LONDON: Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) called on the government to move `beyond tepid statements of concern’ and be more pro-active in saving the Burma’s Rohingya Muslim community from further persecution, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
Described as the most `persecuted minority on earth’, Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim community have endured mass murder including of women and children rape and expulsion.
Burma’s de facto political leader, the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who herself was feted in our Parliament for upholding human rights, now dehumanizes the community by denying them their right to be citizens of their own land.
In this regard, Secretary General of MCB Harun Khan said: “We face a humanitarian catastrophe in Burma, and it is imperative now for our government to act.
It should exercise the UK’s leverage to stop further bloodshed, allow observers in, and humanitarian aid to pass through. Though they are appreciated, we need to move beyond tepid statements of concern and regard Burma as countries that persecute their own people. As we do with Zimbabwe or Syria, we must act as well in Myanmar by calling for sanctions and embargoes against its leadership and state.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly session next week, we hope our government leads the way to secure international action.”
Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organizations, mosques, charities, and schools.
