Who are the Rohingya Muslims?

The Rohingya Muslims are a stateless ethnic Muslim minority group primarily residing in Rakhine State (also known as Arakan) in Myanmar (Burma). Here are some key points about their identity, history, and current situation:

Identity and History

• The Rohingya are predominantly Muslims, practicing a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam. They claim to have a distinct ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity that traces its ancestry back to the late 7th or 15th century in the Arakan region234.
• The term "Rohingya" is derived from the word "Rohang," which is the early Muslim name for Arakan, and "ga" or "gya," meaning "from" in the Rohingya dialect3.

Contested Origins

• There is a significant dispute over the Rohingya's origins. While the Rohingya claim to be indigenous to the region, the Myanmar government and Buddhist nationalists view them as descendants of migrants from Bengal who arrived during the British colonial period (19th and 20th centuries)134.

Persecution and Statelessness

• The Rohingya are considered one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. They have faced institutionalized discrimination, including exclusionary citizenship laws, restrictions on freedom of movement, access to education, employment, and healthcare. The 1982 Myanmar nationality law denies them citizenship, rendering them stateless134.
• They are subjected to strict controls, such as needing permission to marry, travel, or have more than two children in certain areas. They live in isolated ghettos and unsanitary displacement camps, with limited access to basic rights and services34.

Recent Crisis

• In 2017, a military campaign in Rakhine State led to the displacement of over 740,000 Rohingya, who fled to Bangladesh. This event has been described as ethnic cleansing and potentially genocide by various international bodies and human rights organizations135.

International Recognition

• The term "Rohingya" is not recognized by the Myanmar government, which prefers to refer to them as "Bengalis." However, the international community, including the United Nations and various human rights groups, acknowledges the term "Rohingya" and recognizes their plight as a significant humanitarian crisis135.

In summary, the Rohingya Muslims are a distinct ethnic and religious group facing severe persecution and statelessness in Myanmar, with a complex and contested history that underpins their current dire situation.