Today, on Rohingya Genocide Day, we must remember that the suffering of the Rohingya did not begin nine years ago, or even 20 years ago. It has roots going back more than 70 years—built gradually and systematically through discrimination, persecution, exclusion, and violence.
Every day, I look around the world and see communities and families struggling with conflict and division. Too often, the underlying causes are greed, selfishness, ignorance, and the pursuit of power.
When greed and selfishness take hold among governments, political leaders, and powerful business interests, they can contribute to poverty, chaos, division, hatred, and ultimately genocide. But these things do not happen through the actions of leaders alone. They can also be enabled when ordinary people become indifferent, accept propaganda, or fail to question injustice.
One of the most important things we are missing is empathy—the ability to understand and feel the suffering of others, even when they are different from us.
Empathy begins at home. It starts with parents, families, and schools teaching children to respect human dignity, question hatred, reject discrimination, and care about the suffering of others.
If more people learn to live with empathy, critical thinking, and compassion, there can be less hatred, violence, division, war, and propaganda—and perhaps, ultimately, fewer genocides.
Remembering the Rohingya should not only be about remembering the past. It should also be about understanding how persecution develops gradually, recognizing the warning signs, and having the courage to stand against injustice before it becomes another tragedy.
Phyu Phyu (Founder, Al-Insan)
