Kurds speak out on deadly violence against Myanmar's Muslims

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish religious ministry condemned the “brutal act” being committed against the Muslim minority of Myanmar including killings and displacement as Muslim nations across Asia voice growing concerns over the military crackdown against them.

“The act being committed against [the Muslim minority of Rohingya in Myanmar] does not match human values and that the international community should break the silence to resolve the issue of this oppressed nation,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Religious and Endowment Ministry. 

The statement added that they are “in solidarity” with Muslims of Rohingya.

Rohingya’s Muslim minority are considered illegal immigrants by the Myanmar government even though many have lived there for generations. They are also denied citizenship and have been targeted by an escalating campaign of violence by security forces and Buddhist groups since 2012.

The latest crackdown resumed after Rohingyas attacked police posts in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, killing 12 police officers.

The country’s authorities responded with the use of force, reportedly setting fire to Rohingya villages and shooting civilians, according to accounts from human rights groups.

The United Nations, which calls the country Burma, said Monday that 87,000 people had crossed the border from Rakhine into Bangladesh in the past two weeks. 

Many Kurds used social media accounts, notably Facebook, to show their solidarity for the Muslims of Rohingya by changing their account’s profile picture to signs of condemnation of the killing of Muslims by Myanmar authorities.

“Why up to the moment, is no strong reaction by countries of the world expressed? Why are they silent,” Revgin Amin, a Kurd from Duhok commented.

Another pleaded for the international community to step in.

“A message from humanity to all the countries; please help stop killing Muslims in Burma,” Ahmad Sirwan, a Kurd from Erbil commented on a Facebook post by Rudaw.

Authorities in Myanmar said that of almost 400 people killed since August 25, nearly all are insurgents. Officials on Sunday accused insurgents of burning Buddhist monasteries and statues.

Even the name of the southeast Asian nation is debated. The United Nations formally refers to the country as Myanmar, while the United Kingdom and United States use Burma. The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989.

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via Defense News