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Mohib Ullah Assassinated
Mohib Ullah Assassinated
Mohib Ullah Assassinated
Mohib Ullah was a Bengali Muslim (known more recently as ‘Rohingya’ - a disputed term
adopted as a political construct to achieve recognition of a people who have resisted being
a part of the new nation of Burma since it achieved independence from Great Britain in
1948).
He was born in a village in Maungdaw Township, one of only two townships in Rakhine
State (even the entire nation) that has a majority Muslim population. His father was a
teacher, and Mohib Ullah followed in his footsteps, teaching science. He was part of a
generation of middle-class Bengali Muslims (Rohingya) who could still take part in
Myanmar life. He studied botany at a university in Yangon, the country’s largest city, which
is also home to a sizable Muslim population. In the bustling town of Maungdaw - in
northern Rakhine State, Myanmar - with its markets, mosques, and Buddhist temples, on
the border with Bangladesh - he took a Myanmar civil service job as an administrator, and
then became chairman of the Regional Development Association (RDA) of Maungdaw
Town. Some in the ‘Rohingya’ community - especially the militant-minded who were
secretly planning and training to launch another Jihad - became suspicious and wondered
if he was a collaborating informant. Mohib Ullah countered that progress could come only
through some sort of engagement. He continued to have run-ins with other ‘Rohingya’
belonging to other political organizations and/or armed rebellion groups. He continued to
be a teacher and did community work for the French NGO, Gret.
With his English skills and quick smile, he also became an ally of Bangladeshi and
international nongovernmental organization workers, who were trying to manage the influx
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of ‘Rohingya’ refugees into the country. He started and led an NGO - the Arakan Rohingya
Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), an organization that was becoming
increasingly vocal and popular as he emerged as a key refugee leader and spokesperson
in international meetings. Mohib Ullah often gave interviews to Bangladeshi and
international media.
Mohib Ullah was vocal in demanding human rights and greater protection within
Bangladesh’s refugee camps. But his activism conflicted with the militant sections of the
‘Rohingya’ community, particularly the terror group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
(ARSA) and its sympathizers. In 2019, it was reported that Mohib Ullah was kept at a safe
house by Bangladeshi relief coordinators due to threats to his life.
Mohib Ullah came to prominence in 2019, when he was chosen to represent his
community on a visit to meet then-US President Donald Trump at the White House and
attend a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva in 2019. He travelled to the US, and
spoke briefly, in a group meeting, to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. After that,
in a speech before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mohib Ullah tried
to describe all the ways in which the ‘Rohingya’ were denied their humanity, from their
citizenship to their very name. He had been given two minutes to speak and was cut off
promptly after two minutes under the council rules.
These highlights from 2019 have been flagged in the many news reports about Mohib
Ullah that have appeared after his assassination.
It was on Aug 25, 2017, that ARSA launched the largest multi-targeted, coordinated,
systematically planned, Islamic terrorist attacks in world history. Over a mere 3 days - Aug
25-27, 2017 - there were 56 security force bases targeted and 87 villages attacked, by an
estimated 150,000-200,000 assailants, with the intended goal of eliminating all Buddhists,
Hindus, and ethnic minority peoples from the land - in other words - an intended genocide.
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BUT, this is not the reason that Mohib Ullah gathered over 100,000 ‘Rohingya’ to
commemorate. As he saw it, and as he cleverly re-constructed the history of that day, the
‘Rohingya’ gathered to remember their fellow people who were killed as their intended
genocide failed - in other words - it was a gigantic victimhood creation event as speaker
after speaker spoke with highly-charged emotions, pledging their dedication to their
struggle for justice for all Rohingya - the innocent victims of the infidel Buddhists - who
were forced to flee to Bangladesh for no reason whatsoever.
On that day, Mohib Ullah resuscitated and strengthened the ‘Rohingya’ psyche as the most
persecuted victims of completely undeserving wrath, and imbued it with renewed purpose -
to achieve their future goals by convincing the world that they are, indeed, the victims to be
remembered on anniversaries of Aug 25, not the aggressors.
Videos and photographs of Mohib Ullah addressing the massive gathering of white-shirted
Rohingya youth, demanding action against Myanmar and justice for Rohingya, provided
imagery very different from the visual tropes usually deployed when referencing Rohingya
refugees -- of a broken people crying out to be saved and pleading for aid.
However - to many in the Bangladesh government the remembrance event was seen as
some kind of challenge and the ever-growing popular Mohib Ullah as someone who could
potentially be trouble down the line. He quickly became perceived, by the Bangladeshi
authorities, as a person to watch, a potential troublemaker.
Suddenly there were restrictions carried out in the refugee camps: Bangladeshi officials
closed the office of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH),
followed by confiscation of mobile sim cards, a ban on 3G and 4G internet, and barbed
wire fencing was erected around all the camps.
Drug smuggling cartels, such as the Munna gang, fight for control of the narcotics
smuggling, and recruit drug runners.
Families worry that their girls or boys would be kidnapped, trafficked, and sold as child
brides, prostitutes, militants, or servants.
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Extremist groups, like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya
Solidarity Organization (RSO), extort money and goods, kidnap for ransom to finance their
weaponry, and recruit willing or unwilling young frustrated men and boys to be jihadis, and
to carry out beatings and assassinations of those who oppose them.
However, Mohib Ullah was brave enough to speak out against the militant terrorist groups
and their perpetual violence, the criminal racketeers, extortionists, drug smuggling gangs,
and the human traffickers who, for great money, send people out on rickety boats, or sell
girls and women to Arab brothels. As well, he irritated Bangladeshi officials by complaining
about the dehumanizing treatment by Bangladeshi officialdom. For his safety, he
sometimes had to be hidden in safe houses in Cox’s Bazar, the nearest city to the camps.
The terror groups were becoming fearful of Mohib Ullah as he was organizing the
Rohingya community to muster the courage to oppose the criminal activities, and also work
towards their repatriation to Myanmar.
Most of the militant and criminal groups were now actually against the idea of repatriation
of the ‘Rohingya’ refugees to Myanmar because they would lose their power and control
over the people. The refugee camps have become their permanent base of operations and
the return of the refugees to Myanmar would mean losing their base of operations. The
rapidly growing violent groups are poised to silence every strong, reasonable, and decent
voice of Rohingya leaders - like Mohib Ullah.
“Every night is horrific for us as the camp turns into hell. Gunshots are very common now
and are gradually increasing in frequency. We often hear people’s screams. We sometimes
see criminals running around with long knives and long sticks as well.” said a Rohingya
refugee who lives in a camp in Kutupalong, Ukhiya.
According to Cox’s Bazar police, altogether 3,023 Rohingyas have been convicted in 1,297
cases filed since 2017. Among the cases, 73 were filed on charges of murder, 762 on
narcotics charges, 28 for human trafficking, 87 for carrying of illegal weapons, 65 on rape
charges, 10 for robberies, 35 for kidnapping and ransom, and 89 on various other charges.
Threatening WhatsApp audio clips had been circulating among the refugees. In one of the
clips, someone threatens Mohib Ullah on behalf of ARSA. The unidentified man says
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Mohib Ullah will die a “bloody death” if he does not listen to what ARSA commander-in-
chief Ata Ullah says. The nearly six-month-old clip also warns Mohib Ullah against
executing a plan by Professor Wakar Uddin, director-general of Arakan Rohingya Union
currently teaching at Pennsylvania State University in the US. (Wakar Uddin is a very
controversial ‘Rohingya leader’ hated by many ‘Rohingya’ - it may have been a fatal
mistake for Mohib Ullah to deal with Wakar Uddin).
Mohib Ullah knew that he was on an increasingly dangerous path. In a series of WhatsApp
audio messages he sent to a contact in North America, he explicitly states that ARSA was
not happy that he had resisted coming under their control. He stated that the only reason
that ARSA assassins have not killed him yet is because of the international attention it
would bring. In one of the WhatsApp messages he stated clearly that “ARSA works hand in
glove with the government (of Bangladesh)”, which greatly irritated some in the
government. While the ruling Awami League has no tolerance of terrorist groups, and
denies that ARSA has any presence in Bangladesh, it is known that there are elements of
the government and military who do support and assist ARSA and other terrorist groups.
Then, there are the criminal and drug smuggling gangs who hated Mohib Ullah and feared
his efforts to organize resistance to their criminal and violent actions.
One of five men arrested in connection with the assassination of Mohib Ullah murder
admitted before the court that he and others were directly involved in the operation.
Mohammad Elias, son of Rojok Ali is the head majhi (block chief) of C block in number 6
Lombasia Rohingya camp in Kutupalong. Though illiterate, he is known as Master Elias
among Rohingya. Elias confessed that he informed the mastermind, by phone, about the
success of the operation just after they killed him. He described in detail who was involved
in the assassination, but most details have not yet been released by the court. Additionally,
four other arrested men gave important information to the police.
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HOWEVER, MOHIB ULLAH WAS ALSO PART OF THE PROBLEM
Despite his intelligence, English language skills, social charm, and good heart, Mohib Ullah
was subject to the pervasive victimhood syndrome that is a cornerstone of Islamic agenda.
Muslims worldwide - whether they are militant or not, whether they are members of terrorist
groups or working in the modern world of technology - tend to embrace the victimhood
status that is fed to them at the mosques, on social media, and by their upbringing in their
communities.
(Most) Muslims seem to never acknowledge the Islamic agenda, the violence, the
supremacist and intolerant Quran, the actions or inactions of Muslim extremists, the
Islamic history of conquest and forced conversion, and the inability to live in peace and
harmony with people of other faiths. Look at the issues and violence in nearly every Asian
country from Philippines to Pakistan, most African countries from Sudan to Gambia, most
Middle Eastern countries from Turkey to Qatar, and most European countries from Sweden
to Spain.
Despite his appearance as a ‘moderate’ Mohib Ullah said nothing to illuminate the world
about the long history of Muslim violence and conquest which was (and is) virtually non-
stop from the birth of Islam in the 7th century AD. Muslim hordes, in a frenzy of Jihad and
conquest, and the divine goal of elimination of all other people of all other faiths,
conquered lands from Arabia through (the modern lands of) Persia, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
and Bangladesh, to the ‘western gateway’ (Arakan) that is the barrier holding Islam back
from continental Southeast Asia.
Mohib Ullah was an integral part of the largely successful effort to shape public and
political opinion - that all fingers should point to the Burmese and Rakhine people, policies,
and security forces, and NO fingers should EVER point to ANY actions of the Muslims,
and Muslims are the victims - always - and since Muslims never question their victimhood
nobody should question their victimhood.
The murder of Mohib Ullah on Wednesday night has created a huge leadership vacuum
among the moderate Rohingyas across all the 34 camps in Cox’s Bazar, according to
people who worked with the slain leader. Many fear that the demise of Mohib Ullah will
lead to extremist views gaining more ground in the camps. They fear that the death of
Mohib Ullah will allow extremist groups to gain more influence and control, and to forcibly
recruit more and more members. And these gangs will spy upon, attack, ambush, and fight
each other to the detriment of all others, and that might in turn become a serious problem
for the government of Bangladesh.
Individuals who have experience in dealing with Mohib Ullah and his organization, Arakan
Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) say that he was the most popular
leader among the Rohingyas, especially those who lost faith in ARSA after its failure to
annihilate the non-Muslims caused the waves of refugees to flee, and then ARSA’s harsh
rule and violence upon its own people. A high and increasing number of ‘Rohingya' were
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counting on his leadership and international recognition. His departure is all but certain to
subdue the voice of the moderate Rohingya, who will find it difficult to find a new leader of
Mohib Ullah’s calibre.
After US president Biden’s appalling fiasco in Afghanistan in August and September 2021,
particularly the largest abandonment of top-quality modern weapons in world history,
Islamic terrorist leaders and groups worldwide are incredulous, emboldened, and eager to
fight and terrorize again. Undoubtably Ata Ullah, Commander-in-Chief of ARSA is already
seeking to obtain and smuggle massive amounts of weapons to Arakan for the next Jihad.
Before forming Harakah al-Yaqin, later renamed Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
Ata Ullah, along with other leaders of ARSA trained and fought with the Taliban in Pakistan
and Afghanistan.
There are plenty of connections with the Taliban and it is quite certain that weapons from
Afghanistan will reach Arakan.
The criminal gangs in the camps will be in a tizzy trying to control and use the weaponry
for their own purposes. ARSA and other Mujahid terrorist groups will also be increasing
and asserting their power, and recruiting every boy and man, willing or unwilling, with the
promise of having a modern assault rifle, and crushing all opponents with savage brutality.
ARSA will be on a propaganda binge shouting the message - ‘We have guns, bombs,
RPGs, and plenty of ammo now! We will win the next Jihad! The US is weak, ASEAN is
weak, the Tatmadaw (Burmese Army) is weak….Rohingya Zindabar! (Rohingya will be
victorious)’.
The ‘Rohingya’ people in the camps can be easily swayed to this - as it sounds to be
more certain to succeed, and offers what they really want - an autonomous Islamic State
ruled by Sharia Law, for Muslims only.
Despite having some flaws, Mohib Ullah was the best reasonable and intelligent moderate
that the ‘Rohingya’ had. It will be near impossible to replace him, and even if there was
someone, that person would be marked for death immediately.
The Bengali ‘Rohingya’ Muslims are now ecstatically emboldened and they will absolutely
launch a major Jihad again. They have no need to pretend to want to be part of the nation
of Myanmar. They know that weapons are coming and they can overwhelm any forces
that oppose them, and as they would say, ‘Inshallah!’ (If Allah wills it).
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