Rohingya schools in Malaysia face closures amid online surge in hate speech
"Why do you want to go to school? Do you want to take over our country?" they asked, according to Nur, whose family declined use of her full name for fear of repercussions
Highlights:
- Safety fears or official action close nine schools, Rohingya say
- Closures could fuel social problems, educators warn
- Despite clean-up, harmful online content remains, rights group says
Nur is a 12-year-old Rohingya Muslim refugee in Malaysia who has stopped going to school since June after two men threatened to beat her on her way to class.
"Why do you want to go to school? Do you want to take over our country?" they asked, according to Nur, whose family declined use of her full name for fear of repercussions.
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Nur is just one of many Rohingya children to face harassment and threats that have prompted refugee schools across Malaysia to close, rights groups and educators say.
"Children are so scared that they're afraid to leave the house," said Sharifah Shakirah, a Rohingya community activist brought up in the Southeast Asian nation.
"You're not just harassing a child for a day or two, you're creating a lasting trauma."
At least nine schools have shut nationwide, Reuters checks show, after online hate speech and misinformation targeting the Rohingya led to tougher controls on the community and raised concerns about tech regulation.
The home affairs ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the school closures or hate speech campaign.
Malaysia does not officially recognise the Rohingya as refugees, branding them illegal migrants, though about 120,000 are registered with the UN refugee agency.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has long sympathised with the persecuted minority from Myanmar, but opinion soured during the Covid-19 pandemic amid accusations refugees were spreading the virus, disrespecting cultural norms and competing for jobs.
Malaysians "have begun feeling burdened by issues arising from managing the Rohingya community", Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni told parliament last week.
Fresh wave
Fresh invective spread in May on social media run by Meta Platforms and ByteDance's TikTok after hygiene concerns linked to the Muslim ritual of cattle slaughter by one Rohingya group.
A viral online petition urging the government to "remove" Rohingya refugees was taken down in June after rights groups raised the alarm, but not before it garnered nearly half a million signatures.
