Remember Islam’s refugee past, lawyer says after xenophobic comments on Rohingya

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees have been affected by lockdowns in several areas.

PETALING JAYA: A human rights activist has lectured Malaysians who have been posting xenophobic comments online urging authorities not to help Rohingya refugees affected by lockdowns in several areas, reminding them that the earliest Muslims during Prophet Muhammad’s time were also refugees.

In a series of tweets, Afiq Noor, who is attached to rights group Lawyers for Liberty, cited anecdotes from early Muslim history when the Prophet and his followers were persecuted in Mecca, forcing them to seek refuge from the Negus, the Christian ruler of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia).

“The (Prophet Muhammad’s) companions who first embraced Islam were refugees. They fled their homes to a country ruled by a Christian for protection not once, but twice,” Afiq wrote on Twitter.

This comes after fellow rights activist Eric Paulsen was criticised for questioning Malaysian authorities who pushed away hundreds of Rohingya refugees stranded in the sea as they entered Malaysian waters in a bid to escape persecution from the Myanmar regime.

Afiq Noor

It was reported last week that some 32 refugees had died of starvation after authorities in Thailand and Malaysia refused them permission to land.

Paulsen’s criticism was met with ridicule by some Malaysians, many of whom argued that authorities should prioritise the safety of Malaysians first in the war against Covid-19.

There is also an online petition campaign urging the government not to help tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees affected by the movement control order (MCO).

Yesterday, the government declared areas surrounding the Selayang wholesale market, where there is a large concentration of the Rohingya community, under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).

There had been fears that authorities would not give food aid under EMCO to Rohingya as they are not citizens. The Rohingya are also not recognised as citizens by the Myanmar government, and as such they could not hope for help from the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Putrajaya has however assured it would extend food aid to everyone in locked down areas including foreigners.

Afiq said some Muslims may be ignorant of the refugee origins of Islam due to the use of different terminology in history books.

“Perhaps when we read about the history of Prophet Muhammad and his companions, the use of the words ‘hijrah’ (migration) instead of ‘seeking refuge’, or ‘companion’ and Mujahirun (emigrants) instead of ‘refugees’, causes us to forget that were it not for the Negus’ protection and the Medinan people’s acceptance of the refugees from Mecca, Islam may not have reached us here in Malaysia,” Afiq said.

“Let me ask, what type of Islam makes its followers forget its own history and allow fellow Muslims and human beings to suffer?” - FMT