Who is behind the 'armed' Rohingya Muslim group?

The Dhaka Times Desk Once again, a heated situation has arisen over the Rohingya issue in Myanmar. Again there was an attack on Muslims. There have been repeated allegations against armed Rohingya Muslim groups. But who is working behind the armed Rohingya Muslims? It appeared in everyone's mind in the form of a question.

Myanmar's government has repeatedly blamed an organization called the 'Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army' for the armed attacks that have reignited in Myanmar's Rakhine state since last Friday.

The armed group was also blamed for an attack on a police outpost in Rakhine in October last year.
The activities of such armed groups among the Rohingya have been heard before, but no one has heard the name of this organization before.

Due to the continuous discrimination-torture-oppression that Rohingya Muslims are suffering from the government of Myanmar, are many of them now leaning towards armed militant ideology? Many have raised that question.

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army was earlier called 'Faith Movement' in English. They used to carry out their activities under this name. It was locally known as 'Haraqah Al Yaqin'.

The Myanmar government has already declared the Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist group. Myanmar says the group is led by Rohingya jihadists who have trained abroad. However, they do not have a clear idea of how big the organization is, how wide their network is.

Myanmar officials believe the group is led by a Rohingya named 'Ataullah'. Born in Karachi, he grew up in Saudi Arabia.

The international research organization 'International Crisis Group' said in a report that the organization was mainly formed by Rohingyas who moved to Saudi Arabia.

According to media reports, this organization was formed by 20 leading Rohingya who live in Mecca. They have connections in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

The leader of the organization, Ataullah is better known as 'Abu Amr Jununi'. Ataullah's father migrated from Rakhine to Karachi, Pakistan. Ataullah was born there. But he grew up in Mecca. He studied in Madrasa there. It can be assumed from a video of him on YouTube that he can speak fluently both the language spoken by the Rohingyas of Rakhine and Arabic. Ataullah disappeared from Saudi Arabia in 2012. His name came to the fore recently after renewed violence in Arakan.

Those linked to the group in Arakan are believed to have training in modern guerilla warfare. There is support and sympathy for this organization among local Rohingyas.

According to media reports, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army or 'Arsa' has openly stated in a statement last March that they are working to protect the rights of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The main target of their 'self-defence' attacks is Myanmar's 'oppressive regime.'

Arsa chief demands that Rohingya Muslims should be given citizenship and equal status in Myanmar. Arsa also said in their statement that they will not engage in any kind of terrorist activities against civilians. They do not believe in terrorism to claim their rights. They have no connection with any terrorist group in the world. They are even said to be guaranteeing the security of Rakhine's people of various religions and ethnicities and their places of religious worship.

Nurul Islam, the chairman of Arakan National Rohingya Organization, a Rohingya organization based in London, told BBC Bangla that everyone came to know about the Rohingya Salvation Army for the first time last October. They then attacked a police outpost.

According to Nurul Islam, those who are involved in this organization have chosen such a path out of desperation or compulsion.
"Sometimes their statements are seen on the internet. They are fighting for the rights and freedom of the Rohingya in Arakan.”

Nurul Islam said, "They are not terrorists and they have nothing to do with KONESA international terrorist group. They are just a group that grew up in Arakan, claiming to be fighting for the Rohingyas."

In this regard, the International Crisis Group said, the rise of organized armed groups among the Rohingyas could further complicate the situation in the whole of Arakan. If the Myanmar government chooses to suppress them through the use of indiscriminate military force instead of a political solution, it will only increase the cycle of violence there. Therefore, the Myanmar government should proceed with much understanding.

It should be noted that the Myanmar government is attacking the Rohingya Muslims one after another. Innocent children and women are victims of their attacks. Myanmar government is causing incidents like rape of women and burning of houses. Many countries of the world, including the United Nations, condemned the inhumane activities of Myanmar and called for an immediate end to this torture.