Dear friends,
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The persecuted Rohingya Muslims in western Burma are under attack, and neighboring Bangladesh is denying aid to the fleeing refugees. In the spirit of Ramadan, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must help Bangladesh offer urgent refugee relief!
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The Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim community in western Burma, are under attack, with untold numbers killed by vigilantes and security forces. Tens of thousands have now fled to neighboring Bangladesh, but the government there is blocking aid -- if we act together now, we can pressure Bangladesh to reverse course and offer Ramadan relief to those in need.
International relief charities were coming to the aid of Rohingya refugees, but now the Bangladeshi government is shutting them down, saying the refugees aren't Bangladesh's responsibility. Without this aid, the refugees, many of them children, are at grave risk of disease and starvation. But the important Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) could push Bangladesh to reverse the aid ban and rescue the Rohingya.
Next week all 57 OIC member countries, including Bangladesh, are meeting in Saudi Arabia for an emergency summit to address the crisis. OIC Chief Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu will urge Bangladesh to show mercy and compassion towards Rohingya refugees and could offer financial backing, but he needs a strong show of public support to make Bangladesh heed his call. Sign the urgent petition now and share with everyone you know - it will be delivered directly to the OIC meetings next week when we reach 50,000 signers:
The violent campaign against the Rohingya Muslims by Burmese extremists has displaced hundreds of thousands over the last two months, with many killed and raped. The police and the military are also to blame: Human Rights Watch has accused Burma's government forces of opening fire on crowds of Rohingya and committing other "atrocities" during attempts to restore order after riots broke out in early June.
The root of the problem lies in long-burning prejudices, and a 1982 law passed by Burma's former dictatorship that stripped the Rohingya of their citizenship rights. But right now there is no political will inside Burma to resolve that bigger problem. In fact President Thein Sein recently proposed a policy that amounts to ethnic cleansing -- asking the UN to put the Rohingya in camps, and deport all 800,000 of them off to third countries. In the meantime Rohingya inside the country continue to be attacked, their homes and businesses burnt to the ground.
The world's attention is finally focusing on the humanitarian crisis -- the OIC and a prominent UN human rights expert have both called for an urgent investigation into the killings and human rights abuses. But right now much more needs to be done to aid the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who are facing disease and starvation. The UN and the US have already called upon Bangladesh to protect the Rohingya. Now as the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, a special occasion for helping the vulnerable and feeding the hungry, let's also push governments in the region to urge Bangladesh to show true compassion. Sign and share now:
Avaaz members around the world have stood with the people of Burma before, supporting the democracy movement and raising money for relief aid after the devastation of Cyclone Nargis. Avaaz means "voice" in many languages -- together we can make sure the voice of the Rohingya people in Myanmar is heard around the world.
With hope and compassion,
Joseph, Emma, Ian, Elana, Ricken and the rest of the Avaaz team
More Information:
Burma: Government Forces Targeting Rohingya Muslims
'Mass graves' for Myanmar's Rohingya
Muslim Nations Take On Myanmar Over Rohingyas
OIC seeks facts on Rohingya persecution
Bangladesh urged by UN to ensure NGO access for people fleeing Rakhine state
Bangladesh orders halt in aid to Rohingya
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