The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in partnership with HUMANiTi Malaysia, an NGO, held an iftar to celebrate Ramadan by bringing together more than 500 members from the local Rohingya refugee community. Rohingya children and families joined in the blessings of this holy month at the iftar event held at the Saidina Othman Ibn Affan Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, 18 June 2016. The Director General of the OIC Cabinet and Special Advisor, Dr. Yusuf Al-Othaimeen, welcomed the guests and delivered a speech on behalf of the OIC Secretary General, Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani, in support of the humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering and hardship faced by Rohingya refugees. He extended sincere thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the OIC Special Envoy for Myanmar, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar and the Organizing Committee for the Iftar. Dr Al-Othaimeen also expressed thanks to the Malaysian authorities for their support to the Rohingya people and to the OIC's efforts to alleviate their suffering. "The overwhelming concern on intolerance in Myanmar, which caused the mass migration of Rohingya refugees to neighbouring countries has escalated into a regional crisis. In this, it has caused human rights abuses and crises with severe humanitarian consequences, statelessness, segregation, gender-based discrimination, mass outflow of refugees and other threats to state security," said Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. Syed Hamid Albar, OIC Special Envoy for Myanmar and President of HUMANITI Malaysia. Efforts are being intensified to address the deplorable situation faced by the refugees, with emphasis on providing basic access to education for children. Among the recent outreach programmes conducted include the distribution of school bags and books to Rohingya children in the Districts of Klang (300 children), Ampang (600 children) and Serdang (120 children). This was made possible with allocation received from the OIC Islamic Solidarity Fund (ISF) headquartered in Jeddah. "To ensure the sustainability of humanitarian efforts for the Rohingya community in Malaysia, several measures have been taken by HUMANiTi Malaysia to ensure refugees continue to have equitable access to basic needs and livelihood opportunities, including medical attention and education", said Ahmad Tarmizi Mukhtar, Secretary General of HUMANiTi Malaysia. Efforts are also underway to enhance the refugees' resilience towards potential conflicts and natural disasters. The iftar event also brought together representatives from the OIC member countries, Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister's Department, NGOs and various private entities who have come forward to support.
