In the 7th century, Muslim invaders called Rohan or Rohang conquered what is now the northern Arakan state. It is said that eleven Bangali fishermen from the west (now Bangladesh), founded the northern part of Arakan state including its capital Akyab (now known as Sittwe). However, while the Arakanese Muslims claim descent from the ancient Rohan and while there have been Muslims in Burma for centuries, in general all Muslims are viewed as outsiders.

Nowadays, Muslim residents of Arakan state face problems even being recognised as citizens of Burma. During the Nagamin public campaign which aimed to clarify the status of Burma's residents in 1977, the Muslim population faced pressure to leave the country. In Arakan state, this campaign degenerated into attacks on Muslims by both civilians and military forces.

More recently, the 1982 citizenship law threatened the status of many Muslims living in Burma. The law required proof of residence by an ancestor prior to the British annexation of Burma in 1882 for full citizenship, but this only applied to residents who were not members of "indigenous races" such as Shan, Chin, Karen, Rakhine etc.

Groups of Arakanese Muslims numbering more than 300,000 fled across the border to Bangladesh in late 1970s and 1990s. For even a casual observer, the pressure on Muslims in Arakan is impossible to ignore. Segregation and religious tensions between Arakanese Buddhist Maghs and Muslim communities have only increased resentment and conflict.

Suspicion has deepened among people following the establishment of militarism and Burmanisation since 1962, inciting hatred among different religious groups. Freedom of religion and movement for the Muslims have been restricted. Since that time, no Muslim has been appointed to high government positions, and many Muslims employed in government offices have been dismissed. General citizens of Myanmar are given a Pink Card as their identification, but Arakanese Muslims usually get a white temporary second class citizenship card.

Furthermore, citizen rights are also limited. No Muslim is permitted to construct or shift his residence and business from one town to another. There are no facilities for them for shopping in the markets in almost all towns of Arakan state. In universities, institutes and colleges there are no opportunities for the Muslims for advanced education in specialised departments with similar discrimination as in the government services. Lands belonging to mosques and religious institutions also have been seized.

The first half of 2001 was marked by two instances of Muslim-Buddhist sectarian violence. The violence first occurred in Sittwe on February 4 when two hundred innocent Muslim youths and helpless persons were shot to death, about fifteen hundred were missing and one thousand were seriously injured, two thousand Muslim-owned buildings were burned, thirty-seven mosques were destroyed.

On May 16, rioting broke out again in Bago division. At least one hundred Muslims including four Muslim leaders were murdered; at least twenty mosques and a thousand homes and businesses were destroyed. Then anti-Muslim riot spread to three other districts in this division, and by the time order was established the death toll had risen to no less than three hundred with more than ten thousand people left homeless.

The actions of the military regime only increased tensions. Muslim refugees who fled from Hpa-an district in Karen state to refugee camps in Thailand claimed increased persecution at the hands of soldiers. The right of Muslims to move around the country were curtailed. Moreover, it was reported that the military regime banned building of new mosques and the refurbishment of old ones.

Two incidents of violence against Muslims in Arakan state left deep scars on them. Clashes between Rakhine Buddhist Maghs and Muslim students in Akyab (Sittwe) University in Arakan province started on February 18, 2004. Among the two hundred Muslim university students, no one still could attend class as they were beaten, tortured and banned throughout the town. Thirty Muslim students were currently in detention.

Conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims in Burma will continue to be a serious problem well into the future until they are addressed appropriately. It is noteworthy that Burma is presently one of the few countries in the world where militarism remain in practice. As all are well aware, in 1988 the dictatorship massacred several thousand people in Burma, which enraged the entire population.

As reported by the UN Special Reporter, the military junta continues to violate all human rights, engaging in extra-judicial and arbitrary executions, forced disap

pearances, rape, arbitrary seizure of

land and property, forced labour, arrests, torture, detention without trial, inhuman treatment of prisoners leading to illness and death in custody, forced relocations -- all directed against ethnic minorities. This has resulted in a flow of refugees to neighbouring countries while restrictions on movement is faced by Muslims in Arakan and harassment, arrest and detention of opposition NLD member led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and of students continue. It is most urgent to put an end to all these brutal acts and ensure peaceful living of the Arakanese Muslims in their homeland.

Mohammad Rahim is President of the Arakan Muslim Community Development Foundation (AMCDF).