Iran FM slams global indifference toward Rohingya sufferings

Iran has criticized the international community for turning a blind eye to the plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, urging the Muslim world to unite in support of the persecuted minority.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comments at a special meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Thursday.

Zarif further condemned the global media blackout on the sufferings of Rohingya Muslims, saying “Unfortunately, horrific images of drowned Muslim children on seashores have made no headlines in media worldwide.”

The top Iranian diplomat also censured the international community’s indifference to the plight of the Rohingya and called on the United Nations to focus on the crisis gripping the Muslim community.

Rohingya Muslims have been deprived of their inalienable right to citizenship while facing systematic discrimination, violence and hatred, Zarif added.

He further urged the OIC member states to pressure Myanmar’s government to respect the Rohingya rights, calling for the urgent dispatch of humanitarian aid to the Muslims inside Myanmar and those forced to take refuge in neighboring states.

Rohingya Muslims ‘dying appalling deaths’

Speaking at the opening of the event, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak urged Myanmar to end its crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.

“Many have suffered appalling deaths, and those that have lived through the atrocities have witnessed or endured unspeakable cruelty,” he said.

 

Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya was a “stain” on the 10-member the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), he added.

He further said, “OIC member states are well aware that terrorist organizations such as Daesh could seek to take advantage of this situation.”

The Rohingya community in Myanmar is one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Tens of thousands of its members have languished in displacement camps since the outbreak of communal violence fueled by Buddhist extremists in 2012.

Myanmar’s government denies full citizenship to the community and imposes severe restrictions on their movement, branding them illegal immigrants.

Since last October, Myanmar’s army has carried out operations in the country’s western Rakhine state, home to about 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims, following an attack by unidentified gunmen allegedly left nine police officers dead.

In recent months, there have been numerous reports of arbitrary killing, rape and other atrocities against Muslims at the hands of troops. At least 66,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the face of the crackdown.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

Int’l lawyer: US plans to sanction countries cooperating with ICC on Netanyahu arrest

An international law expert and analyst has revealed the U.S. plans to impose punitive measures…

2 hours ago

Minister of science: 25% of Iranian university professors emigrated due to economic challenges

Iran’s Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Hossein Simayee Saraf, addressed on Thursday academic migration…

2 hours ago

IRGC commander: ICC ruling against Netanyahu signifies political demise of Israel

The Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, says that…

2 hours ago

IRGC: US Iran’s main enemy, Israel can’t survive without its support

The spokesperson and deputy head of public relations for the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)…

4 hours ago

Iran says increased number of its centrifuges in response to the IAEA resolution

The Atomic Energy Organization and the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that, in response to the…

4 hours ago

Iranian, Belarusian tourism ministers meet on facilitating tourist movement

Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, met on Thursday…

7 hours ago