Abdul Rasheed is a businessman who dreams of one day holding elected office in his native Myanmar. Unfortunately for him, he has been disallowed from contesting the November 8 general election. Mr Rasheed is not alone. He is among at least six individuals whose applications have been rejected after they were unable to prove that their parents were citizens at the time of their birth – as mandated by election law. But the underlying factor behind the rejections is far more sinister, as it involves their Rohingya identity and, by extension, their status as full citizens of Myanmar in the eyes of the authorities.
More than a decade after the country's military junta introduced much-needed political reforms, such incidents have made it painfully clear that the forces of majoritarianism and bigotry are threatening to undermine the incremental steps Myanmar has undertaken to realise its democratic ambitions.
In August 2017, chauvinistic attitude towards minorities led the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s powerful military, to carry out an untold number of brutalities – including arson, mass killing and rape – against the Rohingya. More than 740,000 of them were forced to flee to Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries, resulting in the largest human exodus since the Vietnam War.
Read More on the Rohingya crisis
A refugee crisis continues to this day, with few able or willing to return to Myanmar, despite international pressure on the government to rehabilitate them and a provisional order by the International Court of Justice to cease violence against them. Even as they live in refugee camps in Bangladesh – where they have little freedom to move and, at one point, were even denied internet access – they fear for their safety on return.
The situation is unacceptable, but sadly, unsurprising. At the heart of the crisis is identity: the Myanmar government does not recognise the existence of the Rohingya, considering them to be Bengalis who illegally immigrated from Bangladesh, rather than a minority group that has inhabited Myanmar's Rakhine State for centuries. It has not helped that successive governments have taken away their legal documentation, making it difficult for them to show any proof of origin.
And so, three years after looking the other way as its armed forces committed their atrocities, the Myanmar government has shown its refusal to rehabilitate this group of mostly Muslims into the Buddhist-majority country. It has also shown little willingness to include the more than 600,000 Rohingya who continue to live in the country in the political process. The recent rejections of the candidatures of people like Mr Rasheed have made clear the limits of reform.
It is important to remember that the same Aung San Suu Kyi who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for human rights currently helms Myanmar's government. While she has acknowledged the Tatmadaw's atrocities, she has shown little contrition. The scale of the challenge facing supporters of a freer, more pluralistic and tolerant Myanmar is daunting.
And yet, as the nation continues transition away from military rule, a handful of Rohingya have rightly and rightfully sought to contest the polls. Their decision to do so is a statement to the authorities that the participation of minorities in the political process is critical to achieving Myanmar’s greatest aspirations.
Company%20profile
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RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
Five out of five stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
