IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation
0
Donate
Follow
EN
TRY
Close
  • Who are we
  • What we do
  • What can you do
  • Login
Tyranny continues in Arakan
Around 1,500 Muslims were massacred in the acts of violence which target Rohingyan Muslims in the Arakan (Rakhine) state in western Myanmar. The Bangladeshi government does not allow Araken Muslims wh
Arakan, Bangladesh, Myanmar 17.07.2012

Sait Demir, an IHH representative in Myanmar, went to the region several weeks ago. Making examinations there, Demir said they were unable to go to Myanmar region and Muslims, which are a minority group in the region, are being subjected to a massacre. He said thousands of Arakan Muslims have to flee their homes due to the ongoing incidents but they have no place to take shelter.

Discussing the possible ways of migration with the locals, Demir said: “When almost 1,500 Muslims were massacred in the past one month, Araken Muslims wanted to take refuge in Bangladesh but Bangladeshi government refuses to accept these people due to political reasons and lack of financial means to accommodate them. The injured that were able to enter Bangladesh can do so illegally. They even have difficulty in receiving a treatment. Mosques are set on fire. Muslims are prevented even from attending the Friday prayers. All the attacks target Muslims.”

“There is hatred against Muslims”

Demir said Muslims villages in the region are also set on fire, adding that the target of all the attacks is Muslims and Muslims are in a very difficult situation.

“Government of Myanmar which wants to take control of Arakan massacres Muslims. Britons needed workers in that region and they brought Muslims from India to Myanmar. Even though they are excluded now, Arakan people are there for centuries. It is the land of Arakan Muslims. Two communities live in Arakan. Local people are comprised of Muslims and Rohingyan Buddhists. There is hatred against Muslims. Since government of Myanmar defends Buddhist nationalism, it does not do anything to Rohingyan Buddhists but attacks Muslims. According to the citizenship law in Myanmar, Arakan Muslims are seen as “settler people”. They are not allowed to work in public institutions. Every child who is born creates trouble for Muslims. Every Muslim has to work in line with the order of the government and for free,” Demir explained.

Working in Myanmar for nine years, Demir said there is the social media behind the rapidly-growing incidents in the country. He said Muslims in Myanmar have been suffering from problems for years but they can make the voices of around 1,5 million Myanmar Muslims heard only through the social media.

According to local sources, the primary goal of the government of Myanmar is to take the clashes in the region under its control. The government has declared a martial law in the region where around 100,000 Rohingyan Muslims have been displaced. As the Bangladeshi government has refused to allow the entry of Arakan Muslims who wanted to take refuge in Bangladesh, Muslims are now giving a life struggle in boats in the rivers between the two countries. 

Aid from IHH to Myanmar

Noting that the IHH has been carrying out relief efforts in Myanmar since 1994, Demir said: “We deliver aid to Arakan people. We are now unable to access some areas we were able to have access until a short while ago. There are camps in region where as many as 100,000 people live. There are people living on the hunger threshold. We deliver food, we dig water wells in the region. We make maintenance in camps during the Monsoon rains. We enter the camps and deliver aid. We will deliver a significant amount of relief on the occasion of Ramadan. We will also take some action for the injured and also deliver clothing aid to children.”

Arakan is a southeast Asian region bordered by Bangladesh, Burma and Indian Ocean.  Arakan people belong to Rohingya. Two million out of the four million Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in neighboring countries due to oppressive policies of Burma’s regime.

Burmese Buddhists who were supported by Britons on 28 March 1942 committed a massacre against Arakan Muslims, killing 150,000 of them. Hundreds of thousands of people had to flee their homes due to this massacre. Buddhists in the region carried out attacks in the region in the past, killing hundreds of Arakan Muslims.

Related news
View all
IHH Reached More than 3 Million in Ramadan
IHH Reached More than 3 Million in Ramadan
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation carried out activities in 67 countries, including Türkiye, as part of its Ramadan efforts this year. Through these activities, the foundation assisted a total of 3,099,227 people.
Ramadan
01.04.2025
IHH Provides Emergency Aid to Myanmar and Thailand After Earthquake
IHH Provides Emergency Aid to Myanmar and Thailand After Earthquake
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has initiated emergency aid efforts following two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.4 in magnitude that struck Myanmar which also affected neighboring Thailand. We distributed hot meals to 800 people in Thailand; we also provide water and dry food assistance to those affected in Myanmar.
30.03.2025
Türkiye and Qatar built new homes for 1,400 families in Syria
Türkiye and Qatar built new homes for 1,400 families in Syria
Qatar Charity and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation established the “Hope City” in the town of Soran in the Azaz region of Syria, where 1,400 families affected by the civil war will reside. The inauguration of Hope City - which consists of 9 neighborhoods and is home to 10,000 people - was attended by many high-level officials from Qatar, Türkiye and Syria.
30.01.2025