Open letter to the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) to help lobby for the Myanmar Muslims in Malaysia

Open letter to the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia to help lobby for the Myanmar Muslims in Malaysia.

As a Minority Religious Group in Myanmar, Myanmar Muslims must try to made peace not only with the majority Bamas but with all the other Minority Ethnic Groups and Minority Religious Groups. We must not only engage with the people but with the government, military, opposition and all the democratic forces i.e. we must engage and try to work together with all the people on the both side of the political divide.

Some of the Muslims from Myanmar tried to migrate, temporarily or permanently: as refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and some with the Work Permits or Employment Passes.

But we are surprised that even in the Muslim Dominant countries like Malaysia, we are discriminated unfairly when compared to other migrants. We understand that most of the governments need to maintain a cordial diplomatic relations with Myanmar Government for the economic reasons. And also understand that they could not freely open the door to Myanmar Migrants only as there are other races and religious groups who would jump the bandwagon to migrate into your country.

But when they could welcome other Muslim Migrants like: Acehnese, Indonesians, Southern Thais, Southern Pilipinos, Bosnians etc but I am sad to see that they have the heart to neglect the Muslims from Myanmar.

I still remember the Former Deputy Home Minister late Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayoub’s statement in the Malaysian newspapers, about 25 yrs ago, that Rohingyas were not recognized as refugees, must be arrested as the illegal immigrants, must be subject to work in the prisons to earn for their deportation fees. And one Former PM went to Thailand and spoke in the Bangkok Post’s interview to push back the Rohingya boat people into the deep Indian Sea and not to allow them to land on ASEAN shores.

So please kindly lobby with the Malaysian Government, ASEAN and OIC to kindly change their hostile attitude on the Muslim Migrants from Myanmar.

Dr. U Ko Ko Gyi

Malaysia

Source here