Dhaka, Christian and Muslim leaders speak out against Rohingya genocide

Bangladesh has decided to reject about 400 refugees at the border. They were running away from the new wave of repression in Myanmar. Islamic leaders denounce the ethnic cleansing. Bishop of Rajshahi: The government needs to safeguard all minorities.

 

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of Christians and Muslims took to the streets in Dhaka demonstrating against the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Yesterday, protesters gathered in front of the National Press Club, and criticized the decision of the Bangladesh government to tighten border controls and to refuse hospitality to persecuted Muslims fleeing Myanmar, victims of a genocide.

Protesters are complaining about the silence on the part of the major international institutions - in particular the United Nations - on the new wave of repression that hit the Muslim minority. The Rohingyas (just over a million people) are from Bangladesh and Myanmar does not recognize their citizenship. The members of this ethnic group live in refugee camps in several parts of the country and recently the European Parliament has sided in their defense,  speaking  of "systematic repression."

Secretary General of the Islamic group Khalaphot Muslish, Ahymed Abdul Kader, says: "The Burmese government are horrifically oppressing our Muslim brothers and sisters. It is a genocide and ethnic repression. They are innocent. The UN and the whole world should protest against the killing of Rohingya ".

The Muslim leader also criticizes the choice of Dhaka to reject the refugees who flock to the border. In recent days, the Border and the coastal Guard blocked at least 400 people. Minister of the Interior, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, said that agents were instructed to prevent any illegal immigration, because the "migration of Rohingyas is an unpleasant issue for Bangladesh".

Kader makes an appeal: "I humbly ask the government to accept refugees, and save their lives. All people are entitled to live safely, we cannot accept these killings. " The Islamic leader also denounced the oppression of Santal Christians and attempts  to confiscate their lands.

Msgr. Gervas Rozario, president of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, believes that the Myanmar police are "persecuting Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism. But the government is responsible for a crime against humanity. " The Bishop of Rajshahi condemns "the persecution. They have no right to kill and expel the Rohingya ". At the same time, the government of Bangladesh "should ensure the security of minorities. All people, including those of different faith, have the right to live together in this country in a peaceful manner. "

• Bangladesh Myanmar Rohingya minority persecution genocide demonstration Christians Muslims