Iran urges practical moves to end Rohingya Muslims crisis

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged Muslim countries to take practical measures to end the inhuman crackdown on the persecuted Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine State.

News ID: 432177

Date: 04 September 2017 - 23:08

RNA - Zarif made the call in separate phone conversation on Monday with his Turkish, Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts Mevlut Cavusoglu, Anifah Aman and Retno Marsudi, respectively.

The Iranian top diplomat expressed the Islamic Republic’s deep concern about the sad situation of Rohingya Muslims, saying that Iran was prepared to help adoption of collective strategies by international organizations and Muslim countries in order to solve the ongoing crisis plaguing Myanmar’s Muslim community.

Myanmar’s military intensified attacks on Rohingya Muslims on August 25, after dozens of police and border outposts in the western state of Rakhine came under attack by an armed group, which is said to be defending the rights of the Rohingya.

The Muslim community had already been under a military siege in Rakhine since October 2016. The government used a militant attack on border guards back then as the pretext to enforce the lockdown. The Rohingya had already been subject to communal violence by extremist Buddhists for years.

Myanmar’s military is accused of committing atrocities and crimes against Rohingya people, who are considered by the UN as the “most persecuted minority group in the world.”

According to a United Nations report published on Monday, a total of 87,000 mostly Rohingya Muslims—including women and children, many with bullet wounds— have arrived in Bangladesh since last month.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Zarif criticized the global community for remaining silent on the persisting violence against the Rohingya Muslims, calling for "crucial" action to end the acts of aggression against the minority group.

“Global silence on continuing violence against #Rohingya Muslims. Int’l action crucial to prevent further ethnic cleansing—UN must rally,” Zarif said.

Iran has called on the government in Myanmar to halt the continued violations of the rights of Rohingya Muslims and end the present violent situation in the country.

847/940