Arakanese Muslims have been living under repression of the Myanmarese military junta for years. They have been widely persecuted, tortured, imprisoned and even killed arbitrarily because of their Muslim identity. They have no entitlement to anything in their homeland, they are not considered as citizens and do not even have identifications. Arakanese Muslims are not allowed to travel from one village to another. They face a jail sentence up to three years just for breaching the ban on travel and visiting their relatives in neighboring villages. The Myanmarese government arbitrarily confiscates the land and property of Arakanese Muslims.
Some Arakanese leave behind their homes where they have lived for centuries and seek shelter elsewhere to escape persecution. Neighboring Bangladesh is one of the regions where Arakanese Muslims seek refuge most.
Thousands of Arakanese Muslims are sheltered in camps set up in the Bangladeshi town of Cox’s Bazar. However, they are experiencing serious hardships in these camps since they are not officially recognized as “refugees.” They are living in absolute destitution and dependent on external aid.
The IHH, which delivers regular relief supplies to Arakanese Muslims to help them survive, gratified the impoverished Arakanese refugees in the holy month of Ramadan.
The IHH and Kayseri IHH Association distributed rice supplies to needy families living in Kutup Along and Leda refugee camps in the city of Cox’s Bazar. The IHH teams were sent to the camps to deliver humanitarian assistance to fellow Muslims. They delivered a total of 180 tons of rice to 7500 families in Kutup Along camp and 2500 families in Leda camp. The supplies will suffice the families the whole Ramadan month.
Orphans also pleased
The aid teams also met the orphans who are cared for by the foundation. They visited Darul Imam orphanage and mosque that were built by the IHH. The teams also gave food packs to 300 people in the village where the orphanage and the mosque are located.
The teams paid a visit to Hz. Hasan Huseyin orphanage in a different area and gave clothes and educational kits to 50 orphans here as well as paying for two-month expenses of the orphanage.