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OIC Condemns Attacks On Muslims In Myanmar
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - As more accurate information is emerging from Myanmar over recent attacks on Muslims there, the Organization Of Islamic Conference (OIC) earlier this week joined the chorus of those condemning the attacks.
The OIC released a press statement saying, "The extremist Buddhists have burned houses, killed women and children and destroyed eight historical mosques in Tongo region, and 26 mosques in Mindanao region."
It strongly condemned the "inhuman and aggressive" attacks by "extremist" Buddhists upon Muslims in the Union of Myanmar (formerly Burma).
The OIC called on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene and force the Myanmar government to halt attacks on Muslims, and quit destroying mosques and Islamic historical places.
It urged the international community to secure the safety of Muslims in the Union of Myanmar and enable them to exercise their political and social rights as accorded to other citizens, and safeguard their Islamic identity.
Muslims number close to seven million in Myanmar. The majority are Indian Muslims who settled in Burma when the country was under British rule, moving to Burma during the 19th century.
Some of the ethnic Indian Muslims migrated into Karen State. The descendents of Indian Muslim immigrants identify themselves as "Pwakanyaw Thu" or "Black Karen".
They no longer maintain active links with India. Relations between Muslim, Christian and Buddhist Karens are generally peaceful.
A Muslim group with an older history in Burma is the Rohingya of Arakan State. Arakan was an established kingdom even before modern Burmans (the majority ethnic group of Myanmar) moved from Tibet to occupy Burma in the 9th century.
Arab Muslim traders converted the people of Arakan (then called Rohang) to Islam. The succeeding centuries saw an influx of Muslim immigrants from West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia. Arabs, Persians, Indians and Turks intermarried with native Arakanese.
The distinct ethnic character of the people is evident in their language, Rohingya, which is a mixture of Bengali, Persian, Arabic, and Arakanese. The Rohingya (also known as Rohai) also live on the other side of the Burma-Bangladesh border.
Persecution of Burmese Muslims by Buddhists is ongoing today. The history of human rights violations against Muslims in Burma dates back to 1784, when Burman Buddhists invaded Arakan.
Muslims, as well as other religious minorities in Myanmar, are suspected of being subjected to organized mass rapes, slavery and other abuses.
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