Kemdikbud International
Home Public Figure Leading Figures: Top 10 Renowned Rohingyas Personalities

Leading Figures: Top 10 Renowned Rohingyas Personalities

Rohingyas are an ethnic minority group living mainly in Myanmar. Despite their long history in the region, they face various challenges and persecutions. However, there are several notable Rohingyas who have gained fame and recognition in their respective fields. Here are 10 popular celebrities and notable people from the Rohingya ethnicity:

  • Aung San Suu Kyi: A Nobel laureate and the first State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi is perhaps the most well-known Rohingya figure. Despite controversy surrounding her stance on the Rohingya crisis, she remains a significant figure in the country’s politics.
  • Sharifah Zohra Jabeen: A Rohingya poet and activist, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen’s work highlights the struggles and aspirations of the Rohingya people, shedding light on their plight at both national and international forums.
  • Firoza Begum: A renowned Bangladeshi singer, Firoza Begum’s melodious voice and talent earned her immense popularity throughout South Asia. She was born in what is now Myanmar and later migrated to Bangladesh.
  • Hassan al-Banna: The founder of the Rohingya Solidarity Organization, Hassan al-Banna, was a prominent Rohingya leader who fought for the rights of his people. He played a crucial role in organizing and advocating for the Rohingya cause.
  • Abdul Razzaq: Known as the “Burmese White House chef,” Abdul Razzaq gained fame for his culinary skills. He served delectable meals to former President Barack Obama during his visit to Myanmar, showcasing Rohingya cuisine to the world.
  • Tun Khin: A human rights activist, Tun Khin is the President of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK. He has been actively involved in raising awareness about the Rohingya crisis and advocating for justice and human rights for his people.
  • Shahedul Alam: An award-winning Bangladeshi photojournalist, Shahedul Alam documented the Rohingya refugee crisis extensively. His powerful images have brought global attention to the suffering endured by the Rohingya community.
  • Mohamed Noor: A former professional footballer, Mohamed Noor played for the Myanmar national team. He was the first Rohingya to have represented Myanmar in international football, making significant contributions to the sport.
  • Tasnim Alam: An activist and writer, Tasnim Alam uses her platform to shed light on the Rohingya crisis and advocate for human rights. She has written extensively about her experiences and has been recognized for her contributions.
  • Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF): RYDF is a youth-led organization working to empower and support young Rohingyas. Their efforts include promoting education and advocating for the rights of Rohingya youth.

These prominent individuals have played crucial roles in various fields, from politics and activism to music and sports. Through their contributions, they have brought attention to the Rohingya ethnicity and their ongoing struggle for recognition and human rights.

The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan), characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities, a military crackdown on Rohingya civilians by Myanmar's security forces, and militant attacks by Rohingya insurgents in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships, which border Bangladesh.The conflict arises chiefly from the religious and social differentiation between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. During World War II in Burma (present-day Myanmar), Rohingya Muslims, who were allied with the British and promised a Muslim state in return, fought against local Rakhine Buddhists, who were allied with the Japanese. Following independence in 1948, the newly formed union government of the predominantly Buddhist country denied citizenship to the Rohingyas, subjecting them to extensive systematic discrimination in the country. This has widely been compared to apartheid by many international academics, analysts, and political figures, including Desmond Tutu, a famous South African anti-apartheid activist.Following the independence of Myanmar, Rohingya mujahideen fought government forces in an attempt to have the mostly Rohingya populated region around the Mayu peninsula in northern Arakan (present-day Rahkine State) gain autonomy or secede, so it could be annexed by Pakistan's East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh). By the end of the 1950s, the mujahideen had lost most of its momentum and support, and by 1961 most of their fighters had surrendered to government forces.In the 1970s, Rohingya separatist movements emerged from remnants of the mujahideen, and the fighting culminated with the Burmese government launching a massive military operation named Operation Dragon King in 1978 to expel so-called "foreigners". In the 1990s, the well-armed Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) was the main perpetrator of attacks on Burmese authorities near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. The Burmese government responded militarily with Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation, but failed to disarm the RSO.In October 2016, Burmese border posts along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border were attacked by a new insurgent group, Harakah al-Yaqin, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 combatants. It was the first major resurgence of the conflict since 2001. Violence erupted again in November 2016, bringing the 2016 death toll to 134, and again on 25 August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (formerly Harakah al-Yaqin) launched coordinated attacks on 24 police posts and an army base that left 71 dead.A subsequent military crackdown by Myanmar prompted the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to investigate the matter and release a report on 11 October 2017 detailing the Burmese military's "systematic process" of driving hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar "through repeated acts of humiliation and violence".

Most Famous Rohingyas People

Rohingyas’s Three Pinnacle Historical Inheritances

The Rohingya community is an ethnic group primarily residing in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. They are a Muslim minority with a distinctive culture and heritage that has been shaped by their historical interactions with several civilizations in the region. Here are three of the most well-known historical inheritances associated with the Rohingyas:

  • Arab and Persian Influences: The Rohingyas trace their origins back to Arab and Persian traders who migrated to the region several centuries ago. This has resulted in the community adopting cultural practices and traditions influenced by these Middle Eastern civilizations. The Rohingya language, for example, has borrowed numerous words from Arabic and Persian, giving it a unique linguistic identity.
  • Buddhist and Hindu Connections: Over the centuries, the Rakhine region of Myanmar has seen both Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms flourish. The Rohingyas have thus been exposed to the religious and cultural practices of these civilizations, leading to a fusion of beliefs and customs. While the majority of Rohingyas are Muslims, they still maintain certain traditions and rituals that have their roots in Buddhism and Hinduism.
  • Bengali Cultural Influence: The eastern region of Bengal, now part of modern-day Bangladesh, has long had close ties with Rakhine. The Rohingyas, with their proximity to the Bengal region, have been influenced by the Bengali language, cuisine, and arts. This cultural exchange has enriched the Rohingyas’ cultural heritage, adding a distinct Bengali flavor to their identity.

The diverse historical influences on the Rohingyas have contributed to the rich tapestry of their identity. However, it is important to note that the community has faced significant challenges, including persecution and displacement in recent years. Despite these hardships, the Rohingyas continue to preserve their cultural heritage and strive for recognition and equal rights.

Factsheet About Rohingyas People

Fact Information
Ethnicity Rohingya
Region Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma)
Population Approximately 1.1 million
Religion Primarily Islam
Language Rohingya language (a form of Indo-Aryan)
Distribution Significant population in Rakhine State, with smaller communities in neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Thailand
Refugee Crisis Large-scale displacement due to ongoing conflicts and persecution, resulting in a significant number of Rohingya refugees seeking safety in neighboring countries
The Rohingya people (; Rohingya: ?????????, IPA: [rʊˈɜi̯ɲ.ɟə]) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Rohingya lived in Myanmar. Described by journalists and news outlets as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, the Rohingya are denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law. There are also restrictions on their freedom of movement, access to state education and civil service jobs. The legal conditions faced by the Rohingya in Myanmar have been compared to apartheid by some academics, analysts and political figures, including Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, a South African anti-apartheid activist. The most recent mass displacement of Rohingya in 2017 led the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against humanity, and the International Court of Justice to investigate genocide.The Rohingya maintain they are indigenous to western Myanmar with a heritage of over a millennium and influence from the Arabs, Mughals, and Portuguese. The community claims it is descended from people in precolonial Arakan and colonial Arakan; historically, the region was an independent kingdom between Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The Myanmar government considers the Rohingya as British colonial and postcolonial migrants from Chittagong in Bangladesh. It argues that a distinct precolonial Muslim population is recognized as Kaman, and that the Rohingya conflate their history with the history of Arakan Muslims in general to advance a separatist agenda. In addition, Myanmar's government does not recognise the term "Rohingya" and prefers to refer to the community as "Bengali". Rohingya campaign groups and human rights organizations demand the right to "self-determination within Myanmar".Various armed insurrections by the Rohingya have taken place since the 1940s and the population as a whole has faced military crackdowns in 1978, 1991–1992, 2012, 2015, and particularly in 2016–2018, when most of the Rohingya population of Myanmar was driven out of the country, into neighbouring Bangladesh. By December 2017, an estimated 625,000 refugees from Rakhine, Myanmar, had crossed the border into Bangladesh since August 2017. UN officials and Human Rights Watch have described Myanmar's persecution of the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing. The UN human rights envoy to Myanmar reported "the long history of discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya community... could amount to crimes against humanity", and there have been warnings of an unfolding genocide. Probes by the UN have found evidence of increasing incitement of hatred and religious intolerance by "ultra-nationalist Buddhists" against Rohingyas while the Myanmar security forces have been conducting "summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and ill-treatment, and forced labour" against the community.Before the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis and the military crackdown in 2016 and 2017, the Rohingya population in Myanmar was close to 1.4 million, chiefly in the northern Rakhine townships, which were 80–98% Rohingya. Since 2015, over 900,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to south-eastern Bangladesh alone, and more to other surrounding countries, and major Muslim nations. More than 100,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar are confined in camps for internally displaced persons. Shortly before a Rohingya rebel attack that killed 12 security forces on 25 August 2017, the Myanmar military launched "clearance operations" against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state that, according to NGOs, the Bangladeshi government and international news media, left many dead, and many more injured, tortured or raped, with villages burned. The government of Myanmar has denied the allegations.

The Ancient Heritage of Rohingyas Ethnic Groups

References to the Rohingyas Ethnic Group

Understanding the background, history, and current situation of the Rohingya ethnic group can be crucial in gaining insights into their struggles and the challenges they face. Here are some references and resources that can help you dig deeper:

These references and resources offer valuable insights and different perspectives on the plight of the Rohingya ethnic group. Exploring them can help in gaining a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding the Rohingya crisis, the challenges faced by the Rohingya people, and potential paths towards a sustainable resolution.

Explore other famous people with Bruneian, Indo-Fijians and Ndendeule roots, showcasing the diversity of ethnic backgrounds. Delving into the lives of notable figures from various ethnic backgrounds associated with these Rohingyas roots reveals the intricate web of connections between global cultures and their significant contributions to the world.

As we continue to celebrate diversity and embrace the richness of different cultures, let us honor and draw inspiration from these remarkable individuals who have shaped our world. Thank you for joining us on this captivating journey.

Join channel telegram websitekami.com agar tidak ketinggalan berita loker terbaru lainnya

Join now
Comment
Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad