Indian Muslim organizations and human rights bodies protested against the atrocities and cruel activities being meted out against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The protest organized by All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat condemned the Myanmar government for its inaction to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine (Arakan) state.
The protest was to be staged in front of Myanmar Embassy in Nyay Marg, but Delhi police stopped the protesters at Teen Morti Marg near Chankyapuri police station.
The persecution of Rohingyas started way back in the 1960s. In 1982, under a strange law, they were stripped of their Burmese citizenship, as they had to prove that their ancestors lived in Burma way back in 1832.
“No such law exists anywhere in the world and most Burmese will lose their citizenship if applied on all people in the country,” said one protester.
Rohingyas have lived in that part of Burma continuously for around a thousand years and have ruled the area for centuries. As a result of this persecution and maintaining curfew-like situation in Rohingya towns and villages, close to a million have fled to the neighboring countries especially Bangladesh.
The current wave of persecution and ethnic cleansing spearheaded by Buddhist monks started in February last year when murder, destruction and torching of thousands of houses and community facilities and expulsion of Rohingyas from their villages started with the connivance of the Burmese government.
An estimated 150,000 Rohingyas have since fled their country taking refuge in Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Malaysia where they live in pitiful conditions. Many have died while attempting to flee in small boats.
“We find it highly disappointing that supporters of the on-going democracy process in Myanmar, led by the Nobel Laureate Ang San SuuKyi, have refused to stand for these hapless citizens of Burma. We condemn the inaction by the Myanmar government and ask our own government as well as the international community to stand by the Rohingya people in their hour of need and pressure the Myanmar junta to mend its ways and apply to the Rohingyas same principles which are applied to other citizens,” said Mohammad Ahmad, secretary-general of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Meanwhile, JIH expressed concern over conviction of Bangladesh Jamaat leaders for alleged 1971 war crimes without giving them full opportunity to defend.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had withdrawn all the cases against them by declaring general amnesty.
Jamaat appealed to international organizations including the Non-Aligned Movement, SAARC and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to pressure Bangladesh government to stop its oppressive practices against Jamaat leaders.
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