No Eid for persecuted Rohingya Muslims

The Stop the Ethnic Cleansing Rohingya in Myanmar International Action Committee urged the United Nations (UN) to intervene in the situation in Myanmar through a petition handed

With the Eid around the corner, the plight of the persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Burma appears to have taken a turn for the worst, according to sources who contacted the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM).

The umbrella group's secretary general Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said Muslims were currently subjected to several restrictions, including from performing prayer at mosques in Arakan, especially in the town areas.

“Prayers are allowed at mosques in the rural areas, that too only for the Zuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon) prayers, while Friday prayer is not at all allowed," said Azmi .

According to his sources, not more than 10 Muslims are allowed to hold congregational prayer.

At the Maungdaw district, there are some 178 mosques and prayer halls while not more than 20 mosques are located in the urban areas. The south of this district has seen some of the worst attacks against Rohingya Muslims and their properties.

The dire situation and the lack of food also meant that many Muslims have been forced to skip fasting during Ramadan.

“The Rohingya's suffering during this Ramadan is critical. Clearly, there is no Eid for them," added Azmi.

MAPIM has been sending humanitarian aid to the thousands of Rohingya refugees affected by the recent spate of racist attacks against them.

The group said it had recently despatched five containers of food, and is still awaiting green light from Burmese port authorities to enter Arakan.