{"id":31758,"date":"2015-10-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw-yeo.1wp.site\/magazines\/in-depth-rohingya-refugees-2849\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T21:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:21:10","slug":"in-depth-rohingya-refugees-2849","status":"publish","type":"magazines","link":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/magazines\/in-depth-rohingya-refugees-2849\/","title":{"rendered":"In depth – Rohingya refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CSW\u2019s East Asia Team Leader, Benedict Rogers, is our Burma expert and has been visiting Burma and its borders for over a decade. As part of our work campaigning for religious freedom for all, we\u2019ve met and campaigned for the Rohingya who are being forced out of their homes by the thousands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s find out a bit more about this vulnerable group whose pictures dominated the news earlier this year\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are the Rohingya?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They are an ethnic group from northern Arakan State in the west of Burma, near the border with Bangladesh. Most of them are Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is happening to them?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a Muslim group in a mainly militant Buddhist country, the Rohingya face daily discrimination. Legally, they are \u2018non-citizens\u2019, the only ethnic group in Burma that has this designation. This is because of their cultural similarity to a Bangladeshi ethnic group, even though they\u2019ve been living in Burma for generations. Rohingyas are required to obtain permission before marrying, and a permit can take several years to secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movement is severely restricted \u2013 Rohingyas must obtain permission to travel even from one village to another, severely restricting their access to medical care and education. As \u2018non-citizens\u2019, Rohingyas can\u2019t be employed as teachers, nurses, civil servants or in any public service, and in Rohingya areas teachers, mostly from the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group, sometimes fail to turn up to teach for an entire year. Rape and forced labour are widespread, and Rohingyas are singled out by the authorities for extortion. Soldiers demand money from them, and when they cannot pay they are arrested and tortured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can\u2019t even find peace in nearby Bangladesh. One Rohingya described the situation saying: \u201cThe Burmese tell us \u2018you are Bengali, go back to Bangladesh\u2019. The Bangladeshis tell us, \u2018you are Burmese, go back to Burma\u2019. We are trapped between a crocodile and a snake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rohingyas face religious persecution as well. It is almost impossible to obtain permission to renovate, repair, rebuild or extend mosques or other religious buildings. In the past three years, 12 mosques in northern Arakan have been demolished, and a large number were closed in 2006. There hasn\u2019t been a single new mosque since 1962. Religious leaders have been jailed for illegally renovating mosques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is their situation linked to the current refugee crisis?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In May 2015 the international media reported that 8,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees were stranded on boats on the Andaman Sea, with no food or water. Some died and others were severely dehydrated and malnourished. Survivors were forced to drink their own urine to survive. ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why, as a Christian organization, is CSW speaking up for them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, and most importantly, because our faith demands it. The Bible is full of commands to help the persecuted- Isaiah 1:17 says, \u2018Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.\u2019 That alone is good enough reason to help the Rohingya! However, we also know that the Rohingya people have stood with other religious minorities in Burma in the past – notably, with the Christian Kachin, Chin, Karen and Karenni people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirdly, there is unfortunately the risk that Rohingya Muslims, unable to find help from any other source, may become radicalized. One Rohingya has even said: \u201cIf our people continue to be persecuted by the regime, sidelined by the democracy movement and ignored by the rest of the world, and if radical Islamists come and offer help, there is a risk that our people will be influenced by that and turn to extremism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is CSW doing to help?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ben Rogers, our East Asia Team Leader, has done lots of work with and for the Rohingya people for many years. He\u2019s taken Rohingya representatives to meet the European Parliament and Congress, as well as working in the UK Parliament to raise the plight of Burmese religious minorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, what can I do to help?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pray! Please continue to pray for the Rohingya, who are, sadly, often a forgotten part of Burma\u2019s struggle. We\u2019d love it if you could join us praying for the Rohingya and Burma as a whole on 8 November \u2013 the day of Burma\u2019s elections. You could also consider donating to support CSW\u2019s work with the Rohingya and others like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to find out more? Ben\u2019s written a new book, \u2018From Burma to Rome\u2019, that details his encounters with many different inspirational Christians during his work in East Asia, including Cardinal Charles Muang Bo, who first invited Ben to church in Burma. If you\u2019re interested in Burma, Christianity, or why our advocates do what they do, it\u2019s an essential read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>> you can support CSW\u2019s work with the Rohingya at www.csw.org.uk\/giving<\/strong><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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