Passing Shadows - Rohingya Refugees in a World Where None of Us Stay

There was a time when the Rohingya people lived in homes in Myanmar that were full of love, memories, and everything they cared about. For generations, their lives were the foundation of their society because they owned homes, farmed land, and built businesses. From the most valuable family heirlooms to the most basic home items, they had things that made their daily lives easier. The Rohingya didn't just live in a place, their towns were the fabric of their lives, and every tree, road, and house held a piece of their soul.

Imagine living in a place where your children are born, where you gather with loved ones, where the walls of your home echo with laughter and the warmth of family bonds. Now, imagine being forced to leave it all behind. Not because you wanted to, but because circumstances beyond your control, violence, persecution, and fear, ripped you away from the only life you knew.

The Pain of Leaving Everything Behind

Leaving home is a pain that cannot be easily expressed. It’s not just about losing a physical space, it’s about losing the essence of who you are. When the Rohingya were driven out of Myanmar, they left behind their homes, their lands, their relatives, and their entire world. Can you imagine walking away from your childhood home, knowing you may never see it again? Can you fathom the heartache of saying goodbye to a place where every corner holds a memory, where every street is a chapter of your life?

No one wants to leave the place they were born. No one chooses to abandon their roots unless they have no other option. For the Rohingya, leaving Myanmar was not a choice but a necessity for survival. The land they loved, the air they breathed, and the people they shared their lives with. All were left behind in a heartbeat. They did not flee because they wanted to, they fled because they had to, carrying only the clothes on their backs and the memories in their hearts.

The Expectations of the Traumatized

Arriving in a foreign land, traumatized and broken, the Rohingya come not as invaders but as guests seeking refuge. They come with nothing but hope. The hope that someone, somewhere, will extend a helping hand. In Islam, there’s a powerful saying: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest.” (Sahih Bukhari). The Rohingya arrive with the expectation that they will be treated with dignity and compassion, as guests who have nowhere else to turn.

When you are someone’s last hope, the way you treat them can either mend their broken spirit or shatter it further. These refugees are not here to take away from anyone. They are here because they had everything taken away from them. They come to us, hoping for safety, for kindness, and for the chance to rebuild what they have lost. They seek shelter, but more importantly, they seek understanding and empathy. They ask for the most basic human decency, to be treated as human beings in need of help.

The Struggles of Building a New Home

Starting over in a new place, after losing almost everything, is a monumental task. Imagine trying to rebuild your life from scratch, in a foreign land where you don’t speak the language, where you don’t know the customs, and where every day is a battle for survival. The Rohingya face this reality daily. Even if they manage to create a semblance of a home in their new environment, it will never replace the home they once knew. The memories of what they left behind haunt them, making it impossible to fully embrace the new life they are trying to build.

How you treat these refugees matters profoundly in their ability to rebuild their lives. A kind word, a helping hand, or even just a smile can make a world of difference. It can provide the strength they need to keep going, to face another day, to continue fighting for a life that will never be what it once was, but could still hold hope for the future.

Gratitude and Hope for a Better Future

Despite everything, the Rohingya refugees are deeply grateful to the people of Malaysia for providing them with safety and a place to stay. They understand that Malaysia has opened its doors to them in a time of dire need, and for that, they are thankful. However, it is important to remember that Malaysia is only a temporary refuge. The Rohingya know that their stay here is not permanent, and they are aware that each year, some of them are resettled to other countries by the UNHCR, where they hope to build new lives with dignity.

But their ultimate hope is to return to their own country, Myanmar, when it is safe to do so. The Rohingya dream of going back to their homeland, where they can live in peace and rebuild their lives in the place they once called home. They know that this return is dependent on changes in Myanmar, changes that have yet to come. It is a weakness of neighboring countries that they have not been able to pressure Myanmar’s government to improve the situation, allowing the violence and persecution to continue.

The Rohingya wait with hope and patience, knowing that only when the conditions in Myanmar change can they truly feel at home again. For now, they remain in Malaysia, grateful for the temporary safety it provides, while holding onto the dream of one day returning to their roots.

The Universal Truth of Our Temporary Existence

In the end, we must all confront the truth that we are temporary visitors in this world. None of us are here forever. We all have our homes, our belongings, our loved ones, but none of these will last. When our time comes to leave this world, what will matter most is not what we had, but how we treated others. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to people”. How we treat those who come to us in their time of need is a reflection of our character, our faith, and our humanity.

The Rohingya refugees are here for now, just like all of us. They are passing through, seeking refuge, and hoping for a better tomorrow. How we respond to their cries for help will not only define their future but also shape the legacy we leave behind. Let us honor them, as our guests, with the compassion and kindness that we would hope to receive ourselves, knowing that in this temporary world, it is our actions that will endure long after we are gone.