Addressing the meeting, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi stressed the urgent need to find a peaceful and comprehensive solution to the issue or risk a wider conflict. He noted that “impacts of disputes and conflicts will not be confined to a certain geographic area but rather go beyond borders to threaten global security and peace”.
Echoing Qatar’s concern, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak spelt out that threat, warning that extremists may exploit the crisis and the issue could fan the flames of international militancy.
“OIC member-states are well aware that terrorist organisations such as Daesh (Islamic State) could seek to take advantage of this situation,” he said.
“This should concern the international community as a whole, as the threat of a new home for terrorist groups has the potential to cause death and destruction well beyond this region.’’
The persecution of the Rohingyas, a stateless group of people who have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are considered as illegal immigrants hailing from Bangladesh by the majority Buddhist population, has caused great concern in the Muslim world.
Since October last year Myanmar’s army has carried out “clearance operations” in the north of western Rakhine state to root out insurgents accused of raids on police border posts.
At least 66,000 Rohingyas have subsequently fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, alleging rape, murder and torture at the hands of security forces. But Myanmar denies the allegations.
Highlighting the plight of Rohingyas at the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Qatar’s HE al-Muraikhi stressed that the Rohingyas’ issue is primarily a humanitarian one. This requires a mechanism to settle it in a way that helps the Rohingyas live in dignity with their fellow citizens in a safe environment.
And in this respect, as the minister pointed out, Qatar has taken a lead role. Doha has pledged financial aid to some neighbouring countries to cover the costs of hosting Rohingya refugees as well as provided assistance inside Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine state.
In 2015, Qatar pledged $50mn to help Indonesia shelter Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The aid pledge was announced by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani when he met the visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Doha.
Additionally, Qatar Red Crescent sent volunteers to provide relief to Rohingya Muslims in the refugee camps established by the Myanmarese government.
Qatar’s humanitarian efforts in the region reflect its longstanding policy of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The sooner the international community realises the seriousness of the problem and acts decisively the better. Or else, as HE al-Muraikhi pointed out, “continued clashes and incitement to violence will create an environment of violent extremism as well as chaos which will negatively affect the peace and stability of the whole region’’.