Myanmar: Muslim States, the OIC and the Rohingya

Summary

The OIC and Turkey back the Rohingya's case for justice in words, funds and aid, while Malaysia, long their refuge, has begun deporting them to a Myanmar still at war.

What it argues

1. OIC solidarity under scrutiny

   The OIC calls the Rohingya a top priority and repeats pledges of justice and accountability on each anniversary of the 2017 crackdown. An Al Jazeera opinion piece says the OIC must turn 'another communiqué' into action when its 57 foreign ministers meet in Baghdad on October 17. The OIC's rhetoric of solidarity faces a test as member states gather after the ICJ ruling.

2. Turkey's diplomatic push

   Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Türkiye works with neighbouring states and international bodies to seek a 'permanent and just' solution. He praises Bangladesh's 'historic humanitarian sacrifice' in hosting over a million Rohingya and pledges continued diplomatic engagement. Turkey frames itself as sustaining international attention on the crisis through aid and diplomacy.

3. Malaysia reverses course

   Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim invited junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to Kuala Lumpur to coordinate returns, reversing decades of de facto refuge. Human Rights Watch says ASEAN's ban on junta officials at its meetings should hold, and members should not arrange bilateral visits that undermine it. A government long seen as a haven for the Rohingya now negotiates directly with the junta over their removal.

4. International legal pressure

   The OIC funds and urges members to back The Gambia's ICJ genocide case, calling it a top priority; a ruling would be the ICJ's first genocide finding against a state in its 80-year history. An OIC-led Human Rights Council resolution calls for independent investigations, noting no Rohingya has yet returned under existing repatriation mechanisms. Legal and diplomatic pressure on Myanmar has built for years without producing a safe return.

5. Deportations and the law

   The ICC prosecutor has requested an arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing for alleged crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch says Malaysia's deportations breach the nonrefoulement principle and a prior Malaysian court order barring such returns. Legal action against the junta's leader proceeds even as Malaysia sends people back into its reach.

6. Scholars' call to act

   In 2017 the International Union of Muslim Scholars declared Muslims obliged to help Rohingya fleeing Rakhine state. Its secretary-general urged Muslim countries to boycott Myanmar and mosques worldwide to raise the issue at Friday prayers. Religious authorities framed aiding the Rohingya as a duty binding on Muslims everywhere.

7. Hostility rises in Malaysia

   Al Jazeera reports surging online hate speech and misinformation against Rohingya, including mockery and street confrontations filmed for social media. Rohingya children remain barred from formal schooling and families from healthcare, relying on donor-funded informal classes. Human Rights Watch says Malaysian officials have described refugees as a financial burden, social problem and security threat. Public and official sentiment in Malaysia has turned sharply against a community it once tolerated.

8. Funding, livelihoods and trade

   The OIC asks members to fund The Gambia's litigation, while Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh survive on food aid worth as little as $7 per person a month. Al Jazeera reports Rohingya in Malaysia are increasingly turned away even from informal work, as Türkiye and Bangladesh discuss raising bilateral trade to $2 billion. Muslim states back the legal case and trade ties while Rohingya livelihoods and aid remain precarious.