STATELESS MUSLIM ROHINGYA: ETHICAL AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS TO A TRAUMATIZED MINORITY

Muslim Rohingyas living in the Rakhine State of Myanmar live as stateless persons, as the government of Myanmar continues to refuse their right to citizenship. They are deemed foreigners, ethnically Bengali, and therefore unwelcomed in Myanmar. Their dehumanization has led to gross human rights atrocities including ethnic cleansing, torture and starvation. What is the moral and legal responsibility of the state and the international community to protect their human rights and uphold international law? Also, how has trauma and isolation affected them and what are the methods of healing and moral repair needed? Exploring these questions is vital to examining the social consequences on Muslim Rohingya communities in specific and on marginalized ethnic populations in general. Using interpretive ethnography as the primary research method, this paper will task itself with further exploring these complex questions.