The Tragic History and Persecution of the Rohingya: A Legacy of British Colonialism
It's a intricate web of history, analogous to the conflicts in Palestine, Kashmir, or much of Sub-Saharan Africa, where lines were drawn on maps by foreign powers, leading to centuries of turmoil and unrest. The Rohingya issue is one of the most distressing examples of such a legacy.
Origins and Early History
The Rohingya story is profoundly tragic. Some argue that they were the first to settle in Burma's western Rakhine state, which was once known as Arakan. While the early rulers were likely Hindus, the Muslim Rohingya embraced Islam in the 7th century, through their trading connections with India and Arabia. By the 11th century, Rakhine Buddhists migrated from central Burma, but the region remained largely isolated from the core of Burma for much of its history.
Under the Arakan Kingdom, both the Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine communities managed to coexist and build a cohesive society. However, the course of history drastically changed in 1784 when the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty invaded. Their fortunes worsened further with the British colonization in the 1820s, when they redrawn the map of Burma by including Rakhine.
British Colonialism and Its Consequences
The British, in a convoluted twist of events, offered the Rohingya their own territory in World War II if they fought against the Japanese. Meanwhile, other Burmese groups sided with the Japanese, hoping to gain independence but switched sides later. This created deep and irreconcilable divisions among the population, with the Rohingya often seen as traitors.
Upon Burma's independence in 1948, the British ignored their promises to the Rohingya, not even inviting them to the independence talks. The new Burmese government recognized 135 ethnic groups but overlooked the Rohingya, effectively treating them like outsiders in their own home.
The 2017 Violence and Displacement
The situation escalated dramatically in 2017 when the Burmese military targeted the Rohingya, killing around 400,000 and forcing more than 750,000 to flee to Bangladesh, with some escaping as far as Indonesia.
This is a stark reminder of the tangled legacy left by the British, where they drew borders, made promises they never kept, and sowed discord, only to walk away. It's a story we continue to grapple with today, a painful reminder of the complex and often devastating consequences of colonial rule.