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Arakan Muslim Leaders Declare Firm Rejection of Extremist Groups ARSA, RSO, and ARA in Northern Arakan
- globalarakannetwork
- Nov 5
- 3 min read
News
Global Arakan Network November 5, 2025
Muslim leaders in Arakan strongly and unequivocally declared their complete rejection of the Islamist extremist militant groups ARSA, RSO, and ARA during a public meeting of Muslim residents held on October 30 in Aung Pa village, Buthidaung Township.
The declaration was made at the Muslim public gathering organized at 10:00 a.m. on October 30.
At the event, Jury member Maulvi Abdul Qani stated:
“These militant terrorist groups—ARSA, RSO, and ARA—are being used by the Bangladesh Border Guard Force (BGB) as their own soldiers. They are then sent back to ARSA, RSO, and ARA with weapons. They falsely claim they will seize the Arakan state. But in reality, they arrest, torture, and kill Muslims and Arakanese people living along the Mayu mountain range. We Muslims absolutely do not want these terrorist groups ARSA, RSO, and ARA.”
He further said that as early as 2016, the ARSA terrorist group collaborated with the terrorist Myanmar military to brutally massacre Muslims in villages including Sein Nyin Pyar and Gu Ta Pyin. In 2017, during the Myanmar military’s attacks on both Rakhine and Muslim populations, they forced Muslim youth and madrasa students to undergo training. At that time, the Myanmar military abducted around 400 Muslim women and gang-raped them. Additionally, approximately 5,000 Muslims were sent to Teknaf (in Bangladesh), according to Maulvi Abdul Qani.
He added that when the Arakan Army began its offensive to capture Buthidaung and Maungdaw, the fascist terrorist military junta (SAC) trained Muslims as People’s Militia, ordered them to burn down Rakhine-owned homes in Buthidaung, and incited conflict between Rakhine and Muslim communities from all sides.
Currently, a new militant leader named “Abu Ammar Zawni” has emerged. This Zawni comes from abroad, hides in the hills of northern Maungdaw, uses a Muslim name, and causes various kinds of suffering to Muslim parents and people, he said.
Basel, the head of the Maungdaw District Jury, also stated (as quoted): “During the clashes between the Arakan Army and the military junta in Maungdaw Township, more than 1,000 people lost their lives—but a very few victims were from the Muslim community.”
Muslim leaders who attended the event firmly affirmed that under the current Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government, the Muslim community in Arakan enjoys equal rights including:
Freedom of religion and worship
Freedom of movement
Right to livelihood
Right to education
Right to serve as government employees
They also recalled that on August 30, the ULA Chairperson personally visited Maungdaw and met with Muslim leaders, where he said:
“Everyone living in this land is a citizen of this country. Everyone is equal. Everyone must participate together and work. Only then will rights and opportunities come.”
He further stated: “Learn from what has happened, and from now on, work together as brothers, hand in hand.”
Similarly, another senior Jury member, Mamat Noor, said:
“Leave past issues in the past. See each other positively. Live like family members sharing one pot and one home—like brothers. Every Rakhine person also believes in their heart that we will all live equally.”
Mamat Noor continued:
“We must all live equally. We cannot discriminate against each other. The Arakan Army represents all ethnic people living in Arakan. We must live in the best possible way from now on. If we do so, the future will be the best.”
The public meeting held in the morning of October 30 in Payapyin Aung Pa village, Buthidaung Township, was attended by over 1,200 Muslim residents, including village administrators, Jury members, and other community leaders.
source@arakanprincessmedia
