Fatima–
One of the many most persecuted women in Arakan state, Myanmar
By Mirza Ghalib
This is a widow who
is the burning witnesses and sufferer of the running catastrophe and brutal
violence in northern Arakan state of Burma. Her harrowing account and grave
risk ordeals are as bellow.
The victim (woman)
namely Fatima Khatun, D/O Maggul Ahmed, 55 years old is from Shwen Pauk Pruzu,
Bottoli hamlet (locally called Kiyangmong, Bottoli Fara) in Maungdaw north has
unfortunately lost her husband in the year 2001. She has a son of 21 years old
but it’s a matter of great sorrow that on 4th July 2017 at around 10:00 am,
some Border Guard Police (BGP) of came from Zeepin Chaunng camp surrounded her
village and raided every house of the village. Finally, they entered her house
and asked about her one and only son naming Mohd Younus, fortunately he wasn’t
at home during the raid. The BGP forces intentionally harassed and physically
tortured her in brutal manner for not finding her son. The BGP forces have
taken looted away all the valuable goods, money and livestock then strictly
ordered the mother (widow) to make her son appeared at the BGP camp within two
days.
Two days later, the
brutal forces came again to the village for arresting her son. When asked about
her son the mother replied to the forces that her son has been fled away to
escape life from the hands of security forces. Hearing such a quote form
mother, the forces thought that her son has linked with Al-Yakeen group and
tortured the widow in a very critical manner. As result, she was beaten to
unconscious for one hour. The forces were left the village while the victim was
unconscious. Then the villagers forwarded soon and watered the victim. After
long an hour she recovered sense.
On 9th July 2017,
the forces went to the village again, duly did the similar crackdown and raid.
They especially searched the old widow but she could escape fortunately. So the
forces ordered the rest of the villagers to apprehend the widow and handover to
the forces. Later the villagers told her every detail of upcoming plight and catastrophes
to her. This life threatening catastrophic danger compelled the marginalized
widow to leave her motherland in quest of life security.
She duly left her
home with only some torn but useful clothing packed with sack on 10th July 2017
but she was totally imbalance. So she has faced various problems and peril on
the way to Bangladesh. It was totally a challenging journey for her. Nobody
accompanied her during crossing the strict border. Anyhow she has reached
Kutupalong makeshift camp around 8:00pm that day but she could find no place
to be sheltered during the running rainy season. Finally she sat on a space under
open sky and crying too much.
It was about
midnight (12:30am) at that very miserable moment, a refugee found her and asked
about. The old Rohingya widow asked the man in tears, “Is the earth/world not
belong to me? Where is my shelter?” She asked the questions several times in tears.
Finally the man took her to his home and sheltered for the night but don’t know
what is going ahead in her fate. Could she survive further that compelled her
to flee for?
This is just a
single illustration of many Rohingyas irrespective of age and gender. Not only
a widow Fatima has been victimised but also hundreds of Rohingya Fatima(s) have
been subjected to worst kinds of atrocities that have been unfortunately beyond
the views of international humanity.