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Thousands of Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh to escape genocide. Hundreds have died on the journey, and
thousands did not even get the opportunity for escape. The exodus of the Rohingya population has captured headlines across
the world, but in Burma itself, there is still widespread disbelief and denial of the persecution faced by this population. Of the
many excuses put forward by the Burmese authorities, one common one is to deny the existence of the Rohingya community
themselves, painting them as Bangladeshi migrants who have crossed the borders and laid claim to Burmese land. This piece
is my research on the falseness of this statement, and an introduction to the history of the Arakan region and the multiculturalism
that once infused it.
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of those early days in Arakan were similar to early Bengali script and not the language that is spoken in present day Rakhine,
indicating the existence of a culture that was more similar to the one of ancient Bengal under the earlier Hindu dynasties.
However in medieval times, there was a reorientation eastward; the area fell under Burman dominance, and Arakanese people
began to speak a dialect of Burmese, something that continues to this day. With Burmese influence came ties to Ceylon and the
gradual prominence of Theravada Buddhism. How the Burmese do not seem to have settled in Arakan until possibly as late as
the tenth century AD.
The Gold Coin and Silver Coin with Kakima of Mrauk-U Empire in Arakan
This Arab presence, with the message of Islam, made up the beginnings of Muslim society in Arakan. Thus, historical research
indicates that the Arakanese inhabitants of Wesali practised Hinduism, a Mahayanist form of Buddhism as well as Islam. This
is even confirmed by the Burmese military regime in its official book Sasana Ronwas Htunzepho, published in 1997 - “Islam
spread and was deeply rooted in Arakan since 8th century from where it further spread into interior Burma.” In fact, the Arab
influence increased to such a large extent that in Chittagong during the mid 10th century, a small Muslim kingdom was
established, possibly from the east bank of the Meghna River to the Naf, ruled over by a Sultan. After the advent of Muslim rule
in Bengal in 1203, the Muslim population of Arakan increased, especially during the Mrauk-U dynasty. There were large scale
conversions of Buddhists to Islam from the 15th to 18th centuries. Later, when Dutch industrialists were ordered by the king to
quit Arakan, they were afraid of leaving behind the children they had had with local women – the pious Dutch Calvinists were
horrified at the idea of them being brought up as Muslims.
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fusing tradition from Persia and India as well as the Buddhist worlds to the east. This cosmopolitan court became great patrons
of Bengali as well as Arakanese literature. Poet Dulat Qazi, author of the first Bengali romance, and Shah Alaol, who was
considered the greatest of seventeenth-century Bengali poets, were among the eminent courtiers of Arakan. Mrauk-U kings
adopted Muslim titles like “Shah” alongside Buddhist names and titles, appeared in Persian-inspired dress and the conical
hats of Isfahan and Mughal Delhi, minted coins and medallions inscribing kalima (Islamic declaration of faith) in Persian and
Arabic scripts, and spoke several languages. Persian and Bengali languages were patronised and used as the official and court
languages of Arakan. According to Dr Ko Ko Gyi, “This was because they (Arakanese kings) not only wished to be thought of as
sultans in their own rights, but also because there were Muslims in ever larger number among their subjects.”
Tags: Rohingya, Islam, Refugee, Buddhism, Communal Harmony, Arakan, Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)
The author is Chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO). He can be reached at nuromor@yahoo.com
Source: https://www.dhakatribune.com/magazine/weekend-tribune/2017/10/12/rohingya-descendants-ancient-arakan