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Morgan Erwin

Professor Wijitha Bandara

Rels 2300

29 April 2021

Rohingya Problem- Functional Perspective

The Rohingyas are people that are a part of the Muslim ethnic group that live mainly in

Southeast Asia. They are not considered an official “ethnic group”. To give some background,

these people are considered the “world’s most prosecuted people” according to an article written

by Rebecca Ratcliffe. They are running into problems that mainly include being discriminated

and poor. This has become a major problem that is affecting almost every aspect of their life.

They are having trouble getting an education and living without being in fear. In this paper, we

are going to relate the Functionalist perspective to the Rohingyas and compare their viewpoints.

The functionalist perspective says that religion is the main foundations for people’s lives.

Religion to these people is

what they live by and what

keeps everyone and

everything together. This

perspective was practiced

by many great

philosophers many of

years ago. It is also argued

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whether or not the Rohingyas situation can be an example of a functionalist religion.

The Rohingyas live in Burma, which is known as “one of the poorest states in the

country” by an article titled Who are Rohingya Muslims and What’s Going on in Burma?. A map

of where Burma is located is shown above. Along with the populations in Myanmar of 500,000-

700,000 people. Some other ethnic groups that are located in Myanmar include Shan, Kayah, and

Kachin. Here, they have no way to get married, travel, or get basic needs such as healthcare. I

think one reason that the Rohingya issues helps us to understand the functionalist perspective on

religion is because the Rohingya people practice many of the functionalist qualities in their lives.

The Rohingya are a Muslim group, and they are discriminated mainly because of that. They live

by the functionalist principles because their religion is the basis for their lives. The people that

are very seriously involved in this religion use the religion as a guide in their lives. They follow

the principles and the layout the religion provides. And then they get discriminated for it and lose

freedoms because of what they believe in and where they live.

The functionalist perspective with religion means that religion is one of the key factors

that is building that life and holding it together. An example of this type of this perspective can

be shown by Sigmund Freud. Freud did a study focusing on people’s minds. In this study, he

determined that religion fills neurotic needs to people. By having faith that there is a powerful

God watching over and protecting you, this idea gives a sense of security and peace to mind. The

Rohingya live in a hostile environment because they are following the path that their religion has

pathed out for them. So, is it a good thing to have a functionalist perspective when you are

practicing a religion? I think it can be a good thing, but if we are looking at this group as an

example, there seems to be a lot of negatives.

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It can be a good thing to follow and listen to your religion when practicing it. When you

are seriously practing a religion, you follow the path that your God lays out for you to reach

eternal happiness or a fulfilled life. Although, there are other perspectives that a lot of people use

such as the materialist perspective. The materialist perspective basically means that humans

invented religion. There is no such thing as an all-mighty power, they are just imagined. This

type of perspective to me isn’t as powerful to someone as the functional perspective. With a

materialistic approach, you are told that everything you believe isn’t really true and there isn’t as

much comfort to hold. The Rohingya are then again a good example of functionalism because

they follow their religion and listen to their God and do what that said God has planned for them

to get to their best eternal life in the end. Even though they are facing a lot of problems, they

have faith that the problems they are facing are for a reason and that God is watching out for

them.

In conclusion, there are many ethnic groups that live in Burma, but the Rohingya have

been facing a lot of problems. Most of these problems include segregation and losing citizenship

within the state. Resulting in them being treated extremely poorly. They don’t have rights or a

way to get basic needs like education or health care. This problem helps us understand the

functionalist perspective of religion because they are a great example for it. Rohingya practice

the Muslim religion. Where in Myanmar, the main religion is Buddhism. Anyways, the

Rohingya practice their religion and follow what their God says to try and reach eternal life.

They believe that their God has a plan and is watching over them. That is one of the biggest

reasons why they are such a great example for this perspective on religions. The functionalist
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perspective says that religion is like the glue that holds the people together. In this case, that is

what is holding these people together through the tough times they are experiencing.
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Works Cited

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 10th ed., Pearson, 2017.