PRESS RELEASE
8th September 2017
URGENT APPEAL FOR PROTECTION AND SAFETY OF ROHINGYA IN RAKHINE STATE
From: Islamic Centres & Organisations in Ireland
Dear Respective Recipients,
We, the undersigned are deeply concerned with the recent developments in Rakhine State, Myanmar. We appeal to the international community to exercise “the Responsibility to Protect” as the Rohingya civilian population plunges into another episode of widespread “crimes against humanity” at the hands of Myanmar Armed Forces.
The reports point to the severe “human rights violations”, “ethnic cleansing” and also “crimes against humanity” that are being committed. The use of excessive force against the entire Rohingya community, reportedly, including machine-gunned helicopters, has resulted in mass civilian casualties. Tens of thousands have become displaced as their villages were set on fire. Thousands of innocent civilians are attempting to take shelter in the jungle, others have risked crossing the Myanmar-Bangladesh border most are stranded on the border as Bangladesh tightens its border security and continues to push back the fleeing Rohingya. The civilians are besieged with an acute humanitarian crisis and medical emergency. In addition to the existing medical conditions and injuries sustained from indiscriminate firing from the armed forces Rohingya are subjected to the confiscation of their homes and destruction of property and livestock.
Myanmar Armed Forces are accused of having a hidden agenda of manufacturing clashes to justify mass killing, rape, arrest and the scorched-earth policy that applied during “clearance operations”. The Myanmar authorities are paving the path for the armed forces to commit “crimes against humanity” by labeling the whole Rohingya community as “terrorists” or “terrorist sympathizers”, although the community is amongst the most peaceful in Myanmar despite being suffered more than four decades of state-sponsored discrimination, persecution and extermination pogroms.
We, therefore, urge the Government of Ireland, the Irish parliament, United Nations, the European Union, and the rest of the International Community to promptly act upon “the Responsibility to Protect” and urge Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and push it on the following:
- To abide by rule of law and refrain from human rights violations
- To prevent use of disproportionate force on the Rohingya civilians
- To provide full safety and protection to the Rohingya civilians
- To allow access to food, humanitarian and media in the affected area in Rakhine State
- To safely return the civilians to their respective villages
- To stop equipping and training of civilian populations in the region
- To stop labeling of peace-loving persecuted Rohingya population as “terrorists”
- To stop spread of inflammatory speech and propaganda against the Rohingya community on the state-controlled and privately-owned media outlet in Myanmar
Signatories:
On behalf of the Muslim Community of Ireland
Represented by Islamic Organisations listed below:
- Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland - Dr Nooh Al Kaddo - CEO
- Islamic Foundation of Ireland – Sh. Yahya Al Hussein
- Muslim Association of Ireland – Mr. Yahya Abed
- Cork Islamic Cultural Center Ltd - Dr Aamir Farooq Majeed – Secretary
- Islamic Cultural & Welfare Association Of Ireland - Imam Ismaeel Kotwal - Imam
- Cork Islamic Information Centre - Dr. Radwan Farghaly
- Galway Islamic Cultural Centre – Dr. Saud Bajwa
- Waterford Muslim society - Dr. Mohammad Alhourani,
- Dundalk Muslim Community Mosque – Mr. Nooh Buye - Imam
- Islamic cultural centre of Kilkenny – Mr. Ebrahim Ebou Ndure
- Midlands Islamic Cultural Center in Tullamore – Dr Osama Abdelsalam - Director
- Islamic Cultural Centre of Killarney – Mr. Mohammed Saeed
- Kildare Islamic Cultural Centre – Mr. Kamel Hafid
- Rahman Foundation- Portlaoise – Dr. Hosam Elkinini
