The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic and religious minority primarily residing in the Rakhine State of Myanmar (formerly Burma). They speak an unwritten spoken language and face ethnic and religious discrimination and persecution by the Myanmar authorities and the Buddhist majority. This has made them one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, as described by the United Nations.

The Rohingya embraced Islam in the 2nd century Hijri during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Between 1430 and 1780, Muslims established an Islamic kingdom known as the Arakan Kingdom. This kingdom lasted for four centuries and was ruled by 48 Muslim kings.

In 1942, a major massacre of the Rohingya was carried out by the authorities and Buddhist extremists. At least 100,000 Muslims were killed. More than 300 mosques were destroyed. More than 300 Islamic schools were demolished. At least 20 Muslim villages were burned down. Many ancient Islamic monuments were vandalized and removed.

In 1982, the authorities in Myanmar enacted a law that revoked the citizenship rights of the Rohingya. This decision rendered the Rohingya as outsiders in their own land and justified discrimination against them. The law deprived the Rohingya of basic rights such as education, healthcare, property ownership, and more.

2012 yılında Myanmar güçleri, Rohingyalara karşı büyük bir katliam gerçekleştirdi ve bu olay, Rohingya meselesini Arap, İslam ve uluslararası gündeme yeniden taşıdı. O yıl binlerce Rohingya, öldürülme, sürüklenme, işkence, evlerinin yakılıp yıkılması, kadınların tecavüze uğraması ve çocukların öldürülmesi gibi zulümlere maruz kaldı. Yaklaşık 100 bin Rohingya, Bangladeş ve çevre ülkelere kaçmak zorunda kaldı.

In 2015, the Boat Crisis emerged when thousands of fleeing Rohingya were stranded at sea after Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand refused to accept them. The crisis led to the deaths of hundreds of refugees at sea due to starvation, dehydration, and drowning. Investigations by Malaysian and Thai authorities uncovered a vast network of human trafficking gangs. These gangs included former officials who exploited the refugees, extorted them, and raped their women in exchange for money from their relatives abroad. If ransom could not be obtained, the traffickers killed the Rohingya refugees and buried their bodies. Authorities in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand discovered hundreds of Rohingya corpses in remote, forested border areas.

In 2017, the Myanmar authorities, with the support of Buddhist extremists, launched a large-scale military campaign. During this campaign, Myanmar forces committed massacres against the Rohingya, including killings, mass rapes, child murders, and the complete burning of homes and villages. The campaign resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of approximately one million people, forcing them to flee to Bangladesh and other neighboring countries.

The state of Arakan, located in western Myanmar (formerly Burma), is the original homeland of the Rohingya Muslims. The Rohingya trace their origins to various ethnic backgrounds, including Mongolian, Indian, Arab, Persian, and others. The global Rohingya population is estimated to be around four million people. All Rohingya adhere to Islam, following the Sunni school of thought. Recent estimates indicate that fewer than half a million Muslims remain in Arakan. The Rohingya speak their own language, which includes vocabulary from Arabic and Urdu.

In 2024, the Myanmar military clashed with Buddhist rebel factions demanding autonomy for the Arakan region. Both sides made the villages and towns of the Rohingya their battlegrounds. The clashes resulted in the death of hundreds of Rohingya civilians and the displacement of around 200,000 people to the wilderness and forests. The Myanmar authorities forced the Rohingya to change their names and fight in the military against the Buddhist separatists, even though they are deprived of citizenship. The armed Buddhist factions also threatened the Rohingya civilians with violence if they did not join their ranks.