forgive my ignorance about this. but are the rohingyas originally from burma? i don't think they're ethnic burmese.
if the latter is the case, then that probably explains it. they're a completely different ethnic group (whose people just happen to be muslim). in some non-immigrant countries, citizenship is not a birthright but is instead inherited through bloodlines. the british allowed a lot of people from the subcontinent to settle on their lands. they may be thinking of them as overstaying unwelcome visitors. burma was an old kingdom and there were requirements for certain people to be one of their own. it seems like they have been against muslims since time immemorial. it will take a while for them to accept people that were not originally considered to be their countrymen.
'The Burmese under the British rule felt helpless, and reacted with a "racism that combined feelings of superiority and fear."' - wiki article on rohingyas
i'm only basing my thoughts on what i read in wikipedia so far so i really don't know much. this does not make the killings right, but i want to try to understand why they are doing these things.
that said, it will be a long way to go before a solution can be found. the country is still a mess and things are only starting to look up. aung san suu kyi was just recently freed and elected. change cannot happen overnight. we should not expect too much. it's still a failed state in many ways.
forgive my ignorance about this. but are the rohingyas originally from burma? i don't think they're ethnic burmese.
if the latter is the case, then that probably explains it. they're a completely different ethnic group (whose people just happen to be muslim). in some non-immigrant countries, citizenship is not a birthright but is instead inherited through bloodlines. the british allowed a lot of people from the subcontinent to settle on their lands. they may be thinking of them as overstaying unwelcome visitors. burma was an old kingdom and there were requirements for certain people to be one of their own. it seems like they have been against muslims since time immemorial. it will take a while for them to accept people that were not originally considered to be their countrymen.
'The Burmese under the British rule felt helpless, and reacted with a "racism that combined feelings of superiority and fear."' - wiki article on rohingyas
i'm only basing my thoughts on what i read in wikipedia so far so i really don't know much. this does not make the killings right, but i want to try to understand why they are doing these things.
that said, it will be a long way to go before a solution can be found. the country is still a mess and things are only starting to look up. aung san suu kyi was just recently freed and elected. change cannot happen overnight. we should not expect too much. it's still a failed state in many ways.