Hundreds protest Muslim genocide in Myanmar

HERAT CITY/MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Hundreds of Afghans on Wednesday protested in two provinces of the country against what they called ‘genocide’ and ‘extermination’ of Muslims in Myanmar.

The protestors also hit out at the silence of Muslim countries and international human rights organisations on the mass killings of the innocent people of Rakhine state.

Provincial council members, religious scholars, civil society activists and ordinary people took part in a protest gathering in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of northern Balkh province. The gathering began in the morning and lasted until noon.

Balkh Ulema all Muslims were brothers and shared each other’s grief.

He expressed support to the Muslims, asking the United Nations (UN) and the international community to prevent the ongoing oppression of their Burmese brothers.

Another provincial council member, Sakhi Lala, slammmed the Muslims for being tight-lipped on the problem. In a choked voice, he urged the Muslims to learn from the Burma incident and stand united to resolve their issues themselves.

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Herat City, carrying banners inscribed with slogans such as ‘Stop killing Myanmar Muslims!’

Mohammad Farman Shakiba, one of the protestors, said: “We are raising our voice for justice and to shame the Islamic countries and the international community into doing something about the massacre.”

Ghulam Farooq, a religious cleric, said the silence of Islamic countries was questionable.

The violence and the exodus began after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police and paramilitary posts in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution.

In response, the military unleashed what it called “clearance operations” to root out the insurgents.

Myanmar has a long history of communal violence, which was allowed to simmer and was at times exploited under military rule, with the government doing nothing to head off the violence.

The violence against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority has forced tens of thousands to flee and has left nearly 400 people dead in clashes.

Some 73,000 people have crossed the border since violence erupted on August 25 in Myanmar's Rakhine state, said UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Vivian Tan.

sns/mud