Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to help end the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority. Najib told the opening of a special meeting of OIC foreign ministers to discuss the crisis that it was no longer Myanmar's internal affair as it has fueled an exodus of refugees that could destabilize the region. He warned that the violence must end before terrorist organizations such as the ISIS group infiltrate and radicalize the Rohingyas. "OIC member states are well aware that terrorist organizations such as Daesh could seek to take advantage of this situation," Najib warned, using the Arabic acronym for the ISIS group. Secretary General of the OIC Yousef Bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, speaks during the opening of an extraordinary session (AP) Security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar are accused of widespread abuses against the Rohingya, including killings, rape and the burning of thousands of homes that have driven an estimated 65,000 refugees across the border into Bangladesh in the past three months. Najib, who has urged Myanmar to halt what he called "genocide" against the Rohingyas, said Malaysia was already hosting 56,000 Rohingya refugees. He urged Myanmar to stop all discrimination and attacks against the Rohingyas, and repeated calls for Myanmar to allow the free delivery of aid to affected areas and provide for the safe return of refugees. "This must happen now...the government of Myanmar disputes the terms 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing' but whatever the terminology, the Rohingyas cannot wait," he said. Najib said Malaysia will donate another 10 million ringgit ($2.25 million) for humanitarian aid and social rehabilitation projects in Rakhine state, where most of the Rohingyas live. Myanmar's army began a crackdown in Rakhine in October after nine policemen were killed in attacks along the border. The government and the army have rejected accusations of abuses and killings, saying they have been conducting only a "clearance operation." Rohingya villagers and activists say hundreds of civilians have been killed, although that cannot be verified because authorities have limited access for aid workers and journalists to areas where the deaths occurred. Recent satellite images showed thousands of houses were burned. Despite living in Myanmar for generations, an estimated 1 million Rohingya are barred from citizenship in the nation of 50 million, and instead live as some of the world's most persecuted people. More than 100,000 Rohingya are living in squalid internal displacement camps. A small group of Rohingyas gathered at the building where the OIC ministers are meeting and repeated calls for an independent investigation into the situation in Rakhine.
