Arakanese Rohingya groups sign for unity

Source: Kaladan Press
Chittagong, Bangladesh: Arakanese Rohingya groups have signed to set up a structure for a new organization that will bring all stake holders and representatives of Rohingya groups together from around the world on 9 June 2010 at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), according to the OIC statement in its news letter.



The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the department of Muslim Minorities and Communities invited leaders of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Burma, to setup a platform for unification in coordination with Euro-Burma office based on the OIC 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) resolution No. 4/37- MM, the statement said.

The Secretary General welcomed the outcome of the meeting.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 9 June 2010, which unified the leaders stand for their cause and legal demands in Arakan, said a community worker from Saudi Arabia.

Resolution No. 4/37-MM on the Muslim community in Burma was adopted after the 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan (Session of Shared Vision of a More Secure and Prosperous Islamic World), from 18 to 20 May, 2010, the community worker said.

This resolution was adopted on reaffirming previous to the resolution No. 4/11-MM (IS) adopted by the 11th Islamic Summit Conference held in Dakar, Republic of Senegal, in March 2008; and Resolution No. 4/35 adopted by the 35th Session of the Conference of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held in Kampala, Republic of Uganda, according to the OIC resolution.

The resolution calls upon the Government of Burma to put an end the practices of displacement, expulsion, and exile of Arakan Muslims (Arakanese Rohingya) and the continued attempts to eradicate their Islamic culture and identity, and urges government authorities to respect the texts of international legitimacy on human rights.

The OIC resolution expresses concern over the continued deprivation of thousands of Arakanese Rohingya Muslims citizenship right, and requests the Secretary General and States that have ties to the Government of Burma to intensify contacts in order to gain recognition for Arakanese Rohingya as one of its ethnic minorities and to stop all forms of violence, expulsion and violation of human rights against them, and to remove all restrictions imposed on their freedom to move, learn and to own property.

The OIC commends the efforts of the Secretary General aimed at coordinating the work of the Arakanese Rohingya Muslim organizations and uniting their ranks under a united coordination council and calls on him to continue these efforts to reclaim their rights.

OIC requests the Secretary-General to contact the Government of Myanmar to and urge the latter to receive an OIC Mission to visit Myanmar in order to examine the conditions of Muslims there and persuade the Government of Myanmar to create conducive conditions for Arakan Muslims to return to their home and to report thereon to the next CFM.