The moral lepers around Rohingya

In the last few weeks, Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi has borne the brunt of international criticism over her government’s aggression towards poor, defenceless, Rohingya Muslims; in her country’s Rakhine state.  Many have called for a withdrawal of her Nobel Peace Prize because her current actions are unbecoming of an international peace laureate. But […]

In the last few weeks, Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi has borne the brunt of international criticism over her government’s aggression towards poor, defenceless, Rohingya Muslims; in her country’s Rakhine state. 

Many have called for a withdrawal of her Nobel Peace Prize because her current actions are unbecoming of an international peace laureate. But to me, Ms Suu Kyi is not the only villain of the piece in the tragic situation of the Rohingyas. 

Yes, she deserves the largest chunk of the flak because she is the political head of Myanmar and is in a position to end the atrocities in the Rakhine province, if she wished to. But because world opinion means less to her than the sentiments of those who elected her, Aung San Suu Kyi has refused to act right. 

She knows well that though the Nobel award had made her popular, it did not take her to her present status in the country. Therefore, though her position on the crisis is inexcusable, it is nevertheless understandable.

But the other villains in this heart-wrenching tragedy of the Rohingyas are the countries and their leaders, who are in a position to help end the present suffering and the decades-long persecution of the Burmese Muslims but refused to do so. Due to a bad case of moral leprosy, countries like Malaysia and Indonesia have never stuck their necks out to end the plight of Rohingya Muslims. 

At a point in time they were even closing their borders to these frightened refugees, who were forced out of their homes by ruthless Myanmar militias through killings, rape and arson. When they did agree to accept the refugees, they took in very few and denied them all kinds of civil liberties while in their own soil. 

Now compare the attitude of rich Malaysia, and near-rich Indonesia with the behaviour of poor Bangladesh, and you know that these so-called giants of the ASEAN bloc lack the sympathy and compassion needed to stand for their poor neighbours, in their hour of need.

It is ironic, that it is Bangladesh, with its poverty and huge population which has opened it’s doors widely to the Rohingyas. What a pity. Not even as leaders of the most powerful countries on that regional bloc, did the Malaysians and Indonesians fight for the rights of the Rohingyas, on international arena. 

Far from the ASEAN region but still within the fold of the Islamic world resides the other moral lepers in the Rohingya tragedy. Saudi Arabia, the richest Muslim country on earth, and by virtue of its hosting of Islam’s holiest sites, the de facto leader of the Muslim world, is yet to take a stand by condemning the genocide in Myanmar and providing succour for its victims. What it seems to be busy doing is dropping bombs in nearby, poor Yemen and gearing up to drop more on fellow GCC member, Qatar. 

Way back when the East Timorese were seeking independence from Indonesia, the late Nelson Mandela did not waste any time rising to their defence and championing their cause till they got a country of their own. No one said he did that because East Timor was populated by his fellow Christians. I do not expect anyone to criticise King Salman of Saudi, if today he were to singlehandedly decide to champion the cause of Myanmar’s persecuted Muslims. Whoever stands for a just cause cannot be misunderstood by all.

The Qataris themselves do not deserve any tears, in their current crisis with their GCC neighbours. They alone can, with their excess oil wealth, provide a whole new state or even country for the Rohingyas if they wished. But they seem more keen to race along with the Saudis in the acquisition of weapons, they plan to use on each other, rather than use the money for the sake of humanity. 

Of course, it is Donald Trump and America’s big corporations that are laughing all the way to their banks. Rich Muslims nations are, after all willing to spend anything in order to wipe out themselves. We have all seen how desperately Qatar has been spending countless millions to ensure that they host the World Cup in 2022, a fraction of that cost can give the Rohingyas a totally new homeland outside Myanmar and her murderous inhabitants.

In any case how many are the Rohingyas all together. They are said to be less than a million, who were still caught up in the latest genocide. The others had since left and are living as refugees elsewhere. So what will it cost Saudi Arabia and Qatar to come to their aid even if it means purchasing a virgin land and resettling the Rohingyas, in the name of true Muslim brotherhood?

Unfortunately, their priorities are the arms race and on that they are willing to spend anything. 

At the just concluded UN General Assembly Sheikha Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, told Al-Jazeera that she refused to talk to Donald Trump about her Rohingya refugee crisis because she expected him to raise it with her. Since he didn’t, she did not either because she probably didn’t want to be seen as begging. In her own words, ‘We in Bangladesh are a nation of about 160 million people. The Rohingya refugees are only about 500,000. So if we can feed 160 million people, half a million can’t make much difference. We will manage to feed them too.’ 

Now this is the true spirit of humanity and brotherhood. It is also the spirit which, due to advanced moral leprosy, the leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia, Big Saudi and stinking rich Qatar do not have. What a pity!