The Way Pan-Rohingya Scholar-Activists Faked the Arakan History

Aung Naing Lin, Opinion January 17, 2026

History in Arakan carries deep meaning for its people. It shapes identity, land rights, and trust between communities. Yet the Rohingya/Muslim crisis shows how history becomes a tool for conflict when twisted for political gain. Rakhine Buddhists and other non-Muslim groups in northern Arakan have suffered from these distortions, which push an expansionist agenda and treat local people as obstacles.

For decades, pan-Rohingya scholar-activists, starting with figures like Ba Tha, have built false narratives. Their goal is clear: to split Arakan into two parts — a Muslim-controlled north and a Rakhine south. This idea does not come from shared history. It serves a larger plan to expand Bengali Muslim territory into Arakan. Some even dream of linking it further to Muslim-majority areas in southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Such ambitions ignore the real roots of Arakan's people and fuel division.

These activists rewrite the past to fit their needs. They claim Rohingya existed in Arakan since the 7th century ACE, during the time of 'Vasili,' even before Rakhines arrived by crossing the Arakan Roma mountains. No solid evidence supports this. Ancient records, inscriptions, and archaeology point to Rakhine presence and culture long before any large Muslim settlement. This early claim tries to make Muslims the original inhabitants and Rakhines latecomers.

Next, they invent stories about help from the Bengali Sultan to King Min Saw Mon in 1430 ACE. They say this aid built the Mrauk-U kingdom. Primary sources from the time — royal chronicles, stone inscriptions, and foreign accounts — show no such support. Min Saw Mon regained his throne through alliances with local powers and his own efforts after exile in Bengal. The claim lacks proof and serves only to insert Muslim influence into the founding of Mrauk-U.

Monks and Pagodas in Famous Koe-Thaung Temple

The most dangerous claim is that Muslims formed the majority or ruled as the dominant class during the Mrauk-U dynasty. Records tell a different story. The dynasty lasted over 350 years with Rakhine kings at the center. Muslims lived in Arakan, especially as traders, soldiers, and settlers from Bengal, but they never held majority power or control. Kings granted some rights to Muslim communities, yet the core identity remained Rakhine Buddhist. These false ideas aim to justify later growth of Chittagonian Muslim populations during British colonial rule and after independence. By claiming ancient dominance, activists try to turn recent migration into rightful ownership.

Such distortions harm everyone. They erase the shared past of Arakan, where different groups lived together under Rakhine rule. They turn neighbors into enemies by rewriting who belongs. When history gets faked, it blocks honest talk about today's problems — land, rights, and peace.

True history needs careful study of primary sources: inscriptions, chronicles, traveler accounts, and archaeology. It shows Arakan as a multi-ethnic land with Rakhine culture at its heart, open to trade and influence but never dominated by one group. Pan-Rohingya narratives push separation, not unity.

Arakan's people deserve better. Leaders and communities must reject fake history and focus on facts. Only honest history can heal old wounds and build a future where all groups feel secure. Division through lies helps no one. Truth, even when hard, offers the real path to peace.