah spreads all over the world.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Muhammad / Malaysia