ARU Director General, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, addresses the audience in the launching inauguration of Global Rohingya Center

The Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU), Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, addressed the audience in the inauguration ceremony of launching of the Global Rohingya Center at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dignitaries from the diplomatic communities, OIC officials, Saudi Government officials, and prominent individuals from Saudi Arabia and international community, and a number of ARU members attended the inauguration event. 

The GRC was launched under the patronage of OIC Secretary General, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, who expressed deep concern at the spreading violence against Muslims in Myanmar at the hands of extremist Buddhists. The Center was formed to advance the cause of Rohingya people to reclaim their political and human rights and to find solution for improvement of their lives where they reside. 

The formation of GRC was initiated with Media, Legal, and Humanitarian Departments in Istanbul, Turkey, in October of 2012, after a MoU was signed by Rohingya leaders from ARU and Saudi Arabia, OIC Muslim Minority and Community Department, and the International Islamic Lawyers Organization. The GRC will be operated under the supervision of the Director General of ARU, Dr. Wakar Uddin. 

The Media Department will provide crucial knowledge and information delivery with regards to situation on the ground in Arakan state and some other parts of Burma. The legal and Humanitarian Departments will also follow the same suit with their respective activities related to legal matters and humanitarian aid for Rohingya and Muslim victims in Burma. The Center will assist international organizations in developing plans to deliver assistance to alleviate the horrendous situation that the Rohingya people are facing. OIC Secretary General said, in his speech, the violence in Arakan state since last June did not truly stop, and now it has spread to other cities, particularly the city of Meikhtila in Mandalay region. Hundreds of Muslims have been killed and their homes and properties along with several mosques and a number of schools were destroyed. Hundreds of families have been forced to flee the ethnic violence. “Such violence cannot continue. It is unacceptable and provides a clear indication of the negative approach the Myanmar government is adopting in addressing the ethnic tensions,” he said in his speech. The Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, also echoed a similar concern in his speech at the inauguration. “This community (the Rohingya) is facing a dire humanitarian crisis. It suffers from denial of basic human rights and dignity,” said Ihsanoglu. From ARU, Dr. Wakar Uddin said he was very enthusiastic about the formation of GRC and the opportunity of having the Media, Legal, and Humanitarian Departments as major resources of Arakan Rohingya Union that is truly a major breakthrough in international arena.