Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim Event at 2013 ISNA Convention in Washington, DC

RB News

September 11, 2013

Washington, D.C. 2013 Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) was held in Washington DC on August 30- September 1, 2013. A special session of Rohingya issues in Myanmar and two booths on Rohingya human rights were among many sessions and exhibitions. The special interactive session titled “Natural Disaster! Poverty! War! Responding to Crises Abroad” presided by Ms. Afeefa Syeed with the panel members, Prof. Dr. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin of ARU & BRANA, and Vice-President Dr. Anwar Khan of Islamic Relief-USA. The first booth was displayed by Dr. Nora Rowley and Ms. Jennifer Quigley of U.S. Campaign for Burma in Washington, and the second booth was displayed by Burma Task Force-USA. 

The booths conveyed volume of information on violence and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims. The topics of the interactive session included natural and man-made disasters, including, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and mass murder in many parts of the world. Dr. Amanay covered numerous crises facing Muslim population in many parts of the world, and Dr. Wakar Uddin addressed issues facing Rohingya ethnic minority and Myanmar Muslims in Central Myanmar, while Dr. Anwar Khan addressed the timely and urgent needs for getting relief supplies to the displaced persons, refugees, war victims, and others. The panel also discussed the importance of the participation of international communities in reaching out to the victims of natural and man-made disasters. Dr. Wakar Uddin detailed the immense suffering of internally displaced Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim population (IDPs) in Myanmar as well as refugee communities in Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Dr. Uddin called on Myanmar Government to give the international relief organizations unfettered access to Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim IDP camps because of the dire situation in IDP camps. “There are also numerous Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim villages that are seriously in need of food, medicines, clean water, and other supplies for subsistence” he added. He urged the international media establishments to make their best efforts in coverage of many serious issues faced by the victims of violence and ethnic cleansing in Arakan and Central Burma. “You are the key – you are the only sources that can effectively deliver the message of true horror and despair faced by Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim victims to the world community” Dr. Uddin concluded.