Ethnic Rohingya – Victims of Decades of Persecution; Despite the Risk the Sea Is Their Only Way

PRESS STATEMENT

Ethnic Rohingya – Victims of Decades of Persecution; Despite the Risk the Sea Is Their Only Way

Date: 11th November 2025

Location: Kuala Lumpur
Issued by: Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM)

The situation of the ethnic Rohingya is one of the most severe humanitarian crises of our time. For decades they have suffered systematic discrimination, denial of citizenship, violence and forced displacement in their homeland of Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Faced with no safe future and mounting threats, many Rohingya have taken to the seas in increasingly dangerous boats, seeking survival and dignity. These sea-routes are perilous: smuggling, trafficking, shipwrecks and loss of life are common.

We at MAPIM raise our voices in horror at the following facts:

■ The Rohingya are stateless under Myanmar law, barred from many basic rights and forced into an endless cycle of vulnerability.

■ In recent years thousands of Rohingya have embarked on sea journeys despite the risks of drowning, abandonment, or exploitation.

■ The fact that the sea is considered their only way to safety is a stark indictment of regional inaction and a failure of the international humanitarian and refugee protection system.

We call for immediate action:

1. States in the ASEAN region and beyond must treat Rohingya fleeing by sea not as “undocumented migrants” but as refugees in danger, eligible for protection, safe-rescue operations and humanitarian support.
2. A regional maritime rescue and protection protocol must be activated, ensuring that boats carrying refugees are rescued rather than turned away, and that human trafficking networks are dismantled.
3. The root cause must be addressed: the decades of persecution in Myanmar must be halted, and the Rohingya must be granted full rights—including citizenship, freedom of movement, and protection from violence—so that flight is no longer their only option.
4. The international community must place pressure on Myanmar’s authorities to cease the violence, discrimination and denial of rights that have forced the Rohingya into this desperate plight.

Our Commitment

MAPIM stands in solidarity with the Rohingya. We pledge to continue:

● Advocacy and raising awareness across the Muslim world of the Rohingya’s plight;

● Mobilising humanitarian assistance to those stranded at sea and in refugee camps;

● Working with regional civil-society, Islamic organisations and governments to enhance protection for vulnerable refugees.

The suffering of the Rohingya is not a distant problem—it is a litmus test of our humanity, our sense of justice, and our abiding principles as Muslims and humans. The sea must not become their grave. The world must not turn its back.

Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President, MAPIM