Rohingya Crisis: Religious Persecution or Ethnic Cleansing

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation explores the multifaceted dimensions of the crisis, aiming to find out whether the atrocities committed against the predominately Muslims ethnic minority Rohingya community in Myanmar (former Burma) constitute religious persecution or ethnic cleansing. The issue of Rohingya crisis emerged as a major humanitarian disaster to international prominence since 25 August 2017, when organized violence forced over 723,000 Rohingya to cross the border to save their lives and seek shelter in Bangladesh. While other research has examined the different social-economic, psychological, health, food security, humanitarian crisis, repatriation, and other aspects of the Rohingya crisis, this study aims to give a holistic analysis of whether it has been religious persecution or ethnic cleansing. The secondary aim consists of identifying the root causes behind this ethnoreligious conflict and reflecting on whether this crisis represents religious persecution and if it can be referred to as ethnic cleansing. Particular attention is paid to exploring why the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) has used a 'total exclusionary' strategy and considering how religious identity is intertwined with sectarian violence. The central research questions of the study are: (a) How does the issue of religious persecution or ethnic cleansing lead to the Rohingya crisis? (b) Why do Myanmar's military governments consider the Rohingya illegal immigrants, rendering them stateless through total exclusionary theory? However, the associated sub-questions were ((a) What led to the ethnic and religious tensions between the Rohingya in Myanmar? (b) What are the historical and socio-political factors involved? (c) What policies are applied for social segregation of the Rohingya people? (d) What military and government operations in Myanmar exemplify its VIII policy on the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing? (e) What strategies and motivations did the Myanmar military use in their total exclusion policy? It is important to address these questions because there is a little research available regarding the ethnoreligious dimension of the Rohingya crisis. Lessons from this research can provide guidance for global solutions in addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis to ensure that these types of atrocities should not occur again against any other ethnic communities. It can also assist national, international and regional policy-level institutions such as the governments of Bangladesh, Myanmar and India including, ASEAN, EU, SAARC and OIC in advocating the restoration of their citizenship rights, ensuring a safe return to Myanmar, and accountability from those responsible for human rights abuses. Accordingly, this thesis presents the findings based on 65 in depth interviews from Rohingyas using semi-structured open-ended questioner across three selected camps intend to cover old and new refugee in Cox's Bazar as primary data. Additional data was obtained from 14 experts, mostly scholars including university professors, researchers, and INGO professionals. Secondary sources of information were also incorporated to analyze existing literature and documents. The significant findings of this study show that the gradual change in demography, imbalanced land settlement, and above all, monopolization of opportunity to the new immigrants gave rise to antagonism between local Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims when the Colonial British authority adopted migration policy in northern Rakhine after the first Anglo-Burmese War in 1825. The overwhelming socio-economic discrimination, also religious and cultural differences fueled this crisis historically. The IX British divide-and-rule policies further deteriorated these issues by creating ethnic and religious divisions. Violence has also been pushed by religious ideologies and political ambitions, further deepening the crisis. This study found that the intention of establishing an Islamic state in northern Arakan jolted an ethnoreligious mistrust and conflict between the two communities in pre-independent Burma. Accordingly, with the advent of the Burma nation-state and Burman radical nationalism, the discriminatory laws and policies against the Rohingya Muslims unveiled the face of religious persecution that turned into a deliberate act of utmost ethnic cleansing. Moreover, these findings underline the multifaceted nature of this conflict, with a certain combination of historical resentment, economic motives, religious and political manipulation contributing collectively to the long-term instability. The thesis concludes that religious persecution is a part of the Rohingya crisis and, that confirms the ethnic cleansing of this community. Therefore, this study declares the argument that the Rohingya have been persecuted due to their religious beliefs and practices as Muslims including their ethnicity i.e. as non-Burman. The state policy and armed forces supported offenses anti-Rohingya resentment are ethnically and religiously driven. Moreover, this crisis demonstrates the pressing necessity for international action, legal reforms in Myanmar, and processes to ensure justice and protection of the Rohingya community.