Yahya Ibn Selam: Muslims of Myanmar - The Rohingyas

1. Ethnic groups

68% Burmese 35.010.652.04

9% Shan

7% Karen

4% Rakhine 2.059.450.12

3% Chinese

2% Indian

2% Mon

5% other 2.574.312.65

Myanmar

population: 51486253 (51 Million)

Rohingyas: 2,5% of

Myanmar

(1,3 Million)

40% of Arakan

Together with other Muslim Ethnicities in

Myanmar

: 4%

This includes Kamans, a little part of the Chinese (Panthay), Indians and Malays (called Pashu)

The Burmese Muslim Association disputes 4% and says that the percentage of muslims living in

Burma

is estimated 8-12%

2. History of Muslim Population and Settlement

History Stages of

Myanmar

• Pagan Kingdom 23 December 849

• Taungoo dynasty 16 October 1510

• Konbaung Dynasty 29 February 1752

• Independence 4 January 1948

• Coup d'état 2 March 1962

• New constitution 30 March 2011

Different states and dynasties before.

1) Kingdom of Mrauk-U (1429–1785) and first Muslim settlements

In 1406 Arakan was invaded by the Burmese (Minye Kyav Sva), the King left his throne and fled to Bengal and sought refuge from the Bengal Sultanate. After 24 of exile he came back to Arakan and took over the throne.

King Narameikhla (Min Saw Mon), founded the Kingdom of Mrauk U with military assistance of the Sultanate of Bengal. After the foundation of this Kingdom Muslim Bengalis started to settle in Arakan. Despite being Buddhist they used Bengali coins and Islamic titles. For example Narameikhla took the name Suleiman Shah [Sawmuan in Arakanese sources]. It's also said that Narameikhla and some Arakanese Kings accepted Islam (Islahhaber, Ahmedur Rahman Farooq)

The Kingdom remained under the sovereignty of the Bengal Sultanate until 1531.

Zabuk Shah took advantage of the civil war and invaded Bengal. He had good ties with the Portuguese. The war between the Bengal Sultanate and Mrauk U Kingdom continued with different stages. Mrauk U also had help from the Portuguese in military matters. Later the relation between them became bad and the Kingdom sought help from the Dutch against the Portuguese. In 1593 during the reign of Iskandar Shah the Kingdom of Mrauk U had his golden times, and its largest areas through history.

Even after the independence from Bengal, they continued to fashion like Muslims and use Islamic titles. Muslims worked in royal administration. In the 17th the population of the Bengali Muslims increased, as they worked in Arakan in various places, for example as scribes (Arabic, Persian) in Arakanese courts.

In 1785 the Kingdom was invaded by Bodawpaya, King of the Konbaung in Dynasty.

Many Rakhines fled the area by the time when it was conquered by the Konbaung dynasty, to escape persecution. the Bamars (Burmese) deported many Rakhines to central

Burma

. This area (Rakhine state) was scarcely populated when the British came. as a result the British needed cheap labour workers from Bengal to work in Arakan.

2) Increase of the Muslim population during British Rule

Muslim population may have constituted 5% of Arakan's population by 1869

80–98% of the population, in the northern Rakhine townships [today]

From 1824 until 1948

Burma

was under British rule.

1869 24,637 5%

1872 64,315 13%

1901 162,754 21%

1931 255,469 25.3%

1983 584,518 29%

2014 1,3 M 40%

3) Muslim Settlements after Independence and during

Bangladesh

war

During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and the following genocide, nearly ten million refugees fled to neighbouring countries. Nearly 500'000 passed the border to Arakan. Rakhine Monks and Buddhist strikes took place, forcing the government to handle the issue. In 1978 the government started the Operation King Dragon, which pushed approximately 200.000-250.000 refugees back to

Bangladesh

Last census before and after the

Bangladesh

war.

1931 255,469 25.3%

1983 584,518 29%

The Term Rohingya

Now after we learned the history, let's look to the term Rohingya, which used for 1,3 Million people in Arakan. There is a huge difference of opinions on this topic, due to it's political importance.

Some Burmese historians say that this term was only used after 1950s. This would be a positive argument for them, showing that Rohingyas don't have a long history in Arakan and came only later, after the Independence as illegal immigrants. But they don't deny that a muslim community existed in Arakan before 1824.

But Dr. Jacques P. Leider , a ....historian....., says that the term Rohingya was first used and discovered in an article by British Francis Buchanan-Hamilton published in 1799.

Quote:

"I shall now add three dialects, spoken in the Burma Empire, but evidently derived from the language of the Hindu nation. The first is that spoken by the Mohammedans, who have long settled in Arakan, and who call themselves Rooinga, or natives of Arakan."

From a scientific point of view, it is easy to understand that the name “Rohingya” is derived from the classic name of Arakan, i.e. Rakhanga, in a similar way as Roshanga, the Bengali name of Arakan.

Dr Thibaut d’Hubert (assistant professor for Bangla language and Bengal Studies in the South Asian Languages and Civilizations department, University of Chicago) writes:

''The rules of historical linguistics of the Indo-aryan languages allow to easily explain the derivation Rakhanga > Rohingya. The passage from [kh] to [h] is the rule in the passage from Sanskrit to Prakrit, which allows us to derive Rohingya from Rakhanga, (Rakhanga > *Rahanga > (short “a” becomes “o” in bengali) *Rohangga > (introduction of [y]# to indicate the gemination which induces an alternative pronounciation “ –gya” and influences the vowel [a] which becomes [i]) thence ” Rohingya”.

The word Roshang(a) [final a is optional] is widely spread since the beginning of Bengali literature in the Chittagong region, i.e. since the early 17th century till the end of the 18th c. Its association with the paradigm Rakhanga>Rohingya is obvious.''

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Muslims of Myanmar - The Rohingyas | Ethnicites and History I

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