The coin of Arakan minted in 1554-55 on which 'Kalima' was inscribed

The Ethnic Cleansing of Ruhingya Muslims in Arakan: A Historic Study

Dr. A. F. M. Khalid Hossain

An overview:

The Ruhingyas are a Muslim ethnic minority group developed from different stock of people in the northern part of Arakan, once a sovereign and independent state, is now under Myanmar. The Ruhingyas are one of more than 100 different ethnic groups and sub-groups of Myanmar, making it the most ethnically diverse population in South East Asia. The Arakan is a geographically isolated area in western Myanmar, having an area of 20,000 sq miles and sharing a border of 171 miles with Bangladesh. The Rakhine Buddhists comprise the majority ethnic group in Arakan state, followed by the Ruhingya Muslims, who are concentrated in three northern townships: Maungdaw, Buthidang and Rathedaung. The Ruhingyas genetically trace their ancestry to Arabs, Moors, Pathans, Central Asians, Bangalees and some Indo-Mongoloid people, with early Muslim settlements in Arakan state dating back to the 8th century AD. The first Muslims who settled in this region were Arab traders who landed with their merchant fleet on the Arakan coast in the 8th and 9th centuries. Other Muslims who came later centuries include Persian, Moghuls, Turks, Pathans and Bangalees. The Arakan is cut off from rest of Myanmar by a range of near impassable mountains known as Arakan Yomas running north to South. Among the 14 provinces of Myanmar, the Muslim constitutes largest population in Arakan.

Out of the 7 million Muslim population of Myanmar half of them are in Arakan. (1)

The northern part of Arakan was point of contact with East Bengal. The resulting cultural and political Muslim influence was of great significance in the history of Arakan. Actually, Arakan served to a large extent as a bridgehead for Muslim penetration to other parts of Burma, and also Muslims attained some degree of importance elsewhere as they did in Arakan. The Islamic influence grew in Arakan to the extent of establishing Muslim vassal state beginning in 1430 AD under the suzerainty of Sultanate of Bengal. Muslim`s rule and influence in Arakan lasted for more than 350 years until the Burmese king Badaw Paya conqured it on 28th December 1784 AD.

Anti-Ruhingya drive:

The Burmese military regime and the majority of Rakhines of Arakan State brand the Ruhingyas as the 'Bengali immigrants' alleging that 'In the time of the British government, it was that the British brought Bengalis and Indians of India (now Pakistan, India and Bangladesh) into the nation with various intentions... The British ruled Rakine State (Arakan) for 123 years from 1827 to 1948. During that period, Bengalis entered the nation en masse. The anti-Ruhingya camps brand the Ruhingyas as Bengali immigrants because of their close affinity with the neighboring people of Chittagong of Bangladesh linguistically, religiously, culturally and physically. Notably, Ruhingyas share an Indo-Aryan physical features of dark and pale skin like the people of Bangladesh and India because of being the descendants of the people of the Indo-Aryan stock. (2)

The anti-Ruhingya camps brand the Ruhingyas as Bengali immigrants because of their close affinity with the neighboring people of Chittagong of Bangladesh linguistically, religiously, culturally and physically. Notably, Ruhingyas share an Indo-Aryan physical features of dark and pale skin like the people of Bangladesh and India because of being the descendants of the people of the Indo-Aryan stock.

The focal point of the historical rivalries is whether the Ruhingyas existed in ancient Arakan Kingdom before its annexation with the British colonial rule in 1827. Even though there is a tug-of-war between the Ruhingyas and anti-Ruhingya camps over many issues of the history of ancient Arakan, but at least there are few issues where there is an unequivocal consensus among the Ruhingyas, the anti-Ruhingya camps and the world historians. They unanimously agree that the names of many kings of the ancient Arakan before the British colonial rule, were 'Muslim' like (1) Solaiman Shah Narameikhla (1430-1434), (2) Ali Khan Meng Khari (1434-1459), (3) Kalima Shah Ba Saw Phyu (1459-1482), (4) Mathu Shah Doulya (1482-1492), ( 5) Mohammed Shah Ba Saw Nyo (1492-1493), (6) Nori Shah Ran Aung (1493-1494), (7) Sheikh