(Washington, D.C., 9/15/17) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the largest coalition of leading national and local Muslim organizations in America, met separately in the last few days with the ambassadors of Myanmar, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Turkey, intensifying its international diplomatic campaign to immediately end the brutal ethnic cleansing and savage persecution of the Rohingya by Myanmar and to open all routes for their humanitarian assistance ahead of a comprehensive political solution.
“We held constructive meetings with each of the ambassadors, who obviously represent entities with very different positions and commitments regarding the Rohingya” says Oussama Jammal, USCMO Secretary General. “We focused on common ground to establish channels for American Muslims to help the Rohingya survive the catastrophe they face now and to undo the insupportable conditions that have allowed it for their future.”
Jammal cautions that the meetings constituted “verbal affirmations” for “first steps” of cooperation with American Muslim organizations, particularly with Myanmar.
“We have considerable differences with Myanmar but came to several crucial in-principle agreements which we hope to announce jointly with its ambassador in a few days,” he says.
“First and foremost, it is about creating in-person contact and dialogue with Myanmar Ambassador U Aung Lynn and finding ways to formalize and regularize both. Our push is to open a direct door for American Muslims to help alleviate the Rohingya’s literally life-and-death needs now, to become firsthand observers of their conditions and to advocate for their human rights and political enfranchisement into the future.”
USCMO representatives also met with OIC’s Agshin Mediyev, ambassador for its permanent observer mission to the United Nations. They thanked him for the OIC’s September 2 statement in defense of the Rohingya, but urged OIC Muslim member nations to take much more persuasive, unified diplomatic and economic actions against Myanmar, and to set comprehensive policies of humanitarian aid and enforced human rights protection for this stateless, downtrodden Muslim people with no champion. OIC and USCMO will continue their communications to monitor the situation in Myanmar.
USCMO also paid a special visit to the Turkish Embassy and expressed their gratitude to the Turkish people in standing up for the Rohingya in their meeting with Ambassador Serdar Kiliç. They commended in particular the initiative of First Lady Emine Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoğlu for their recent visit to the Rohingya of the Kutupalong refugee camp. There they personally consoled wounded residents and distributed much needed aid, announcing Turkey’s intention to supply as many as 100,000 Rohingya families with food, medicine, and winter necessities.
“We want the Turkish people to know that American Muslims have taken note of their president’s witness on behalf of the Rohingya, that we seek to cooperate in upholding the Rohingya’s human rights and in helping them recover their lives, rights, and future. Whatever their religion, it is about the greater good of all.” Jammal says.
USCMO officials continue to vigorously pursue their diplomatic initiative on behalf of the Rohingya and will announce the results of their full slate of meetings scheduled with both American and international political and consulate representatives as they occur.
USCMO strongly urge American Muslims to continue to press their congressional representatives and Senators to enact a life-saving bill now in support of the beleaguered Rohingya.
