Arkanese Rohingya and the hard truth

By admin-s Last updated May 28, 2015

The Rohingyas and their culture will surely add to Malaysia image as an epitome of a ‘rainbow’ nation but to be blind to some of the negative practices that the Rohingyas will bring along cannot be ignored by Malaysia or other host countries.

Parwaiz Win

Some ten and thousands of Rohingyas have fled their ancestral land in Burma to flee from persecution and death. Their journey to seek out a new place to call home has been dangerous and many have perished before they could enjoy freedom as we know it.

The question of whether the politics of Burma and her predominantly Buddhist population has any basis when it comes to dismissing the existence of these persecuted people can only truly be answered by stakeholders who have everything to lose and very little to gain in Burma’s political landscape.

It is human nature to root for the underdog; in this case, an entire community that are being forced out of their homeland. Their existence is systematically being erased. The very fact that the term ‘Rohingya’ in any official or unofficial communication between the world and the Burmese government have in cases lead to the Burmese authorities walking away from the table is proof of their determination to make the Rohingyas a myth and only a myth.

While Burma’s neighbours are actively engaging with her to find a solution to stop this mass exodus of people on boats and via land to neighboring countries and to get the Burmese authorities to protect and recognize this community; it is also wise to understand the very community we are trying to save from perishing into an abyss.

There are thousands of Rohingyas who are now residing in Malaysia. They did not arrive last year but some have been in Malaysia for over a decade and more. Under UN refugee status, the Malaysian authorities have allowed them to remain in Malaysia while they wait for an opportunity to migrate to a third country. Many have nevertheless chosen to make Malaysia their home.

The Rohingya community in Malaysia is thriving even though they face some hardship; schooling for children, excess to free medical attention and birth registrations are just a few of the many hurdles they face; their consolation is that, they do not have to live in fear of being persecuted or murdered on the basis of religion or race.

Most are thankful to the Malaysian authorities for giving them refuge and a chance to dream and hope for a better future for themselves and also for their children.

The strain of the local community in Malaysia and the debate on whether Malaysia should continue giving them refuge has heated up in the last couple of weeks. Most Malaysians are sympathetic but many also are worried Malaysia will not be able to cope with the financial burden of hosting thousands of additional refugees; but as we now know, empathy triumphed over their own apprehensions with the opening of their borders. A commendable act of humanity by the Malaysian people and the authorities must be recognized.

There is mounting pressure on the Malaysian authorities to ensure that these refugees are cared for while at the same time, protecting the local population from things such as contagious diseases that some of these refugees might carry; leprosy, tuberculosis and elephantiasis are just some that will be introduced to the local population. The authorities are presently vetting all refugees for contagious diseases to minimize this potential threat.

What the local authorities and the world are overlooking is the societal impact this refugee community will have on the local community.

The world is diverse and a good mix of cultural, religious and racial concoction makes a nation so much more attractive with the caveat that the foreign cultural practices do not go against acceptable universal norms in this modern age.

The Malaysian authorities will have to closely monitor and clamp down on Rohingya groups that take advantage of their own community. Many from the community, especially women and children are forced into organized begging on the streets. Many are threatened into begging and in many cases beaten if they fail to satisfy the group by not obtaining sufficient proceeds from begging.

The sight of a woman with a sleeping child who is just a few months old in her arms and another couple of older children alongside her begging is a common sight in Malaysia. The authorities and the public have been seen to report such cases but the enforcement has failed to curtail the activities because the root culprits who mastermind such activities go unpunished and are free to victimize others from within their own community.

These unscrupulous people are parasites and many have been in Malaysia for years and have made a living on the back of innocent women and children. Until these gang of thugs are stopped, and with the arrival of new and helpless refugees, expect this cycle of human tragedy to continue and expect the misery of these refugees to continue.

Whether it is because of decades of persecution in their home country, many of these Rohingyas who have resided in Malaysia for years harbour hatred and disgust for Buddhist Burmese who also reside in Malaysia. Even if many of the Burmese Buddhist in Malaysia are racist and tend to view Burmese who are of Indian heritage as second class even in a host country; this tit for tat hatred must be stopped.

Malaysia being a multiracial and religious country, such racial and religious tensions will only further mount pressure on the already increasing tensions among the races in Malaysia. Malaysia cannot ignore this and must take a stern stance and put an end to importing this hatred from another country. The consequences will have a ripple effect on the local community.

There are debates among muslim scholars on the age of the revered Prophet Muhammed and his marriage to a young girl. Whether she is truly 8 as some say or older is a debate that continues in the Islamic world.

It is well known that people tend to hold on tighter to things, ideologies and their belief system when an outsider attacks it. This is quite evident in the case of the Rohingyas. After decades of persecution for the race and their belief system, the Rohingyas are extreme in their belief system which in some cases are questionable and sometimes take the scriptures literally.

Case in point is ‘child brides’. This practice of marrying off a child is quite common among the Rohingyas. Their reasons for marrying off the daughter at such at tender age might be logical to some but is unacceptable in the world we live in now.

Two of the most common reasons given are; that they are poor and cannot afford to take care of their daughter and the most ludicrous is to ensure their daughter does not lose her innocence to some male suitor before they are married.

These reasons bring about more questions than answers. Firstly, why does the community feel it is acceptable for a man who is far older to be a potential suitor for a child who is only a child? Children as young as 12 and 13 have been married off by their families to grooms who are in the twenties and older.

This practice is nothing more than legitimizing pedophilia within their community. This practice cannot be accepted in Malaysia or any other host country. The Rohingya people will have to abandon such practices even if their argument falls back on their understanding of religious scriptures that are still being debated. The civil society of today cannot sit back and allow such practices. A solution must be found and those found guilty of such acts must be held accountable and punished.

Each country has its own version and the Rohingyas are not immune to it. ‘If you see a snake and a Rohingya, kill the Rohingya and allow the snake to live’. Whether such an analogy is warranted on the community depends who is asked the question. As it is evident now, the Burmese Buddhist seem to have taken the saying literally, which is unacceptable to say the least.

Apart from the practice of child marriages, organized mafias who run a network of women and child beggars; some elements in the community are also involved the kidnapping for ransom.

The likely culprits are the same faces as those who run the begging network. Swift and deadly outcomes have been handed down to victims whose families failed to fulfill the ransom request.

The community is being persecuted and the world is voicing support for them but there is no excuse they can give for such practices and reign of tyranny they themselves are raining upon their own community in a host country.

The practices such as child marriages must stop and the local authorities in the host country must be unforgiving towards culprits who victimize those who are defenseless.

The Rohingya elders in the community too need to change their mindset, stand up against such organized criminal activities, denounce child brides and take responsibility. There is only so much a host country can do to help and to disrespect the local sensitivities and to not toe the line where social norms are concerned is disrespectful and unappreciative.

The Rohingya community in Malaysia and elsewhere has to abandon their questionable practices or be deemed an acceptable lost to humanity. They and they alone are responsible in the manner in which their community is viewed by others. Failure to address these concerns will only validate certain reasons the Burmese Buddhist despise them besides their faith and will slowly but surely make them the ‘pariahs’ of the world.

The majority of the world is standing alongside them and it is high time the Rohingya community become positive and proactive stakeholders in determining their future.

Writer –

Parwaiz Win is a London based freelance writer with interest in human rights, social justice and politics. Originally from Burma but migrated with his parents and siblings when he was 5 years old.

He has a sentimental attachment to Burma and is hopeful Burma will one day become a beacon of hope for all within her borders and beyond. He believes that Burma needs to ask its self-fundamental questions about the rampant racism that is plaguing the nation.

Until such time, the changes taking place in Burma are superficial and Burma will continue to remain a xenophobic nation for the foreseeable future.