{"id":37990,"date":"2017-10-28T10:28:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-28T16:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=37990"},"modified":"2017-11-06T09:03:08","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T16:03:08","slug":"100-calgarians-protest-rohingya-persecution-in-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/10\/28\/100-calgarians-protest-rohingya-persecution-in-myanmar\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Calgarians protest Rohingya persecution in Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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‘Where is the UN’ sign was one of many signs held by protesters on Sept. 15, 2017.
The protest to stand against the genocide against Rohingya muslim was held in City hall Calgary, Alta where more than 100 locals attended. (Noor Hannan\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than a 100 people gathered on Sept. 15 at City Hall to protest against the humanitarian crisis Rohingya Muslims are facing in Myanmar.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll human beings are deserving of dignity, honour, and respect,\u201d said Imam Fayaz Tilly, a speaker at the protest, who is also a chaplain at SAIT.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government should stand up for human rights,” said Tilly.<\/p>\n

The protest was to condemn the execution of the world\u2019s most prosecuted minority group.<\/p>\n

More than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh in response to an Aug. 25 attack by Myanmar military and vigilante groups.<\/p>\n

The number is equivalent to the total number of refugees arriving to Europe by sea in 2016.<\/p>\n

The exodus resulted in many\u00a0hungry and exhausted Muslims fleeing their homeland. Children were seen arriving with no parental\u00a0companion and were often malnourished.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe genocide must be stopped,\u201d said Inderpreet Singh, a volunteer at the protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t right. We shouldn\u2019t turn the other cheek when thousands are fleeing for safety and shelter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Singh believes that Myanmar\u2019s civilian leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, is ultimately responsible for the situation.<\/p>\n

Suu Kyi, an honorary Canadian Citizen, had recently condemned the abuse. However, she did not criticize the Myanmar army or answer allegations of the ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n

The situation has escalated to a point where aid agencies are describing the situation as an emerging humanitarian catastrophe.<\/p>\n

An outbreak of diseases such as Cholera can spread through the settlements where many Rohingya refugees reside.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, we all form a single community, one single nation,\u201d said Malik Bakhti, who also attended the protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we stand against the genocide together, we can end their misery.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n