M
Shafiur Rahman
Shafiur Rahman
medium.com
Feb 5 .2020
On 26th January 2020, violence broke out between Christian and Muslim Rohingya in Kutupalong Refugee camp, Bangladesh. We previously discussed the issue in two separate episodes, the links for which are below. In this episode, we talk to Nay San Lwin, a prominent Muslim Rohingya activist. The interview is conducted in Rohingya language. A summary of what Nay San Lwin said is presented below. (These are not verbatim quotes but a summary (seen and approved by Nay San Lwin).
Mirza Galib from Cox’s Bazar presents the podcast:-
Podcast with Nay San Lwin presented by Mirza Galib
Q. The Christian Rohingya say that what happened on 26th January is the worst incident between Christian and Muslim Rohingya. They also say that persecution against them is long standing. What do you say?
Yes we have never experienced this within our community and we are sad that this has happened. We are about 3 million people around the world. In the last two years we have begun to notice the Christian minority existing within our community. Majority of the Rohingya are Muslims, and for some this fact has come as a shock. So they really don’t know how to handle the matter. Instead of embracing this minority as their own brothers & sisters, they have treated the Christian Rohingya as outsiders.
There are accusations from both sides. I need to stress to everyone that we should embrace each other as brothers and sisters regardless of our religion. What has happened is behind us. Now is the time for reconciliation and tojoin together in the fight to get back our rights in our homeland, Myanmar. I won’t support any violence against each other. At the end of the day, we are all of Rohingya ethnicity. We may have differences in our beliefs but under the skin our blood is the same.
Q. There was a lot of violence that night. Do you agree that this damages all Rohingya? Do you condemn what happened?
Yes I agree. No one has the right to destroy property. Destroying the Church is unacceptable. I condemn all violence. We are taking refuge in Bangladesh. If anyone is attacked, the community should inform law enforcement to take action rather than responding violently. It is unacceptable.
Q. The Christian Rohingya are saying that behind this event is the hand of ARSA. What do you say?
Bangladesh government has repeatedly said that ARSA, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, does not exist in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh police have said that the violence was between the two communities, and denied the involvement of ARSA. I can’t say whether ARSA was involved as I don’t know who the ARSA members are in the camps. But what I have learned is there are a lot of people who project themselves as ARSA in order to scare people. Regardless of who was involved in this incident, the victims should identify each and every perpetrator and inform the concerned authorities. They should investigate properly and take the necessary action. We should be concerned about the perpetrators. They must be brought to justice regardless of their organisational connections or identity.
Q. What about Shukkur, the young muslim man. Is he innocent or guilty?
Shukkur was found inside a Christian Rohingya home. We know this from a video. Police found him lying inside a Christian person’s home near the church. He was injured. He claimed to have been abducted and beaten. Shukkur said that the reason for his abduction and beating was because he refused to convert to Christianity, and additionally he told the wider community that the Christians had tried to convert him. This, Shukkur claims, is the reason he was targeted. The Christians say that he is a member of ARSA. He is part of a mindset that wants to get rid of all Christians. It was he who attacked them, and they even say say that Shukkur was probably injured by the stones being thrown by the other Muslim attackers. So you see, it is a totally confused picture. What we can say is that this kind of violence that landed all these people in hospital is unacceptable. It should not be happening. The destruction of homes and the church are unforgivable acts. Attacks on each other is unacceptable and must stop.
Q. Clearly there is no trust between Christian Rohingya and Muslim Rohingya. What are you going to do about this?
We have no experience regarding how to handle this issue. Although everyone wants religious freedom, it seems some of us do not know how to respect other people’s rights. People don’t like if they see their fellow religionists convert to some other religion. Once someone has converted they are seen as outsiders. This is how we have lost trust in each other.
We are now living on Bangladesh soil. Although Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country, it has Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities, and they are equally treated. We were allowed to take refuge in Bangladesh not because we were Muslims but because we are humans. Bangladesh has shown its humanity for fellow human beings. If Buddhists were persecuted and were forced to flee, I am sure Bangladesh would allow them to enter. So we have to deal with each other as we would other human beings and not let religion define how we behave towards each other. We can’t deny each other’s existence and rights.
In conclusion I would like to request all our people — embrace each other. Please don’t fight. If there are arguments, please engage in dialogue with each other. If anyone is violent, please inform the authorities. Do not respond with violence. Seek peace and respect each other. We are one family. We can solve our problems by talking to each other. Everyone has this responsibility.
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