Suu Kyi has very troubling racist views about Rohingya: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Arzu Merali, with the Islamic Human Rights Commission from London, about the rise of violent attacks on mosques and Rohingya Muslim minorities in Myanmar.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: European Parliament's condemnations will bring some attention to the plight of Rohingyas, but will it change their situation in Myanmar?

Merali: Sadly, we’ve seen over and over again that no amount of international attention or media reportage affects the position of successive regimes and governments in Myanmar, when it comes to the issue of Rohingya or more widely Muslim minorities in general in the country.

Press TV: Aung San Suu Kyi and her government have had sanctions removed by the US for becoming more democratic and improving the human rights situation and certain freedoms in the country, yet little or nothing has changed for the Rohingyas. Could this perhaps have been a misstep by Washington?

Merali: Sadly, there’s a history of this when it comes to the international organizations and superpowers that privileges are restored to the countries which have had horrendous human rights abuses and oftentimes they don’t fix the issues that they have with Muslim minorities or political opposition that comes from Muslim and Islamic quarters.

We saw this in Nigeria many years ago with the Sani Abacha regime and if it hadn’t been for concerted efforts by organizations like IHRC (Islamic Human Rights Commission) and many others to actually highlight the plight of the Muslim brothers, sanctions were not going to be lifted on that country. Without any resolution for those prisoners including Sheikh Zakzaky who’s of course prosecuted now, it’s the same for Rohingyas, is the same for Muslim minorities in Myanmar. It is only now coming to light that acclaimed human rights leader Aung San Suu Kyi has got some very very troubling racist views when it comes to minorities in her country.

Press TV: Why does it seem that it’s coming to light just now? Why does it seem that the Rohingyas are being pressured? Is it given adequate coverage in Western media?

Merali: It’s like Animal Farm. Everybody is equal but some people are more equal than others. And actually it’s been an open secret that these views have been held by Aung San Suu Kyi. Muslim opposition and political activists have been saying it for decades. Ultimately the life of a Muslim sadly in political terms is not really worth as much as other lives. And that’s the endemic Islamophobia of the international community coming to light. And we do need a kind of concerted effort from Muslim countries and non-aligned countries to actually take up these issues whether it’s about Muslims or other persecuted minorities to make sure that we don’t keep having the same scenario happening over and over again.

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