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The Development of a Muslim Enclave inArakan (Rakhine) State of Burma (Myanmar)
- May 1
- 1 min read
By Dr. Aye Chan
Published in 2005
This academic study, authored by historian Aye Chan, provides a critical historical analysis of the ethnic and political evolution of the Muslim population in Myanmar's western frontier. The paper primarily contests the historical narrative that the term "Rohingya" represents an indigenous identity with a thousand-year history in the region, instead asserting that the label was created by Bengali Muslim intellectuals in the early 1950s. The author identifies these individuals as direct descendants of immigrants from the Chittagong District of modern-day Bangladesh who migrated to Arakan during the British colonial administration following 1826.
The research details how British economic policies facilitated a massive influx of seasonal and permanent agricultural laborers to cultivate the fertile Kaladan and Lemro valleys. This shift resulted in a dramatic demographic transformation; census records cited in the paper show that between 1871 and 1911, the "Mahomedan" population in the Akyab District increased by over 200%, eventually becoming the dominant group in the Mayu Frontier. This rapid migration, coupled with the British "Zamindary" land system, laid the groundwork for deep-seated communal resentment.
Furthermore, the paper examines the violent escalation of these tensions during World War II, specifically highlighting the role of the "V Force"—a local militia armed by the British—in the destruction of Buddhist monasteries and the massacre of Arakanese civilians. The study concludes by tracing post-independence movements, from the "Mujahid" rebellion seeking an Islamic state to the modern emergence of various liberation fronts. Ultimately, Aye Chan argues that the "Rohingya" identity emerged as a political necessity to claim indigenous status after attempts at irredentism with Pakistan failed.
