On the 26^th of February 2013, the UK "Guardian" published a story that at least 13 Rohingya Muslim women, including teenagers, were subjected to prolonged rape and torture by Burmese security forces in a remote village in the western state of Arakan. One victim, an 18-year-old girl described how a group of uniformed soldiers from Burma's border security unit, known locally as Nasaka, entered her house shortly after midnight on the 20^th of February and then tortured and raped her mother, 15 year old sister, and herself. She described the ordeal lasting till dawn, and included the security forces beating her mother with a gun. Matthew Smith, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, stated, "Sexual violence by Nasaka against Rohingya women has been documented for many years," adding that prosecutions are rare for such crimes committed by security forces. Due to this violence, burning of homes and killings, Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee, including many thousands of women and children.

The UN estimates the number of Rohingya displaced since June 2012 to be more than 100,000. AFP also published a news report on the 25^th of February 2013, regarding hundreds of Rohingyan women and children having to travel long distances by sea to Thailand or Malaysia on rickety boats, with little food to flee persecution. Some of these women were pregnant and even gave birth at sea. Some children were forced to travel alone to protect themselves from the violence. On February 26, fishermen found a rickety wooden boat floating off the coast of Indonesia's Northern Province of Aceh. According to the Associated Press and other media outlets, there were 121 people on board who were extremely weak, dehydrated and almost starved, including children. One can appreciate the true desperation of the Rohingyan mothers when they are willing to risk their children drowning or starving to death at sea than remain in their homes in Myanmar. The gravity of the situation is indicated by the fact that not a single country is willing to properly accommodate these Muslims. In Thailand, the men are kept in detention centers away from their families and treated like criminals - that is if they even manage to arrive alive after the difficulties faced by them during the voyage as hundreds have drowned along the way.

There are many reports, including by Human Rights Watch that the Burmese government is complicit in this systematic ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims by the local Buddhist population. This is not only in allowing the killings and rapes of hundreds of Muslim men, women and children to happen, but also in actively participating in these atrocities, by opening fire upon and killing Muslim protestors when they were demanding their rights. This is not surprising, since the Burmese government has for centuries been trying to expel the Rohingya population from the country by implementing harsh social policies. In 1982, the Burmese authorities passed the Citizenship Law that rendered the Rohingya people ‘foreign occupants', despite the fact that the Rohingya Muslims have been living in the Rakhine state for centuries and that it was Burma who occupied the region. The same state of oppression is facing their neighbouring Muslim brothers and sisters in Assam, India where there too Muslims are being tortured, displaced from their homes and killed, while the Indian government stands as a silent abettor of the injustices and atrocities.

The Rohingya Muslims are therefore considered as non-citizens in Burma with no legal status. The Burmese regime considers them as unwanted and they have no right to property, nor to move freely and even have to seek the government's permission before marrying. They are treated as slave labourers, living in slums and without clean water, sanitation, and other necessary facilities of life. Alongside this, they are forced to bear torture at the hands of the authorities. Hundreds of young Muslims have been kidnapped by the army, and their families have been forced to leave their homes.

Despite all this, capitalist Western states have chosen to shamelessly turn a blind-eye to the persecution of the Muslim minority in Myanmar, even removing sanctions from Burma earlier this year, clearly viewing the lives of the Rohingya Muslims as an insignificant matter compared to securing their trade and investment interests in the country. For them the lives and honor of Rohingya women is worth nothing in comparison to their Capitalistic monetary goals. This is not surprising as such capitalist, secular states have repeatedly demonstrated to the world that their priority lies in protecting financial gain over human life. Even their golden girl, Aung San Syu Kii, leader of the Burma National League of Democracy, who they awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has been notably silent over this genocide in her own backyard, seemingly preferring to secure her personal parliamentary political ambitions and goal of ‘democratising the country' rather than speaking out against the horrific injustices within her own state. Clearly, the call for democracy does not include a call to protect the blood and life of minority populations.

These stories of oppression facing the Muslims of Rohingya are enough to make any Muslim's heart bleed; but not the rulers of the Muslim world who are heartless. One of the most inhumane statements came from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina who in an interview to Al Jazeerah TV said, "My country cannot afford to accommodate more Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution from neighbouring Myanmar." The statement followed reports that Bangladeshi authorities had been rejecting many of the asylum seekers. Sheikh Hasina defended the policy, saying Bangladesh is already overpopulated, and it is not her country's responsibility to help all of the Rohingya. Bangladesh has subsequently closed its borders to the Myanmar Muslims. In Malaysia, there are 25,000 Rohingya refugees according to the UNHCR, but the Malaysian government has also denied them any sort of legal status that would allow them access to healthcare, education, jobs, and other services. This indifference and appalling attitude is not limited to the rulers and governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia only. Where is the action of the leaders of Indonesia, Saudi, Qatar, Turkey and all the other Muslim lands to protect the lives of the Muslims of Burma? They have similarly shown complete disregard to the persecution of our Rohingya brothers and sisters.

This is how our present Muslim rulers are treating the helpless and distressed Muslim men and women. They possess the world's best armies, weaponry, aircrafts, zealous Muslim man-power and resources, yet sit and watch idly as Muslim women are dishonoured, their menfolk killed, and their children starve to death. The corrupt concept of nationalism and nation-state that they have embraced and implement have caused them to view these needy, desperate Muslims as a burden to their economy or land rather than as Islam obliges - those who they have a great responsibility to take care of, shelter, feed, and provide rights for as equal citizens of their state. Our present rulers under the Capitalist system are puppets of their Western masters and are unable to even feel an ounce of pain for the persecuted Muslims across the world as they have sold themselves in return for Swiss accounts, palaces and the luxuries of this life. Their indifference to the plight of the women and children of Burma is not surprising for these rulers themselves turn a blind-eye to the suffering of their own citizens, or are ruthless criminals, persecuting or killing their own people. Their lack of concern about the dishonouring or killing of Muslims elsewhere is therefore to be expected.  They have no regard for the Command of Allah (swt),

وَمَا لَكُمۡ لَا تُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡمُسۡتَضۡعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلۡوِلۡدَٲنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَخۡرِجۡنَا مِنۡ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ ٱلظَّالِمِ أَهۡلُهَا وَٱجۡعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّ۬ا وَٱجۡعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا

"And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is, ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from you one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help." [TMQ An-Nisa: 75]

It is only the sincere ruler under the Khilafah "Caliphate" system who truly fears Allah and implements His Laws alone who will protect the lives and honour of the Rohingya Muslim women and children, and all the believers across the world - for this is an obligation under this state. It is an obligation that the Khilafah "Caliphate" fulfilled during its centuries of existence in the world, following the actions of the Prophet(saw) who showed to the believers the responsibility of the state to safeguard the blood and dignity of its citizens. During the time of the Prophet(saw), the Tribe of Ghatfan who were allies of the Jews of Khyber, abducted the wife of Abu Dharr Ghiffari, and killed her son. The Prophet (saw) decided to attack Khyber to put an end to these acts of violence. He left Madina with 1600 soldiers in September 628 and conquered Khyber, rescuing the Muslim woman. The rulers under the Khilafah "Caliphate" followed the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) in sending armies to rescue and protect Muslim women and men for they were obliged to do this by the system of Islam and could not even consider leaving the Muslims helpless or at the mercy of their oppressors.

The Rohingya Muslims along with all the oppressed Muslims of the world including in Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Mali, and Pakistan can be protected only by the implementation of the Khilafah "Caliphate" system which responds readily to the Command of Allah (swt) in surah At-Taubah:

قَـٰتِلُوهُمۡ يُعَذِّبۡهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِأَيۡدِيڪُمۡ وَيُخۡزِهِمۡ وَيَنصُرۡكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَيَشۡفِ صُدُورَ قَوۡمٍ۬ مُّؤۡمِنِينَ ( ١٤) وَيُذۡهِبۡ غَيۡظَ قُلُوبِهِمۡ‌ۗ وَيَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

"Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and return calmness in the hearts of the believing people thus relieving their anxiety. Allah accepts the repentance of whom He wills. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." [TMQ At-Taubah: 14-15]

 

Umm Musab

Member of The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir