ARU-DG SPEAKS AT THE IILO CONFERENCE ON OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN MYANMAR

A conference on oppressed people of Myanmar was convened by the International Islamic Lawyers Organization (IILO) was held in Istanbul, Turkey, October 2-4, 2012. Over one hundred lawyers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Qatar, Bahrain, United States of America, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, and several other countries participated in the conference. Additionally representatives from Rohingya community including Director General of ARU Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, ARU Council Member from Turkey Mr. Eyup Han, Rohingya Jalia leaders from Saudi Arabia Mr. Mohammed Ayub, Mr. Abdullah Maruf, and others, RSO leader Dr. Mohammed Yunus, ARNO leader Mr. Nurul Islam, and other Rohingya representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Malaysia, also attended the conference.

On behalf of Rohingya community worldwide, Dr. Wakar Uddin addressed the audience with details of the current situation on the ground in Arakan, role of ARU in OIC’s engagement with Myanmar Government, and the importance of concerted efforts by the international community to help advance the Rohingya cause. Dr. Uddin provided some compelling evidences of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Rohingya, and the ongoing atrocities against Rohingya committed by the Burmese/Rakhine police force and the Rakhine mobs. He also cautioned that those examples are just tips of the iceberg, and the depth of width of the crisis in Arakan is much more profound than the evidences presented in the conference. Dr. Uddin has appealed the IILO, the Muslim Umma, and the international community to help the Rohingya people bring the perpetrators to justice at the International Criminal Court and other entities for the crimes they committed against humanity in Arakan. There were several new developments at the conference, and the details will be available at due course of time.