The world’s deafening silence on ethnic cleansing

By Reem Yousef al-Harmi/Washington

Rohingya refugees protesting outside the British embassy in Kuala Lumpur to end violence against members of their community in Arakan state in Myanmar

Myanmar, we are told, is marching along the path of democracy. The country, with a Buddhist majority (89% of the population), was for long under a military dictatorship. But the state’s democratic journey seems to have begun with ethnic cleansing. The victims are the country’s 4% Muslim minority. The Rohingya Muslims are being massacred, apparently with the blessings of Burmese President Thein Sein. He wanted Muslims to stay in refugee camps or simply leave the country! What kind of president would ask his own people to leave their country?If we go back in history, we will find out that ethnic cleansing isn’t new to Burma; it had happened before. Muslims in Myanmar are estimated at10mn; most of them are of Chinese and Bangladeshi decent, some are of Arab origin. According to the Amnesty organisation, Muslims in Burma have been victims of  ethnic cleansing since 1978. Because of that many have immigrated to Bangladesh.It is surprising that the international community remains silent on ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. The death toll is estimated to have crossed 20,000 and the number will go up if no action comes from the international community.I wonder if that scenario was reversed, if it were the Muslims who were killing the Buddhists and ethnically cleansing them and burning down the temples, would the international community have remained silent just like now? Or would the world “unite” against “the terrorist Islamists”?I remember in 2001, when the Taliban and Mullah Omar issued an edict against the graven images of Buddha in Afghanistan and ordered them to be destroyed, a delegation consisting of Muslim clerics rushed to turn them away from this but the Muslim efforts failed. The Unesco immediately called the destruction of the ancient Buddha statues a “crime against culture” and the UN condemned it. But ironically today people are being slaughtered and no one is doing anything; apparently statues are more valuable than human lives!It’s a shame to see that the international community is doing nothing for the Muslims in Burma. Apparently the United Nations and the other international organisations wouldn’t act unless countries with both money and power do so first. When the world powers see a reason and an interest to take responsibility, the global community will react.It’s well known that the Syrian crisis is getting all the official and non-official attention, but we shouldn’t also forget that there are other cases that need some attention as well.How many genocides and ethnic cleansing cases have taken place in the recent years? There is Kosovo, the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda and Kashmir, and before that the ethnic cleansing against Kurds and Polish and many others. How much time did it take for the countries who are so-called “world powers” to act in these regions? I wonder how long should the people of Burma wait before being rescued? One thing I know for sure; it is that the future generations will never forgive the international community for their ongoing silence.l Reem.alharmi@gmail.com