Myanmar’s military has lately been engaged in a brutal campaign against the Rohingya, a long-marginalized Muslim ethnic minority group, driving hundreds of thousands to flee to Bangladesh, India, and elsewhere.
The international community has rightly condemned the crackdown. But, in doing so, it has failed to recognize that Rohingya militants have been waging jihad in the country – a reality that makes it extremely difficult to break the cycle of terror and violence.
Rakhine State, where most of Myanmar’s Rohingya reside, is attracting jihadists from far and wide. Local militants are suspected of having ties with the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations.
Moreover, they increasingly receive aid from militant-linked organizations in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The main insurgent group – the well-oiled Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, also known as Harakah al-Yaqin – is led by a Saudi-based committee of Rohingya émigrés.
The external forces fomenting insurgent attacks in Rakhine bear considerable responsibility for the Rohingyas’ current plight.
The external forces fomenting insurgent attacks in Rakhine bear considerable responsibility for the Rohingyas’ current plight.
In fact, it is the links between Rohingya militants and such external forces, especially terrorist organizations like ISIS, that have driven the government of India, where some 40,000 Rohingya have settled illegally, to declare that their entry poses a serious security threat. Even Bangladesh acknowledges Rohingya militants’ external jihadi connections.
But the truth is that Myanmar’s jihadi scourge is decades old, a legacy of British colonialism.
After all, it was the British who, more than a century ago, moved large numbers of Rohingya from East Bengal to work on rubber and tea plantations in then-Burma, which was administered as a province of India until 1937.
In the years before India gained independence from Britain in 1947, Rohingya militants joined the campaign to establish Pakistan as the first Islamic republic of the postcolonial era.
When the British, who elevated the strategy of “divide and rule” into an art, decided to establish two separate wings of Pakistan on either side of a partitioned India, the Rohingya began attempting to drive Buddhists out of the Muslim-dominated Mayu peninsula in northern Rakhine.
They wanted the Mayu peninsula to secede and be annexed by East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971).
Failure to achieve that goal led many Rohingya to take up arms in a self-declared jihad. Local mujahedeen began to organize attacks on government troops and seize control of territory in northern Rakhine, establishing a state within a state.
Just months after Myanmar gained independence in 1948, martial law was declared in the Rakhine region; government forces only regained territorial control in the early 1950s.
But Rohingya Islamist militancy continued to thrive, with mujahedeen attacks occurring intermittently. In 2012, bloody clashes broke out between the Rohingya and the ethnic Rakhines, who feared becoming a minority in their home state.
The sectarian violence, in which rival gangs burned down villages and some 140,000 people (mostly Rohingya) were displaced, helped to transform the Rohingya militancy back into a full-blown insurgency, with rebels launching hit-and-run attacks on security forces.
Similar attacks have lately been carried out against security forces and, in some cases, non-Rohingya civilians, with the violence having escalated over the last 12 months. Indeed, it was a wave of coordinated predawn insurgent attacks on 30 police stations and an army base on August 25 that triggered the violent military offensive that is driving the Rohingya out of Rakhine.
Myanmar’s failure to construct an inclusive national identity has allowed old ethnic rivalries to continue to fuel terrorism, stifling the resource-rich country’s potential
Breaking the cycle of terror and violence that has plagued Myanmar for decades will require the country to address the deep-seated sectarian tensions that are driving Rohingya toward jihadism.
Myanmar is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse countries. Its geographic position makes it a natural bridge between South and Southeast Asia, and between China and India.
But, internally, Myanmar has failed to build bridges among its various ethnic groups and cultures.
Since independence, governments dominated by Myanmar’s Burman majority have allowed postcolonial nativism to breed conflict or civil war with many of the country’s minority groups, which have complained of a system of geographic apartheid.
The Rohingya face the most extreme marginalization. Viewed as outsiders even by other minorities, the Rohingya are not officially recognized as one of Myanmar’s 135 ethnic groups.
In 1982, the government, concerned about illegal immigration from Bangladesh, enacted a law that stripped the Rohingya of their citizenship, leaving them stateless.
Successive governments have defended this approach, arguing that past secessionist movements indicate that the Rohingya never identified as part of the country.
And, in fact, the common classification of Rohingya as stateless “Bengalis” mirrors the status of Rohingya exiles in the country of their dreams, Pakistan, where tens of thousands took refuge during the Pakistani military genocide that led to Bangladesh’s independence.
Still, the fact is that Myanmar’s failure to construct an inclusive national identity has allowed old ethnic rivalries to continue to fuel terrorism, stifling the resource-rich country’s potential.
What Myanmar needs now is an equitable, federalist system that accommodates its many ethnic minorities, who comprise roughly a third of the population, but cover half of the total land area.
To this end, it is critical that Myanmar’s military immediately halt human-rights abuses in Rakhine.
It will be impossible to ease tensions if soldiers are using disproportionate force, much less targeting civilians; indeed, such an approach is more likely to fuel than quell violent jihadism.
But as the international community pressures Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to take stronger action to protect the Rohingya, it is also vital to address the long history of Islamist extremism that has contributed to the ethnic group’s current plight.
Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, is the author of nine books, including Asian Juggernaut, Water: Asia’s New Battleground, and Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis.
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.
www.project-syndicate.org
Rohingyas are lured to militancy because they do not have any rights . They have to get at least 12 permits to catch fish and sale to market. How can you expect them to live a life that ? What is happening in Rakhain state is mostly due to global geo politics, China’s Belt n Road initiative and a divided global response. Had Bangladesh been a stronger economic and military power – this would have not happened as the marauding murderers of Myanmar army wouldn’t dared to do so. It’s no pity that Brahma Chellany failed to see an ethnic cleansing when the UN, Amnesty and HRW as well as the USA already raised their voice against the crimes against humanity by Myanmar military. Pity for you Mr. Brahma !
This may be the future of all European countries currently colonized by Muslims from Afrika and the Middle-East. Islamists have allready started terrorizing the indigenous populations with savage attacks and petty crime.
If economic circumstanses makes terrorists out of Muslims, why then do European Muslims so frequently turn into the same type of savages while living relatively prosporous off a generous wellfare state?
the writer is an Indian and currently they are baised against anything anywhere relating to Muslims ….should i say more
Difficult to live as a devout Muslim nowadays. World is so cruel!
Well thats true, really unfortunately, the Muslims are even more cruel to other Muslims as you can see in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, not to mention Iran.
Did you find any fasehoods in this article? If so which ones?
This article is exaggerated garbage and it is going to get Rohingya killed. This academic should be ashamed. This belongs in the tabloids, not in Asia Times. I’ve seen nothing to indicate IS ties. Calling the ARSA “well-oiled” is laughable — it’s an insurgency that fights with sticks. There are powerful insurgencies in Myanmar (UWSA, MNDAA, KIA, KNLA), but the Rohingya travels are a sad joke compared to them.
The question that everyone must be asking is why Muslims are killing Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Yazidis, and Muslims of other sects pretty much everywhere on earth? Hint Koran 9:5 Kill the infidels wherever you find them….
I disagree. There is a lot of garbage in the Asia Times.
These terrorists operate in Bangladesh too. Their activity is well known. They are linked with Bengalis in Rakhine State. They led vicilians to attack non-muslims. There are videos of Bengali militancy and extremism inside Burma.
Try to handle the truth.
Min Khin Kyaw Well no one is saying that Rohingyas doesn’t have some bad apples in them ! The point is – Miyanmar military needs an issue to prove they are needed at the helm of the country . The military has failed in Karen, Kachin and elsewhere. Your military has no authority in Shan state also. But Rohingyas are different – they are living in coastal flat lands, the land is fertile , enriched with minerals and Bangladesh doesn’t have any interest in Miyanmar . So the Rohingyas are weak . Miyanmar didn’t allow them to get education, basic healthcare – so they do not even know about family planning ! Now , Miyanmar is thinking that by driving a total ethnic group out of it’s home – they can plunder the wealth . This is wrong ! Because the Rohingyas will surely seek justice through legal means . If they do not get the justice then the real problem will emerge – they’ll start armed struggle . That is the main problem Bangladesh is worried – seems Miyanmar military is expecting that to happen as early as possible , as that will legitimize their murderous regime .
Rohingyas are living in Arakan ( Now renamed as Rakhain ) since 8th century, they became muslim in 14th century even though there are some hindu Rohingyas even today. Without checking the facts you make an assessment which is injustice . The terorists in Europe – be it muslims or non muslims , send them back. And soon after sending them back to their homeland – please ask your governments Not to engage is plaundering of other countries in the name of Democracy or what so ever name.
Anybody interested in digging for the facts instead of blaming everyhting squarely on muslims – please check out these links .
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/2017/10/01/india-myanmar-convenient-hindu-graves/
Just like you baised towards the extreamists
The author accused Rohingyas for their connections with international terrorist organizations. The question here is how did he know that and where is the solid evidence of it. Proof it. Can you prove how they are being financed by Saudis and Pakistanis? The other question here is why does the author claims them as terrorists? What are the proofs? Would he likes to call Tamil Tigers, ethnic armed groups in Myanmar as terrorist organizations while they are claiming themselves as freedom fighters. The other question here is how can you say every single Rohingyas Muslims in the Rakhine State want a separate state? Did you do research and what was your sample size? Most importantly, the author used the term "Jihad" and "Jihadists" in negative connotations by portraying every single Rohingya Muslims are Muslim Terrorists? Does he exactly understand the word "Jihad"? It means "Struggling for your life for justice, truth and peace, prosperity, security, etc, literally every single human beings are struggling for those concepts on the earth, so we all are Jihadists to some extent. And you yourself is a Jihadist because you are struggling your best to your readers to believe in your crappy article? Everybody deserves basic human rights, dignity and security, don’t your think so? The Rohingya issue is a major humanitarian test for all of us on the earth in this modern world. I hope everyone can pass this with full of flying colors. Of course, we should denounce any kinds of extremism from every sides. But we should never forget the root causes of it. Imagine, if you live like what Rohingyas are live and if you are treated like them, what will you do? By the way, Pakistan always accuse India as the main actor of all kinds of Terrorist activities in their country. Will you accept it? Does it mean every single Indians are terrorists?
The other point you forgot to mention about the way South Asian descendants are being treated in Burma for many years. If you are South Asian descendants or person who have darker-skin color, you will be called as "Kalar" which is a derogatory term equivalent with "Nigger", though that term is debatable in Burma, but nobody likes to be called like this in Burma because this term is only used for discrimination and segregation. And people of South Asian descendants are being known as slaves or cheap labors from India in Burma (Colonial time and post independence time), so is it fair every single people are should be regarded as slaves although you are not? Though this is quite common in Burma but it does not mean that every single people in Burma are acting like this or racists because it does not represent to everyone in the country though many people do that.
So, be educate about yourself and don’t write toxics. Spread love and peace but not fake fantasies which are completely nonsense though you can brainwash to people who share same values or knowledge like you. For me, it’s completely Racist and Bigotry!
The author should check the history and not be biased. It were Indians and Muslims fleeing Japanese-controlled Buddhist-majority territory who were attacked en masse first. The British exaggerated about it, leading to attacks on Buddhists. As it is not much known, I have added evidemce to it. (https://books.google.com/books?id=ehCWYZ13SPsC&pg=PA165) Rohingyas wanted a separate state after World War II like Pakistan. Jihad isn’t always used by Muslims to indicate a cruel war of killing non-Muslims. Any war against a non-Muslim regime or even Muslim regime like against Hausa kingdom which was ruled by the student of Muslim cleric Usman dan Fodio during Fulani Jihad, may be called as such. The real overtly Islamist movements didn’t began until 1970s.
But the attacks on Muslims have been going on since riots in 1930s as Indian emigration had prompted hatred. You can check about these riots online yourselves. Muslims of Rakhine have a history long before British rule. Going back to Bengal Sultanate which helped restore Mrauk U’s king to his throne in return many Muslims settled there. The Indians anyway seem to have settled in Burma or at least had a major impact long before that. Earliest Rakhine were located near Bengal and were Indianized, indocating Indian influence.
Sharifus Salekin Shahan Thousands of them attacked and killed the Burmese police on 25 August 2017. That was how it began. Rohingyas left because they were told to leave by Rohingya terrorists. ‘Rohingya’ is not a real ethnic. It’s designed to occupy the land of the natives.
Sharifus Salekin Shahan You’re incorrect. That history is a lie.
How many rohingya Bengalis were killed?
BBC is a fake news.
Min Khin Kyaw No one is even listening to the stories by Myanmar military regime . It’s because the scope of plundering the natural and geo strategic wealth of Arakan province China, Russia and India are keeping a blind eye to the genocide. But the pressure is mounting, the procedure to bring Su Kyi and the Military regime to justice is on – they are lowering their tail. You just can’t make a genocide and cover up with some funny stories.