Rebuttal of the Saudi-UAE Narrative
Does Islam Teach the Wife to Obey the Husband?
Q & A
Does Islam say that the Wife Should Obey the Husband? Why
are Marriages under Stress?
Several readers have pointed to Saudi-linked lists which are
propagating the claim that according to Islam, the wife
should Obey the husband. The Saudi-influenced scholars are
saying that if a wife leaves the house for any reason, she
must ask her husband's permission. They say that even the
woman's voice is "awrah" and should not be heard. If she
travels, she must be accompanied by her husband or a male
relative. What do the Qur'an and the Hadith really say?
Answer by Br. Kaukab Siddique: We must realize that
according to the Qur'an, authority belongs to ALLAH ALONE.
[1] Any attempt to give authority to any human being is
SHIRK, which is the only sin Allah does not forgive.
The Qur'an is a progressive revelation which went through
stages of development of the Muslim woman and the Muslim
male. In the final analysis, male-female relations in Islam
are based on TAQWA [Fear of Allah, God-conscious behavior],
not on gender. [2]
In the FINAL revelation about men and women, the Qur'an
proclaimed without ambiguity that the believing men and
women are EACH OTHER'S protecting friends and guardians, not
the woman under the domain of the male. [3]
The Qur'an proclaimed the EQUALITY of men and women even in
such an advanced, complex, and cooperative venture as
jihad.[4]
Allah Almighty categorically places men and women TOGETHER
in ALL aspects of Islamic endeavor, without the slightest
shade of inferiority for women. [5]
The Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, took an oath of allegiance from
women which covered their entire existence but does not
include obedience to the husband. [6]
In the earliest stage of the Muslim community in Madinah,
Muslim men were given the authority to discipline their
wives in cases of sexual misconduct [without causing any
significant hurt], but this was taken away at the next stage
when in cases of alleged sexual misconduct, all that a man
could do was to swear that he was telling the truth. If the
wife took a similar oath, the marriage would be dissolved.
[7]
Most apologist Muslims focus on this early development in
Islam and ignore the rest of the Qur'an.
In times of insecurity and war, in long journeys, the
Prophet, pbuh, ordained that a woman should travel with her
husband or a male relative. This was meant to help the woman
and to provide security, not to put the woman under the
control of her husband. The issue of travel is used by some
scholars to argue that the wife must obey the husband. There
is a whole series of omissions, either dishonest or out of
ignorance, carried out to use this issue. The following
Hadith is quoted:
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "It is not
permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last
Day to travel except with a Mahram." [Bukhari]
However, that is not the complete Hadith. Here it is with
the key words in bold type: The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "It
is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the
Last Day to travel for one day and night except with a
Mahram." [Bukhari]
One day and night connotes a long journey. Nowadays, one can
travel halfway around the world in a day and a night. This
is certainly not about a woman going shopping or to meet her
friends down in the city. In those days, it was dangerous,
and one could lose life, goods and honor to bandits on the
way. There were no highways or electric lights on the sandy
desert.
However, the misuse of Hadith does not end there. These
scholars do not note the context and do not let anyone know
that restrictions were put on males too. Here are the
relevant Hadith:
The Prophet, pbuh, said: "Travel is a kind of punishment. It
limits food, drink and sleep. When you have completed the
requirements of travel, return quickly to your family."
[Bukhari and Muslim.]
The Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, spent much of his life in
Madinah in jihad. He traveled extensively for jihad and
hence there are numerous hadith about travel and its rules.
It's a shame for modern Muslims [such as the Saudi elites]
who have never even spoken against the oppressors, let alone
gone for jihad, that they should be using the words of the
greatest liberator of women, Muhammad Mustafa, pbuh, to try
and subjugate women.
When a man went out for a journey, his life was often in
danger. Here is another Hadith on the subject which stops
men from going forth alone:
The messenger of Allh, pbuh, said: "A horseman going alone
is satanic. If there are two going by themselves, they are
two satans. and three is the proper [recommended] caravan."
[Sunan of Abu Dawood and Sunan of Nasa'i]
The messenger of Allah, pbuh, said; "If people knew what I
know about the bad aspects of traveling alone, no one would
travel alone at night." [Sahih Bukhari]
The Islamic solution, the Prophet, pbuh, gave was excellent
but we Muslims have forgotten it. Where possible, especially
where satanic forces are at work, Muslims should travel in
groups, even if these are very small groups, and the
traveling should be well organized:
The messenger of Allah, pbuh, said: "When three of you
travel, make one of your companions the ameer." [Sunan of
Abu Dawood]
We are living in times where travel conditions are being
affected by the antagonistic activities of our enemies. So
go forth prepared:
Someone asked the messenger of Allah: "O messenger of Allah,
I have the intention of travel. Please advise me. He [the
messenger, pbuh,} replied: "The fear and awareness of Allah
[taqwa] should always be with you, and at every high point
[in the journey] say takbeer!" [Sunan of Tirmidhi]. [8]
So, if obedience to the husband is not a part of Islam, how
should the family be organized? Wouldn't there be chaos if
there is no "captain" of the team? This argument ignores the
Islamic principle of organization which is called SHOORA or
mutual consultation leading to decision making based on
discussion, consent and consensus. There is a chapter of the
Qur'an titled Shoora. Allah ordains in this chapter that ALL
matters of Muslim activity must be carried out by mutual
consultation and consent. [9]
Even the Prophet, pbuh, divinely inspired as he was,
received the command to consult with the believers. [10]
Maulana Maudoodi's tafsir [commentary] on the verse of
Shoora is the best among all tafsirs. Here is the key
excerpt:
"...Mutual consultation [shoora] is an essential requirement
of the moral character Islam wants to teach the human being.
Evasion of shoora is a major immorality which islam can
never permit. The Islamic way of life requires that the
principle of shoora should be used in all social
relationships, big or small. In domestic life, the husband
and the wife should do mutual shoora and when children grow
up, they too should be included in the family shoora. When
matters of the entire extended family are involved, all the
sane and adult family members should be involved. If an
entire tribe or clan is to be affected and all of them
cannot be in the shoora process, by an agreed upon method
their representatives should be included in a tribal majlis.
If an entire nation is involved, the leader of the nation
should be chosen by the will of the people and should manage
national affairs with the help of the shoora members whom
the nation considers trustworthy...." [Tafhimul Qur'an,
vol.4, p.509]
In Islam, the husband and the wife are each other's friends
and comrades. It's not a relationship of dominance and
submission. Communication and discussion are the keys to
successful Islamic marriage. Attempts at dominance and
control are bound to create stress and the slow
deterioration of the relationship, however well it might
have started.
Men often do not listen to the nuances of what the wife
says. Muhammad, pbuh, did. Women communicate differently
from men. The Prophet, pbuh, knew that. Let's follow his
example. One won't find him , in ALL of Hadith literature,
trying to suppress and subordinate 'Ayesha, r.a., or any
other woman.
Textual notes: [Emphasis added.]
"Say: For me, I have an obvious sign from my Lord, but
you reject it. What you would see hastened is not in my
power. Authority belongs to Allah alone. He declares the
Truth, and He is the best of Judges." [The Qur'an 6:57.]
"Men are then returned to Allah, their Protector, the
Reality. Authority belongs to Him Alone. and He is the
swiftest in taking account." [6:62]
[Yusuf, pbuh, said] "If not Him, ye worship nothing but
names which ye have named - ye and your fathers - for which
Allah has sent you no ruling: Authority is for None but
Allah; He has commanded that ye worship none but Him; that
is the right religion, but most people understand not."
[12:40]
[Jacob, pbuh, said] "O my sons! enter not all by one gate:
enter ye by different gates. Not that I can benefit you
against Allah! None has authority other than Allah. On Him
do I put my trust, and let all that trust put their trust on
Him." [12:67.]
"And He is Allah: there is no god but He! To Him be praise
at the first and at the last! To Him belongs Authority and
to Him shall ye all be brought back." [28:70]
[Notice that even Prophets like Jacob and Yusuf have no
authority. There is no question of an ordinary person like
the husband having authority.]
[Some translators use the word "command' for hukm or
Authority but that is an incorrect translation. Command is
'Amr. However hukm has other uses too depending on the
Qur'anic context.]
"O mankind! We created you from male and female and made
you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other.
Surely the noblest of you with Allah are the ones among you
who are best in conduct [taqwa]. Surely Allah is All
Knowing, Aware." [49:13]
"The believers, men and women are protectors and
guardians [awliyya] of each other. They enjoin what is just
and forbid what is evil: they establish prayer , give zakat
regularly, and they obey Allah and His messenger. On them
will Allah pour His mercy, for Allah is Exalted in Power,
Wise. Allah has promised the believers, men and women,
gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein, and
beautiful mansions, in Gardens of everlasting bliss. But the
greatest Bliss is the Pleasure of [acceptance by] Allah.
That is the supreme felicity." [9:71-72]
[Commentators agree that these were the final verses
revealed on this subject.]
"And their Lord has accepted of them and answered them:
'Never will I allow to be lost the efforts of any of you, be
ye male or female: Ye are from each other. Those [men and
women] who left their homes, or have been driven out from
there or suffered injuries in My cause, or fought or been
slain, - surely, I will blot out from their sins and admit
them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, - a reward
from the presence of Allah, and from His Presence is the
best of rewards.' " [3:195]
The Qur'an 33:35
60:12
4:34. Modernists have expended much energy on this verse,
in trying to change its meaning. They forgot that the Qur'an
was revealed progressively over two decades. If this
progression is not taken into account, one can be involved
in tahrif [distortion] of the Qur'an, a deadly sin. For
instance, see the next development of the husband-wife
relationship in 24:6-9, where the husband is no longer
called on to discipline his wife. [Islam followed a similar
progression in dealing with intoxicants, interest and
jihad.]
For the sake of Islam, women often traveled alone, as in
the first hijra to Ethiopia and the great hijra to
Yathrib.
The Qur'an, chapter 42, verse 38.
3: 159
Pakistan
Triple Price Increase.
PDM, PPP, PTI not very Different.
by Qaiser Sharif
Peshawar: June 16:Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq has said
the government dropped another bomb on the nation on
Wednesday midnight by making third massive raise in fuel
prices in a month.
Sitting in the air-conditioned rooms of hilly Islamabad, the
rulers were bent upon sucking every drop of blood from the
bodies of poor people, he added while addressing a press
conference at JI KP headquarters here on Thursday.
The unity government of the PDM and the PPP, he said, was
continuation of the policies of the PTI regime. And the most
surprising fact was that the rulers of three parties were
still telling the people they were the solution to the
problems of Pakistan, he said.
"They [rulers] are not the solution to the problems rather
they are fully responsible to the crises which the country
has been facing for long years."
The three parties (the PML-N, the PPP and the PTI) had
pushed the country to the prevailing situation due to
ill-conceived policies. They, he added, promoted corruption,
nepotism and accumulated wealth for their coming
generations, depriving the masses from the basic needs of
life. Sitting on the heaps of wealth, he said, they were
continuously making false claims and telling lies to the
public. On one side, he said, 85 percent population of
Pakistan was forced to drink contaminated water, millions of
children were out of schools due to poverty, millions of
educated youth was jobless and over 80 million people were
living below the poverty lines and on the other side ruling
elite was taking Rs2600 billion subsidy from the government.
Over 12 to 14 hours load shedding continued in all over the
country and a single bread price had gone to Rs20, he
regretted.
This nation, he said, had not needed the money from the IMF
rather the funds went to the pockets of rulers who then
laundered it and sent to their bank accounts abroad. The
nation, he said, had to get rid of the three parties and
vote for the capable and honest people who felt the pain of
Pakistan and its people. He rejected the budget and hike in
fuel prices and announced to launch train march against the
anti-poor policies of the rulers from June 25.
War News
Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso
Al Jazeera is reporting big
expansion of Islamic State
attacks.
Non governmental sources tell al Jazeera that ISIS has
become strong enough to
attack on three frontiers hundreds of miles apart:
Mali
Mali-Niger border
Burkina Faso
Government forces killed several hundred suporters of ISIS
but now Islamic fighters are killing supporters of the the
three governments.
France is retreating and being replaced by Russian private army.
Ukraine
Grinding war continues.
Hundreds killed on both sides.
Russian army .steadily advancing,
Ukraine counterattacking, wants more weapons
Pakistan
Scattered fighting in North Waziristan. Ugly incidents in
Baluchistan.
Syria
Russian, US & Turkish Forces Reinforced.
June 19. SOHR reports that following a prison break near
al-Raqqah city, a number of ISIS prisoners escaped.
Assad regime troops and Fath al-Mubeen Islamic group
exchanged heavy fire in Jabal al-Akrad [Latakia
province].
Factional fighting between groups supporting Turkey are
reported. Two civilians killed 4 wounded.
June 18. Assad regime snipers killed one opposition fighter
and injured another on Idlib border.
Turkish artillery hit SDF positions in Tel Tamr area
[Hasakeh province]
American helicopter force captured an ISIS suspect in
Hasakeh countryside.
Assads artillery shelled 6 villages in western Aleppo
province.
In an attack by Jaish al-Nasr Islamic group, 3 of Assad's
troops and an officer were killed in Sahl al-Ghab [west of
Hama].
June 17. ISIS fighters killed an SDF man in al-Basirah
city.
In al-Hawl refugee camp two women were killed in fighting
with ISIS women.
Five Palestinian militia organized by Russia were killed in
ISIS ambush near Palmyra city.
Further east in the Homs desert ISIS killed 9 Iranian-Assad
troops
.
June 15. Assad forces used artillery to kill 5 opposition
fighters in Idlib countryside.
In Deraa province gunmen killed an Assad soldier and a
civilian.
[SOHR has disclosed that the ISIS activist captured in an
American helicopter attack near Turkish border in Aleppo
province was not a top official but the son of a former
Sharia official. This incident was heavily publicized in
American media as a success by Biden. The American
helicopters retreated after facing gunfire from numerous
ISIS fighters in the area whom the Americans wanted to
capture. ]
News Within the U.S.
[imagine what a write up hijabi sister Allison would have
received if she were a non-Muslim fighting Russia in
Ukraine. - NT]
7 Jun 2022
US woman accused of leading all-female ISIL unit pleads guilty
US Justice Department says more than '100 women and young
girls' received military training from Allison
Fluke-Ekren.
An American woman accused of leading an all-female ISIL
(ISIS) battalion has pleaded guilty in United States court
to conspiring to provide material support to a "terrorist"
organisation.
Allison Fluke-Ekren entered her plea at a federal courtroom
in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC. She faces up to 20
years in Jail, the US Justice Department said.
"Over 100 women and young girls, including as young as 10 or
11-years-old, received military training from Fluke-Ekren in
Syria on behalf of ISIS," the US Department of Justice said
in a statement on Tuesday.
Fluke-Ekren, who had been captured in Syria, was brought to
the US late in January to face charges. She will be
sentenced on October 25.
"Fluke-Ekren sought to motivate her trainees by explaining
how female fighters can ensure the Islamic State is kept
alive by 'helping ISIS expand and to remain' through the use
of weapons, including automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles,
grenades, and suicide belts packed with explosives," the
Justice Department said on Tuesday.
A criminal complaint dated 2019, which was unsealed earlier
this year, cited the testimonies of several witnesses who
told US officials that Fluke-Ekren discussed waging attacks
in the US and had translated ISIL material into English.
"According to a witness, in or about late 2016, the 'Wali'
(or ISIS-appointed mayor) of Raqqa, Syria, allegedly
permitted the opening of the 'Khatiba Nusaybah,' which was a
military battalion comprised solely of female ISIS members
who were married to male ISIS fighters," the Department of
Justice said in a statement in January.
"Shortly thereafter, Fluke-Ekren allegedly became the leader
and organizer of the battalion."
It added that the all-women brigade was active during the
2017 siege of Raqqa, ISIL's de facto capital and one of its
last territorial strongholds until the Syrian city was
seized by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF).
US authorities said the unit offered medical and physical
training as well as weapon preparation courses, some of
which were taught by Fluke-Ekren herself.
Outreach
Person -to -Person.
Masjid ISWA, Silver Spring [ 30 miles south of Baltimore]
It's a beautiful masjid with a golden dome and a tall minaret.
The Juma'a Khutba was about Prophet's. pbuh, marriage with
Khadija, r.a. very relevant to Muslim marriages today. There
was a big crowd.
After the juma', a 6 -page Jamaat al-Muslimeen document
selected from New Trend was given to 75 Muslims. It was an
extremely hot day, 100 degrees, but the crowd was very
receptive.]
The topics in the six pages were:
Kashmir & Indian aggression. [Dr. Firoz]
Muslim world's issues which a masjid should explain. [Dr.
Kaukab Siddique]
Genetics does not support racism. [Dr. T.]
Voices of Uighur Muslim women. [Cornell University.]
Background to suffering of Rohingya Muslims. [Dr. Abdul
Malik Mujahid
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
'As Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatahu.'
'On no soul doth Allah place a burden
greater than it can bear.
It gets every good that it earns,
and it suffers every ill that it earns.
Pray...
Our Lord condemn us not if we forget or fall
into error; our Lord, lay not on us a burden
like that which Thou didst lay
on those before us;
Our Lord, lay not on us a burden greater
than we have strength to bear.
blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness.
have mercy on us.
Thou art our protector;
help us against those who stand against faith.'
{'Aameen'}~{'Aameen'}~{'Aameen'}
[Source~Qur'an~Surat al Baqarah (the Cow)~2~A # 286 ]
'Allah Never throws you deeper than you can go.
He throws you from such a height where
He knows yes, you may fall...
!
gain a few scratches, and open some wounds,
but He also knows...
how much 'sabr' tolerance and will power
you have to stand back up {!}
Yes we all complain, moan and cry saying
'Why Me'... {?}
but why do we forget that
This Life is a Test !
Allah is making you, not breaking you.
Allah is by your side...!
He is your Shadow and your Guiding Light..."
{'Alhamdullilah'}
My LOVE, My HEART,My SOUL !
The Prophet [Sal-Allâhu Alayhi wa Sallam] said...
'The example of the one who remembers (glorifies the Praises
of) his Lord (Allâh), in comparison to the one who does not
remember
his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead
one.'
[Source~ Sahih Al-Bukhari]
***************************************************************************
~ My 'Salaams' to all ~
~ Y a s m i n ~
'All that is on earth will Perish. But will abide {Forever}
the Face of thy LORD, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor'
{'Qur'an'- Surah Al-Rahman-55.26-27 }
**********************************************
Say, 'Indeed, my Prayer, my Rites of Sacrifice,
my Living and my Dying are for ALLAH, Lord of the
Worlds'.
{'Qur'an'~Surat Al-'An'am -# 6-162.}
{'In Shaa Allah'~'Aameen'}
********************************************
I Want to Die With my Forehead on the Ground!
The Sunnah in my Heart, Allah on my Mind,
Qur'an on my Tongue, and Tears in my Eyes!
{ 'In Shaa Allah'~'Aameen'~}
Occupation forces attack Palestinian workers near Tulkarm
TULKARM, Sunday, June 19, 2022 (WAFA) - Israeli
occupatio
n forces today attacked scores of Palestinian workers near
the Israeli segregation barrier south of the city of Tulkarm
in the north of the West Bank, as the former were heading to
their workplaces inside Israel, according to witnesses.
Soldiers reportedly chased the workers and attacked them
with teargas near the Tayibe military checkpoint, causing
many cases of suffocation from gas inhalation among the
workers.
Palestinian workers in the occupied West Bank usually opt
for alternative routes to avoid overcrowding at major
Israeli checkpoints in their daily journey to their
workplaces, and are often attacked by Israeli soldiers
whenever they try to cross the Israeli segregation
barrier.
Tens of thousands
protested against Indian blasphemy
related to Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.
They carried placards saying, "We Love Muhammad, pbuh."
They demand ban on Indian goods and expulsion
of Indian diplomats and condemned mistreatment of Muslim in
India. [June 17]
International Concern about China's Oppression.
14 Jun 2022
Dozens of countries have voiced concern about alleged abuses
in China's far western Xinjiang region, and demanded that
the United Nations rights chief publish a long-delayed
report on the situation there.
[al Jazeera]
"We continue to be gravely concerned about the human rights
situation in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region," Paul
Bekkers, the Dutch ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the
UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday.
US slams China's effort to 'manipulate' UN envoy's Xinjiang
visit
Xi defends China's record during talks with UN human rights
chief
What will the UN see as it finally visits China's
Xinjiang?
Delivering a joint statement on behalf of 47 countries,
Bekkers pointed to a number of "credible reports" indicating
that more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim
minorities have been arbitrarily detained. Beijing has
admitted that there are camps but that they are "vocational
skills training centres" and necessary to tackle
"extremism".
"There are reports of ongoing widespread surveillance,
discrimination against Uighurs and other persons belonging
to minorities," he said.
The Chinese government spokesperson responded to the
statement condemning the Netherlands and other countries for
"spreading lies and rumours to attack China." "We
categorically reject these allegations" spokesperson Chen Xu
said angrily, calling the questioning "attempts to engage in
political manipulation". Ambassador Xu also hailed the
Bachelet visit insisting that it had "enhanced her
understanding of China's path of human rights development".
He also said that the "hyped-up-so-called" Xinjiang report
violated her mandate and should not be published at all.
The Uyghur Muslim community in exile has extensively spoken
about the atrocities the people in East Turkestan continue
to face. A BBC report published last month showed hacked
files that contain over 5,000 photographs taken by the
police of over 2,000 laypeople who were reportedly
detained.
Prisoner of the week:
SAMUEL BAPTISTE
09681104
USP Marion
U.S. PENITENTIARY
P.O. BOX 1000
MARION, IL 62959
Good News
Br. Ahmed Abdel Sattar
has been released after many years.
Totally innocent brother of Egyptian origin
is back with his family.
Dissecting the Holocaust
by Germar Rudolf
600 pages.
Remembering Ernst Zundel.
He openly challenged the biggest Israeli myth.
That these are the opening lyrics of a popular song
illustrates that even in
the age of deceit and censorship we live in, this concept is
still deeply ingrained in the psyche of people throughout
the world.
The story told by the latest addition to our catalog is
proof positive
that this isn't just an epic-sounding axiom, but that it's a
demonstrably
true statement. In this new volume, you will learn the
incredible true
story of the second trial of Ernst Zundel . . . a day of
infamy in the annals
of the free world in which history has recorded that it was
not just an
embattled free speech activist who was on trial that
unforgettable
day, but the very official narrative of the Holocaust for
which he
was being criminally prosecuted for questioning.
Africa
From Br. Abu Talib:
Please help the orphans in
Ghana
Gambia and
Senegal.
[We have also received pictures of the children.
Please appeal against the bombing of Somalia.
Tell Ilhan Omar to speak against the bombing in
Somalia.
Why is she visiting Pakistan?
Biggest Rohingya Muslim Rally in Bangladesh.
We want to go home. June 19
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees participated in
rallies at dozens of camps in southeast Bangladesh -
Copyright AFP Tanbir MIRAJ
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh staged
demonstrations on Sunday demanding repatriation back to
Myanmar, where they fled a brutal military crackdown five
years ago.
Almost a million Rohingya are confined to bamboo and
tarpaulin shacks in 34 squalid camps in southeast
Bangladesh, with no work, poor sanitation and little access
to education.
Their increasingly restrictive host country has banned them
from holding rallies since they staged a massive
100,000-strong protest in August 2019.
But authorities allowed several groups of Rohingya to hold
simultaneous "Go Home" marches and rallies ahead of World
Refugee Day on Monday.
"We don't want to stay in the camps. Being refugees is not
easy. It's hell. Enough is enough. Let's go home," top
Rohingya community leader Sayed Ullah said in a speech at
one rally.
In 2018, investigators from a United Nations fact-finding
mission into the killings and forced mass exodus of Rohingya
Muslims in Myanmar concluded that a criminal investigation
and prosecution was warranted of top Myanmar generals for
crimes against humanity and genocide.
Sunday's demonstrations come after the foreign secretaries
of Bangladesh and Myanmar last week held a meeting —
their first in nearly three years — by video
conference.
A Bangladesh foreign ministry official told AFP that during
the meeting Dhaka pressed Naypyidaw for the repatriation of
Rohingya refugees to start this year.
"We are hopeful the repatriation will start after the
monsoon this year at least in a limited scale," he said on
condition of anonymity.
Police said thousands of refugees, including young children,
joined the marches and rallies, standing on roads and alleys
with placards that read "Enough is Enough! Let's Go
Home".
"Over 10,000 Rohingya took part in the rally in the camps
under my jurisdiction," police official Naimul Haque told
AFP, referring to Kutupalong, the largest refugee settlement
in the world.
Police and organisers said more than 1,000 Rohingya took
part in each of the rallies in at least 29 camps.
Authorities deployed extra security in the camps to prevent
any violence, Haque said, adding that the demonstrations
"passed off peacefully".
- No guarantees -
Previous repatriation attempts have failed, with Rohingya
refusing to go home until Myanmar gives the largely Muslim
minority guarantees of rights and security.
With a dialect similar to that spoken in Chittagong in
southeast Bangladesh, the Rohingya are seen by many in
Myanmar as "illegal immigrants", a characterisation the
community does not agree with.
Rohingya leaders say they want to go back to their original
villages in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, not to camps that
Myanmar's government has built for internally displaced
people.
Refugee Rahmat Ullah, 69, said he wants to go back home.
"We are Rohingya, not Bengalis. We want repatriation with
full rights restored," he told AFP.
Young refugee Mohammad Haris said he does not want to "die a
refugee".
"I want my rights. I want to go home where I can study and
think of a future," he said.
