Mohammed Rafique, Carlow Ireland: Rohingya ‘Voting Right’ Campaign

Rohingya, one of the world most persecuted people in the world, are a native Muslim minority group from Arakan state of Burma (Myanmar) who have lived peacefully and enjoyed the rights of being the natives of Arakan.

They are not only forced towards statelessness in their own land, and also forced to be the major victims of persecution, prosecution, extermination and expulsion from their native land after Dictator Ne Win came to power in 1962.

Over the years under his dictatorship and the subsequent governments, Rohingya have lost the rights to freedom of movement, religion, education, marriage and health-care.

2012 has seen one of the worst humanitarian disasters forcing nearly 150,000 Rohingya homeless along with killing of thousands of innocent ones, and closing and destroying of hundreds of houses, shops and places of worship.

In February 2015, the Burmese government announced to strip off the last remaining right that Rohingya have enjoyed ever since the voting system has implemented in the history of Burma, that is THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

After the latest ethnic cleansing programme against Rohingya, the world has a glance on the decades-long persecution of one of the voiceless people on earth. Yet Burmese government continues to discriminate, to persecute and to deny the rights that Rohingya solely deserved.

Voicing together and showing the solidarity towards Rohingya for their in-born rights that are forcefully stolen and taken away, demonstrates Rohingya are not alone, and persecution of a group of people based on race and religion has no place in today's tolerant world.

For more information

Rohingya Community Ireland

Website: www.thestateless.com

Email: rafiqrohingya@ymail.com

Phone: +353860391625

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