By Safvan Allahverdi
WASHINGTON
Nearly
a hundred people on Friday gathered in front of the Myanmar embassy to
protest the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western
Rakhine State.
The demonstration,
organized by the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), saw
dozens of protestors waving banners decrying the Myanmar military’s
ongoing crimes against Rohingya Muslims.
"We
are so worried and concerned about what's taking place in Myanmar
against the most persecuted minority in the world," Executive Director
of CAIR, Nihad Awad said. "Because of their ethnicity, because of their
faith and because of who they are."
Last
October, following attacks on border posts in Rakhine’s Maungdaw
district, Myanmar security forces launched a five-month crackdown in
which, according to Rohingya groups, around 400 people were killed.
Fresh
violence erupted in Rakhine state nearly two weeks ago when security
forces launched an operation against the Rohingya and thousands of them
have been slaughtered.
Describing
the Rohingya Muslims as the single largest minority that is considered
stateless, Awad slammed the Myanmar government saying, it lives in the
stone age and has a tribal mentality.
"They,
(Myanmar) are judging and would they like to be judged based on skin
color and ethnicity. Not with their character, or their worth, or their
law or their state," he continued, adding that this is the reason why
its a failed government.
Turning to
Myanmar's de facto leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi,
Awad noted that she is a part of the violence and he does not know why
she was given a Nobel Peace Prize.
"Probably
she was given that award while she believed in democracy and human
rights for all," he said. "But once she got the power, under her watch,
people are being massacred, being dismembered, being shot and
slaughtered like sheep."
Awad also slammed Suu Kyi for denying the brutality that is taking place in her country, called her "heartless".
In
addition, Awad drew attention to the insufficient global outrage about
the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims, and urged people to put
pressure on their government in order to stop the "genocide" in Rakhine
state.
"Today, as Christians, as
Muslims, as Buddhist, as Jews, or people of no faith, we are failing our
humanity in Myanmar," he added, reminding that humanity also failed the
people of Bosnia, Kashmir, Palestine, Syria as well as many other
places before.
The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings --
including infants and young children -- brutal beatings and
disappearances committed by security personnel.In a report, UN investigators said the human rights violations constituted crimes against humanity.
Bangladesh, which already hosted around 400,000 Rohingya refugees, has faced a fresh influx of refugees since the security operation was launched.
According to the UN, 270,000 Rohingya have sought refuge in Bangladesh as of Friday.
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