Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari call for end to ethnic cleansing of Rohingya
World leaders will do a lot of talking while they're gathered in the Philippines this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, but a group of notable writers, actors and others would like them to take a brief moment and listen.
Salman Rushdie, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari, and many others signed their names to an op-ed in The Guardianon Friday, calling on world leaders to pressure the Myanmar government into halting what the United Nations has called "ethnic cleansing" of Rohingya Muslims.
SEE ALSO:Social media inflames violent hatred of Rohingya Muslims in MyanmarRohingya Muslims have long lived in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation. The government has long denied them citizenship, but this year, under the guise of fighting terrorism, the Myanmar military has displaced more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims through a campaign of of death and destruction that has wrecked Rohingya homes beyond repair.
Rohingya Muslims have been called "the most persecuted people" in the world, and are often referred to as a "stateless people." Denied citizenship in their home country, hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh. Though Bangladesh has taken them in, the government there maintains the refugees are Burmese.
"We call on leaders to pressure the Myanmar government to stop these atrocities, grant the Rohingya citizenship, and allow them to return to a place they call home," wrote the authors.
"Countries must fully fund the UN appeal and close the funding gap that is leaving traumatized children without basic food, water, and shelter. Finally, member states of the United Nations must assess what diplomatic efforts can enable them to fulfill their responsibility to protect the Rohingya.
We must not be bystanders to this genocide. We cannot allow people to be slaughtered and burnt out of their homes, while the world watches.
After every atrocity, we say: 'Never again.' We must mean it."
You can read the full article and the list of signatories, here.
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