The Rohingya are one of the most vulnerable groups of people in the world today. Having experienced organised discrimination, conflict and exclusion, the Rohingya have spent years with no choice but to flee their homes, hoping to find a safe place to stay.

The first step towards change - and a brighter future - is education, which is why we have put together a concise guide to help highlight what this community has experienced and what they are currently going through.

The Rohingya

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority group originating from Myanmar. Many Rohingya reside in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State, although more and more are being forced to flee to refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh.

Whilst Myanmar has always been a culturally diverse country, it’s this diversity that has led to struggles for the Rohingya. Much of Myanmar’s population refuse to recognise the Rohingya as a distinct ethnic group; instead, they are referred to as Bengali, even though the Rohingya themselves claim to have ancestral roots in the area dating back to the 7th-Century.

This lack of acknowledgement has cultivated a sense of distrust and a lack of identity or belonging for the Rohingya, ultimately leading to the conflict and displacement of recent years.

The Rohingya Situation: Past and Present

The formal lack of recognition for the Rohingya population can be traced back to 1982, where the Citizenship Law was passed but did not include the Rohingya on the list of recognised nationalities and ethnic groups. This has culminated in the majority of the Rohingya being officially stateless – meaning that they officially belong to no nation at all. This lack of nationality has serious effects on the legal rights of the Rohingya, both in Myanmar and in other nations across the globe, preventing the community from being able to restart their lives effectively, even if they leave their communities in Rakhine State.

This continual discrimination against the Rohingya has led to frequent outbreaks of violence. Communities have been destroyed, families torn apart, and entire villages burnt to the ground. Many Rohingya have had no choice but to flee to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.

These refugees often have no possessions save for the clothes on their backs and many arrive in new countries with little hope for a better future. It’s estimated that the current number of Rohingya refugees has exceeded one million people, most of whom are women and children, all living in overcrowded camps without adequate food, water or shelter.

With the UN saying that the Rohingya crisis is the “world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis,” it’s imperative that something is done to help these refugees - and soon.

What Will Happen if Nothing Happens?

If left unaddressed, the Rohingya refugee crisis could spiral even further out of control. With hundreds of thousands of people living in close proximity without proper hygiene facilities, food or water, the risk of diseases like cholera is exceptionally high - and a large outbreak could decimate the already-vulnerable Rohingya population.

But with your help, we can make a difference.

What You Can Do

Here at Islamic Help, we strive to offer as much support to the Rohingya as possible. We deliver food, clean water, shelter, accommodation and medicine to the most vulnerable people, as well as providing hygiene and sanitation systems to help reduce the risk of disease. Most of these refugees are innocent civilians who have fled their homes fearing their lives – the least they deserve are basic necessities.

You can make a difference by making a Rohingya donation with Islamic Help today. Whether you want to fund a family food pack or provide temporary accommodation in the refugee camps, every penny counts when you’re trying to save lives.

Make a contribution to Islamic Help’s Rohingya appeal today and help to turn around the lives of these innocent people.