With the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar (Burma) under conditions of intense distress occasioned by the brutal military crackdown in the country, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in South and South-East Asia. The UN agencies estimate that close to half a million Rohingyas have become refugees in the last three weeks alone, with the pass over of the people fleeing violence in Myanmar to Bangladesh and India, and also seeking to reach to Malaysia and Indonesia through the sea. The crisis is a direct consequence of the disproportionate and wanton use of force by the military in the so-called "counter-terror operations" in the Rakhine State where the majority of the Muslim people live and face acute discrimination over the decades. 
In a special discourse/Message issued on 12 September 2017 against the backdrop of the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya Muslims, Imam Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius reminds us of certain important considerations at the heart of the humanitarian problem engulfing the international community. Anyone who is interested in world peace and believe in our common humanity and shared future in a multi-cultural world (of different nations and diverse religions in co-existence) can only applaud the spirit of the Message of Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba).
As Hadhrat Saheb (atba) notes, the humanitarian crisis is happening against a backdrop of "Islamophobia" (fear of Islam and the Muslims) in the contemporary world. The international backlash against the horrendous 9/11 terror attacks in the United States- executed by people avenging the US onslaught on the Muslim world- has created political conditions in different nations that de-legitimize the liberation struggles of oppressed peoples. Hence, post 9/11, robust political struggles are under intense pressure from the politics of framing and media- creation of negative perception: most political struggles taking the garb of "Jihad" in the cultural language of the Muslims, have been negatively branded and media-framed as "terror" operations. Mindless violence targeting innocent civilians also contribute to the stereotyping of Muslim resistance groups as cults of violence and mayhem, providing the perfect excuse for the governments to suppress legitimate political struggles in the pretext of 'national security' and "war on terror".
The failure of religious and political leaderships in guiding the people to the right course of action is apparent in all the 'fires' that are simmering around the world. Just as the Muslim Ulema have abandoned the Qur'an and distorted the Islamic teachings in our times; the Buddhist clergy and political leaders in Myanmar are also guilty of destroying the fair legacy of the Buddha and his teachings on peace and human relations. There is an urgent need for the priests and chiefs (of the different religions and their nations) to return to the foundational values of their respective cultures: protection of the innocent and helping the indigent is a religious and political duty- an obligation of our common humanity.
Directly addressing the Myanmar leadership responsible for the 'ethnic cleansing'/genocidal crimes against the Rohingya people, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) delivers a note of caution and warning: Governments and leaders who preside over the egregious violation of fundamental human rights and oppress the poor in God's earth shall be condemned and pursued by the long arm of Divine Justice.
Directly addressing the Myanmar leadership responsible for the 'ethnic cleansing'/genocidal crimes against the Rohingya people, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) delivers a note of caution and warning: Governments and leaders who preside over the egregious violation of fundamental human rights and oppress the poor in God's earth shall be condemned and pursued by the long arm of Divine Justice.
Read the Text of the Speech Below: