Since August 2017, Rohingya Muslims, a minority group living in Myanmar, have been being persecuted by the military because of their religious and ethnic differences. Because of its predominately Buddhist population, Myanmar has been targeting Rohingya Muslims and refusing to grant them citizenship. There are only about 1 million Rohingya Muslims in the world, all of which live in Myanmar; however, Rohingya Muslims are their own nation with a different culture and religion which has prevented them from being accepted into Myanmar’s society. The cultural and religious intolerance has resulted in the persecution of Rohingya Muslims. In Myanmar, at least 6,700 people have been killed, including 730 children. The military has been going into their villages and burning structures, raping women, bombing, and killing. About 228 villages have been destroyed. Close to 800,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh. Bangladesh has set up camps where 781,000 Rohingya Muslims have been living. There are about 100,000 living outside camps. Though they are no longer being persecuted, Bangladesh has refused to allow Rohingyas to live there permanently. They are not guaranteed citizenship and are expected to leave once the issues in Myanmar have descalated. While the persecution of Rohingya Muslims based on race and religion should be a larger global issue, no one seems to be talking about it. Sadly, this is common for small nations. While most nations should be given their own country, states refuse to give up land and resources, even if the small nation differs ethnically and/or religiously. Logically, if the government of Myanmar doesn’t want Rohingya Muslims living in their state, they should let the Rohingyas function as their own individual state. Unfortunately, instead of addressing these issues and compromising, Myanmar has began a cultural and religious genocide. Although they are the ones being persecuted, the Rohingya Muslims aren’t the only group of people affected by this issue. Because of the mass immigration from Myanmar, the Bangladeshi government is caught in the middle of a moral and political dilemma: should they allow Rohingya Muslims to live in Bangladesh to free them from being persecuted, or should they prioritize their countries citizens before others? It is a difficult decision the government of Bangladesh will have to make, but hopefully the Rohingya Muslims will find a place where they can live peacefully without fear of persecution.
Madeline McDonald