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Burma Genocide

6,000 women raped, 20,000 people killed, 25,000 houses burned, and 100,000 in concentration camps

With 6,000 women raped, 20,000 people killed, 25,000 houses burned, and 100,000 in concentration camps, the Muslim population in Burma is under siege. In addition to the slaughter, rape and incarceration of tens of thousands of Muslims, the Burmese government has closed 300 mosques, has prohibited Muslims from reading the Quran and from praying during Ramadan. The measures are so draconian, the government is searching Muslim homes to make sure they are not praying there.



The Muslim population, which once stood at 3.5 million has shrunk to 2 million as thousands flee the persecution. Exact figures are hard to come by since the government has blocked access to the media and human rights organizations. The above figure come from data compiled from multiple NGO sources.



Though these Burmese Muslims have lived in their land for centuries, the military regime revoked their citizenship in 1982. They are no longer allowed to marry without the government?s permission, which is often denied. Muslims also are not allowed to have more than two children.



The United Nations considers the Burmese Muslims (Rohingyas of Myanmar) one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Earlier this month, Burmese President Thein Sein said that Rohingyas should be settled in a third country. According to the British newspaper The Independent, Buddhist Burmese monks are blocking international aid to the persecuted community.



Adding to this plight, the neighboring countries of India, Bangladesh and Thailand are not treating the refugees arriving there properly.



On July 13, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that Burma was once again open for American investment. But the genocide against the Rohingyas goes against all American values and violates our policies on human rights. We must immediately ask Secretary Clinton to hold the Burmese government accountable and threaten to close the door on American investment unless the Rohingyas are given their rights and the genocide comes to an end.