Rohingya Means to Run All Over the World in Pain

Written by Ziaur, a Rohingya refugee exiled in Malaysia

I have been a refugee all of my life. It has not been easy being a Rohingya. It has not been easy being a refugee for almost twenty-four years in three different countries. It has also not been easy being stateless.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …
Being stateless has meant that I have had no bargaining power whatsoever. Being stateless has meant that governments have continued to ignore my plight because of policies of non-intervention. Not only have governments done this, but most people around the world have also turned a blind eye.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

There are tens of thousands of us who have lost our strength and we can no longer fight against continuous cruelty. We are in exile. We have become both damned and unwanted.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

For how long will I be kept in this refugee life?
For how long will I be eaten by insects?
For how long will I be someone that you cannot see?

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

I want you to acknowledge my right to exist, not as an unwanted refugee, but as a human being in a country where I can feel at home and call home, just like you. My fellow Rohingya refugees and I remain silent while we suffer torture, discrimination and harassment. We were once lost at sea on our journey to seek a new home, but we remain lost to this day.

Being a Rohingya means to run, to run all over the world in pain …

Ziaur Rahman