Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army, a separatist group controlling Arakan state, western Myanmar, has repeatedly rejected demands by the Rohingya to allow them to reopen and restore a historic mosque in the city of Maungdaw that dates back 200 years, local sources stated.
A Maungdaw resident told the Arakan News Agency that the main mosque, known locally as the “Monchi Mosque”, is part of the history and heritage of Rohingya Muslims in Arakan. He added that residents simply wish to be allowed to care for the mosque themselves, given its continuing deterioration and the presence of Arakan Army soldiers inside it.
An Arakan News Agency correspondent explained that the mosque had been closed since the ethnic violence of 2012. The Myanmar army reopened it in April 2024, but it was closed again when the Arakan Army took control of the city and forced residents to flee. The Arakan Army has refused to reopen it despite the return of displaced people to the city and continues to close it, occupy it, and block access to it.
Residents explained that despite their numerous official requests to clean and reopen the mosque, including a request last April, the Arakan Army refused to open the mosque even though the local Arakan Army official had given the residents verbal permission to clean it.
Residents added that Arakan Army soldiers blocked their way upon their arrival at the mosque, claiming that they had received orders from the Arakan Army’s intelligence chief to prevent them. They told them that they would not be allowed to reopen the mosque until they received an official written order from him.
Residents confirmed to Arakan News Agency that the mosque’s condition continues to deteriorate, with the walls eroding, overgrown plants and weeds, and garbage accumulating in the surrounding area. They also reported that the mosque was subjected to violations by Arakan Army soldiers, including sleeping there at night and walking in its courtyard without taking off their shoes. They also found derogatory writings targeting the religious and ethnic identity of the Rohingya on its walls.
The mosque, located in Ward 2 of Maungdaw, is one of the oldest and most historically significant religious sites for the Rohingya people. It is also the spiritual and cultural heart of the community. Observers emphasize the urgent need for dialogue between local communities and the Arakan Army’s top leadership to determine the future of this historic mosque and protect it as a vital cultural and religious heritage site.
The Arakan Army recently converted a mosque in Buthidaung into a military office and detention center and has used four abandoned mosques as recruitment centers for new fighters. In recent days, the Rohingya have demanded that Myanmar’s military authorities allow them to clean their historic Jami Mosque in Sittwe, the state capital, and perform prayers there, a request that has been rejected.
The Rohingya have suffered widespread abuses under the rule of the Arakan Army since it seized control of the state in November 2023, launching a military campaign against the Myanmar military to seize control. The Rohingya have been subjected to violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, after they were also subjected to a “genocidal” campaign by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly a million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
