Chapter 01 - Open Letter to the Burmese (Myanmar) Administration

Myanmar right now is not ordinary by any means.

Muslims, who make up some 15% of the population of Myanmar are a blessing and bounty for the state. As the moral values of the Qur'an require, these Muslim brothers of ours possess great virtues, such as industry, loyalty, respect, obedience, humility, peacefulness, modesty and lovableness and make major contributions to well-being, order, progress and stability in the country as well as striving for a bright future for it. It is extremely important for the Myanmar administration to provide the security, justice and freedom needed by these peace-loving brothers of ours, who have a very deep love of their motherland and respect for the government.

Among the persons to whom the letter was sent, there are:

◉ The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon ◉ The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres ◉The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ms. Navanethem Pillay ◉The Ambassador of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, Vladimir Drobnjak ◉The Representatives of the UN Human Rights Offices in Washington, New York, Afghanistan, Australia, Israel, Southern Europe, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Sweden, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Russian Federation ◉ The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay ◉ The President of the European Court of Human Rights, Dean Spielmann ◉ Former British Foreign Secretary, William Hague ◉ Former Turkish Prime Minister, Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu

However, reports from the region show that our Muslim brothers in the region are unable to enjoy the respect, love, security and peace they deserve. Muslims, who largely inhabit the Arakan region, are under severe pressure, as shown in reports drawn up by many international bodies. The anti-Muslim campaign that grew rapidly during the 20th century cost the lives of 100,000 Muslims; hundreds of thousands of people were either crippled or forced from their lands during a massacre in Arakan in 1942.

The refugees from Myanmar in an attempt to receive food aid delivered by a helicopter offshore the Andaman Islands are fighting for their life in a great difficulty.

The "Burmese Socialist Party Program" drawn up by a new administration in 1962 almost entirely did away with Muslims' religious rights and freedoms, and they were prevented from living by their faith as they saw fit. This ended in the closure of all Islamic educational institutions and mosques, and going on the pilgrimage, performing sacrifices, praying en masse and other religious observances were banned. In addition, arrests in violation of the laws and human rights, and the torture that accompanies them, as confirmed by international bodies, obliged Muslims to leave Myanmar.

The Islamic World must stand together in order to save Muslims who suffer and live in distress in Myanmar and many other places.

According to reports issued by human rights organizations, 20,000 Arakanese Muslims were martyred in 1962-1984. Hundreds of women were raped and just about all Muslims' belongings confiscated.

In January 1992 it emerged that 700 members of the Muslim minority in Myanmar had been strangled to death near the border with Bangladesh. In 1994, more than 1000 Muslims were martyred by execution without trial.

These unjust and violent practices continued after the 1990s, and in 1992 200,000 Muslims wishing to save their lives were forced to seek refuge in Bangladesh. A poor Islamic country, Bangladesh welcomed the refugees from Myanmar, but finds it difficult to help with food and accommodation.

Because means of communication are limited, the Internet is closely monitored and those journalists who manage to enter the region are prevented from collecting and transmitting information, our Muslim brothers in Myanmar find it difficult to make their voices heard. But those reports and pictures that occasionally make their way out reveal the huge scale of the oppression and injustice going on.

The Myanmar administration is following a very wrong policy in oppressing its people and Muslim citizens. Oppression and violence can never bring about peace and stability.

If the Myanmar administration wishes the country to take its place among the modern nations of the 21st century and seek to attain development, progress and regeneration, then it must first treat its own citizens with respect, affection and understanding. This is what being a great state requires.

It can obviously never achieve the status of a great state by oppressing innocent, powerless Myanmar Muslims who do no harm to anyone, and who are, on the contrary, moderate, industrious, loyal and devoted to their country and nation and by preventing them from living by their religion. There is no question of Muslims disobeying or disrespecting the state. There is no reason why the Myanmar administration should be uneasy about Muslims. Islam is a faith of peace and love. Our Myanmar Muslim brothers' piety, devotion to the Qur'an and loyalty to the Sunnah of our Prophet (pbuh) are great blessings for Myanmar.

In order for the Myanmar administration to make the best use of this blessing, it is essential for it to lift its oppression of Muslims. If the Myanmar administration desires wealth and well-being, then it can only obtain these by providing a climate in which its citizens can live as human beings, by ensuring their security, leaving them to live in liberty and guaranteeing their freedom of thought and worship.

They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor and orphans and captives. (Surah Al-Insan, 8)

It will be the Myanmar administration itself that suffers most from ignoring this manifest reality, by ignoring the international community's demands for the establishment of human rights and law and from a continuation of violence and oppression.

Our hope is that the Myanmar administration will at once put an end to these practices and permit a fine and high-quality life for all its citizens, including Muslims, Christians and Buddhists. When it does that, the Myanmar administration will then deserve a place among the modern civilized states of the 21st century.

1. 16.09.2012 YeniAkit - Muslim refugees from Arakan hide in shelters 2. 19.07.2012 Yeni Şafak - 4 million Muslims on the brink of death 3. 17.09.2012 YeniAsya - The flight from Arakan continues 4. 11.08.2012 YeniAkit - Genocide carried out upon Muslims 5. 16.08.212 Bugün - A Muslim settlement of 10,000 residents razed to the ground 6. 12.08.2012 Star - We don't exist either while living or dying in Myanmar 7. 29.07.2012 YeniAsya - Struggle for life in a refugee camp