Rohingya people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rohingya | |
|---|---|
| Total population | c. ? estimate) |
| Regions with significant populations | Arakan, Myanmar: total = (2001) Bangladesh: |
| Language | Rohingya language |
| Religion | Islam |
| Related ethnic groups | Bengali people |
The Rohingya are a minority Muslim ethnic group in Northern Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. The Rohingya population is mostly concentrated in five northern townships of Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan): Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Akyab and Kyauktaw.
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[edit] History
The origin of the Rohingya is the subject of much dispute. Many Rohingya claim that they are the true natives of Arakan, having converted to Islam centuries ago. The region was visited by Arab traders since ancient times, and cultural traits tend to support the Rohingyas being part of the native population of the region. However, most Burmese, Bengali and Western historians and some sections of the Burmese government claim that Rohingyas are migrants from southeastern regions in neighboring Bangladesh, in a process that started in the British colonial era.
Because of this confusion, they have not been included among the indigenous groups qualifying for citizenship under the Burmese constitution. U Nu's democratic administration also did not recognize them, due to what it claimed was a lack of historical evidence that they were actually native Burmese. Rohingyas are victimised in Burma because of their religion and ethnicity and they are face widespread religious persecution and discriminitation at all levels, such as education, health and other basic needs, including the denial of their right to citizenship. Major incidents of repression on the Rohingya community occurred in 1962, 1978, and 1991.They are not allowed to marry, cannot travel without permission and do not have rights to land or property. They are also used as slave labour, beaten in the streets and even jailed for little or no reason.
Subsequent waves of hundred of thousands of Rohingya fled Burma and many refugees indundated Bangladesh in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s, sparking major international crises. In 1991, following a crackdown on Rohingyas, 250,000 refugees took shelter in the Cox's Bazar district of neighboring Bangladesh. However, most of them were later repatriated back to the nation that denied them citizenship. Some of them are still in exile. These exiles mostly live in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, although a smaller number are also in the UAE, Thailand, and Malaysia.
As of 2005, the UNHCR has been assisting with the repatriation of Rohingya from Bangladesh, but allegations of human rights abuses in the refugee camps have threatened this repatriation effort.[1]
Rohingya activists claim that the Burmese government's objective is to turn Muslim Arakan into a Burmanised region by reducing the Muslims to an insignificant or manageable minority, and that as a result, more than a quarter of the total area of arable land has gone back to jungle. The government has started a massive colonization project to settle Buddhists from both inside and outside of Arakan on lands confiscated from the Rohingya.
[edit] Culture
Although classified as "Bengali Muslims" by the Myanmar government and denied recognition as an official ethnic group, the Rohingya have a distinct language and culture.
The Rohingya language is an eastern Indic language of the Indo-European family. It is mutually intelligible with Chittagonian, the language of southeastern Bangladesh. It is also related to Bangla (Bengali), which is spoken in neighboring Bangladesh and India. [2] The language has many borrowings from Urdu, Farsi, Hindi, Bangla, and Arabic, although some words from Bamar and English are also included. The language used to be written using the Arabic script. However, there has recently been an effort to write it using the Roman script, the result being called Rohingyalish.
Religion is particularly important to the Rohingya people, who are predominantly Muslim. There are mosques and religious schools in every quarter and village. Traditionally, the men pray in congregation, while women pray at home. It is common for elderly Rohingya men to grow beards, and for women to wear the hijab.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- First Rohingya Portal and Information website
- Website on Rohingya Language
- Rohingya News (Burmese)
- Arakanese portal
- Kaladanpress Network
[edit] References
- Rohingya. Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on June, 2005.
- A Short History of Arakan. Mohammed Ashraful Alam. Retrieved on June, 2005.
- Myanmar, The Rohingya Minority: Fundamental Rights Denied. Amnesty International. Retrieved on August, 2005.
- National races of Arakan, pp. 1-14, by U Hla Tun, 1981.
