Firdaus Wong says the Rohingya may not have the same rights as Malaysian citizens, but they are still entitled to basic human dignity.
He said Malaysians should distinguish between rights accorded to citizens and the basic rights that refugees should have as fellow human beings.
“Just because they are stateless, just because they are Rohingya, just because they are refugees, that does not give anyone the right to dehumanise them,” he said.
Firdaus was speaking at the New Muslim Community conference 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel here.
On Sept 4, Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das described the public anger towards the Rohingya as misplaced because it overlooks deeper causes of social problems within the community.
She said among these problems were their exclusion from legal work and formal education, as well as a lack of secure legal status.
She added that those who broke the law should be held accountable, but the actions of a few should not be used to judge or dehumanise an entire community.
Firdaus also drew a parallel with the treatment of Palestinians, saying their plight began with dehumanisation too.
“Just as much as we dislike what happened in Palestine, that began with the dehumanisation of the Palestinians, such is the case with the Rohingya.
“So, why as a Malaysian and as a Muslim in Malaysia, should we do all these things that we are not supposed to do,” he said in response to a question by a participant on the treatment of refugees in Malaysia.
Firdaus also questioned whether Malaysians were being fair to stateless people, noting that even prisoners of war were entitled to basic rights.
“Even prisoners of war have their rights. You should provide them with food. You should not torture them,” he said. - FMT
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