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| Professor Dr.Wakar Uddin, Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union |
October’s attacks on the Border Guard Police bases by the
insurgent group Harakah al-Yaqin (HaY) in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and their
aftermath have raised concerns over whether the Rohingya crisis in that
country, formerly known as Burma, might present an opportunity for expansion of
international jihadism.
The persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority in
Rakhine, also known as Arakan, is a major humanitarian crisis that overshadows
the core issues of Rohingya citizenship and basic rights. The problem is spurred by half a century of
Rohingya persecution by Burma’s military dictatorship. Revocation of
citizenship, major human rights violations, terror, and violence against
Rohingya people are the key strategic maneuvers by the Myanmar government in
pursuit of ethnic cleansing in Arakan, aimed at racial and religious purity in
the predominantly Buddhist country.
The October attacks, however, have now generated
questions and speculation. The International Crisis Group has described the
emergence of HaY as “a game-changer in the Myanmar government’s efforts to
address the complex challenges in Rakhine State,” although it is as yet unclear
in which direction it is heading. The
ICG report provides valuable insights into the issues in Arakan, accurately
stating that “a heavy-handed security response that fails to respect
fundamental principles of proportionality and distinction is not only in
violation of international norms; it is also deeply counterproductive.” The ICG
recommendations have merits.
The report, though, also paints an alarming picture with
apparent assumption that the HaY is connected to international groups that have
provided sophisticated guerilla war tactics.
This unfortunately feeds into the Myanmar government’s
narrative linking the Rohingya cause to international jihadism as a
justification for the recent obliteration of Rohingya villages, causing more
than 100,000 people to take refuge in Bangladesh and Rohingya villages in
Maungdaw area, and its armed forces committing crimes against humanity.
From the onset after the October attack, the government
rushed to name the Rohingya insurgent group “Aqamul Mujahedin” – a group that
does not exist. The name evidently was manufactured by the government. However,
the government backtracked quickly as the group identified themselves as HaY.
The rush by the government clearly shows that it was poised to link the
Rohingya cause to international jihadist movement as a pretext to launch
attacks on Rohingya population aiming at another exodus of Rohingya. The
assumption of a jihadist link by the ICG has apparently played into the hands
of Myanmar’s government.
The perception of HaY’s connection to any international
group does not appear to correspond to what is evident on the ground in the
conflict zone in northern Arakan.
In its much-publicized video clips and written messages,
HaY denies connection to any external group, and it does not appear to be
well-equipped or sophisticated, as one would expect. In the video clips, the
group appears to have fewer than a dozen firearms, which were reportedly seized
from the Myanmar police, and there are an overwhelming number of swords,
spears, and machetes in their possession. Further, all the members of the
insurgent group appeared in slippers, sarongs, and T-shirts, which are clearly
not the characteristics of a well-trained group with international connections.
HaY’s leader is reportedly of Rohingya heritage, born in
Pakistan, with siblings in Saudi Arabia. The report that the insurgent group is
being led by a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia and the assumption
that it is inspired by local and international fatwas should be substantiated
through clear hard evidence. Saudi Arabia is home to a large Rohingya
population.
Various sources have indicated that the HaY insurgent
group is merely a homegrown group in Myanmar that attracts recruits from
refugee camps in South and Southeast Asian countries where their situation is
desperate.
In fact, the group's leader, Atah Ullah, told CNN that
the group decided to fight back against the government after 70 years of
repression.
"We, the vulnerable and persecuted people, have
asked the international community for protection against the atrocities by the
government of Myanmar, but the international community turned its back on us;
we finally cannot take it anymore."
Further, in its written English-language press statements
on YouTube, the insurgent groups made their demands to Myanmar’s government to
immediately stop persecution of Rohingya people and restore their citizenship
with all their rights. The group’s
message underscores the importance to the group of integration and peaceful
co-existence of Rohingya Muslim and Buddhist Rakhine in Arakan. However, the October
HaY attack on Myanmar police posts was a serious miscalculation that has
evidently played into the hands of the government of Myanmar.
The volatile situation in Arakan does not appear to be
about to ease any time soon. The
government continues to deny international relief and media group’s access to
the devastated areas in northern Rakhine state, creating humanitarian crises to
sideline the core issues of Rohingya citizenship and basic human rights.
THE
AUTHOR IS WAKAR UDDIN
Dr.
Wakar Uddin is Rohingya Muslim, born in Maungdaw, Arakan state, Burma/Myanmar.
He is a professor at Penn State University, Director General of Arakan Rohingya
Union, Founding Chairman of Burmese Rohingya Association of North America, and
the President of Muslim Aid America. Arakan Rohingya Union was formed by the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and it is recognized by all the 57 member
countries of OIC as the official organization of the Rohingya people.