‘Safe zones’ plan shows Bangladesh is accepting Rohingya reality

ARAB NEWS

DR. AZEEM IBRAHIM
September 29, 2020

Rohingya refugees stretch their hands to receive aid at Balukhali makeshift refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Sept. 14, 2017. (Reuters)

 

The government of Bangladesh this week called on the international community to establish “safe zones” within Myanmar to allow for the Rohingya to safely return to the country of their birth. This is not likely to happen, but it does signal a welcome evolution on the part of the government of Bangladesh on the Rohingya situation.

Face facts: Genocide of the Rohingya in Myanmar is complete

ARAB NEWS
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim

April 25, 2020 

As recently as two weeks ago, some of the few Rohingya remaining in Myanmar were still trying to make their way across the border to the relative safety of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. This comes 16 months after the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed Rohingya who had previously fled Myanmar would be helped to return to the country of their birth, and over two months since the International Court of Justice ruled that Myanmar must take a number of steps to protect the Rohingya, who it judged as “at risk of genocide.”

Gambia first to take a stand against Rohingya genocide

ARAB NEWS
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
November 10, 2019

Gambia is ready to take Myanmar to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to face charges of genocide against its Rohingya minority. (File/UNHCR/Roger Arnold)

More than two-and-a-half years on from the mass exodus of the Rohingya from northwestern Myanmar prompted by the “clearing operations” against the minority group by the country’s army, the international community is finally stepping up to its responsibilities. Gambia last month announced that it is referring Myanmar to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide.

Naive to think Suu Kyi will now back Rohingyas’ cause

Arab News
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
September 22, 2019

Aung San Suu Kyi. (AP)

The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, last week appealed to Aung San Suu Kyi to “open your eyes, listen, feel with your heart, and please use your moral authority before it is too late.” Prof. Lee was referring to a newly published report by the UN on the risk to the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya still remaining in Myanmar, who were described as being at “serious risk of genocide.”

Rohingya ‘genocide cards’ just another trap

ARAB NEWS

DR. AZEEM IBRAHIM
September 05, 2019

A Rohingya girl and her brother in Kutupalong makeshift camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh. (Reuters)

Since the creation of Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law, the Rohingya have been excluded from the country’s list of “indigenous” ethnic groups.

The rationale for this move was that the Rohingya were not a “natural,” “indigenous” ethnic group in their native northern Rakhine state, but rather that they were imported to the region under British imperial administration in the 1800s.

Academic Azeem Ibrahim wins prestigious global scholar prize

Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Desk
August 19th, 2019

File photo of Dr Azeem Ibrahim Courtesy

Scholar recognized for his substantial impact in the study of genocide, mass violence

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has awarded eminent academic, Dr Azeem Ibrahim, with the 2019 Engaged Scholar Prize.

Glasgow born Ibrahim, who is also a Dhaka Tribune columnist, received the global scholar prize for his "exemplary vision and influence" in the study of human rights violations and mass violence cases.

Myanmar Wants to Track Rohingya, Not Help Them

FP 
foreignpolicy.com
By Azeem Ibrahim
August 1, 2019,

Rohingya refugee children take a ride on the back of a truck loaded with drinks during a monsoon rainfall at Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on July 23, 2019. Munir Uz Zamin/AFP/Getty Images

Papers matter for refugees. They get you across borders, they prove your claims if there’s ever a chance to return home, and they record the lost and the murdered. Families preserve the deeds for the homes they once owned, passing them down through generations in foreign lands.

Myanmar targets remnants of Rohingya identity

ARAB NEWS 
Editorial
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
July 31, 2019 

A Rohingya village obliterated by fire in Rakhine, Myanmar. (Reuters)

The 1 million-plus Rohingya huddled in refugee camps around Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh continue to be a stain on the conscience of the international community, two years after the military of Myanmar started its “clearing operations” to remove them from their native homeland in northern Rakhine State.

677- The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Hidden Genocide By Azeem Ibrahim