
Noor Azizah (second from left) with fellow advocates for the rights of the Rohingya. Photo from Noor Azizah. Used with permission
Noor Azizah was born in 1995 in Myanmar, spent eight years in Malaysia, and was granted asylum in Australia in 2003. She is part of the Rohingya community, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar that has been denied citizenship and discriminated against for decades. Today, it is estimated that over a million Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar, according to United Nations’ estimates. They are widely considered the largest stateless population in the world.
In an interview with Global Voices, Noor Azizah shared her experience as a refugee and her journey into becoming a prominent advocate of Rohingya rights not just in Australia but also in various global institutions, including the United Nations.
‘Even the treacherous sea seemed safer than staying behind’
Noor Azizah narrated her family’s escape from Myanmar.
Though I was only a baby at the time, the journey is one that many displaced people can relate to — fleeing violence so severe that even the treacherous sea seemed safer than staying behind.
We began our journey through Southeast Asia on foot, navigating dense jungles, seeking refuge on any boat that could take us to safety, and enduring whatever hardships came our way. We ate scraps of food, relied on local buses, and sought help from kind strangers before finally reaching Sabah, Malaysia.
But they also faced hardships in Malaysia since they were considered illegal migrants. For eight years, they endured poverty, discrimination, and intimidation from the police. In 2003, they were granted asylum in Australia.
Together with eight Rohingya women who were resettled in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, Noor Azizah co-founded the Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network (RMCN) to provide education, humanitarian aid, and mental health support to Rohingya communities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
RMCN’s work has provided a lifeline to Rohingya families who crossed borders and are in need of assistance amid inconsistent support by Asian governments. Noor Azizah’s team has had to overcome a lot of challenges in order to fulfill their mission, which includes building trust among refugee communities.
One of the key challenges we faced was the deeply ingrained lack of trust and the isolation that comes with displacement. Many Rohingya people, including ourselves, have been conditioned by years of persecution and separation from our homeland. As refugees, we are often marginalized, and efforts to unite and advocate for ourselves are met with resistance, both from external actors and sometimes even within our own community, due to the trauma we have all experienced.
Today, we stand in solidarity with Noor Azizah, a young Rohingya woman activist who has made it her mission to fight for the rights of her community ✊🏾
Noor’s journey has been one of overcoming unimaginable adversity. Forced into displacement, she has become a leading advocate… pic.twitter.com/s4hGfYidQC
— WITNESS Asia-Pacific (@witnessorg_asia) December 19, 2024
After the junta grabbed power in February 2021, attacks against the Rohingya intensified. RMCN engaged with resistance and ethnic forces to promote the welfare of minority groups. Noor Azizah noted the importance of solidarity work in defeating the tyranny of the junta.
We have worked hard to build positive alliances with these ethnic groups, including the women from the Shan, Bamar, Karen, Pa-O, and Ka Mon Ton communities. They now understand that the Rohingya are not the perpetrators of violence, but rather, we are among the victims of a common enemy: the military junta. Our shared experience of displacement, persecution, and denial of basic rights has helped to form a united front, and through dialogue, we’ve created stronger bonds of solidarity.
‘Advocacy is about finding your strength in the cause’
Asked about her advice to women activists, Noor Azizah encouraged fellow advocates to persevere and to build a sisterhood that will carry on the collective struggle.
One of the greatest gifts I’ve received in this journey is the sisterhood I’ve built with my Rohingya sisters…Find that sisterhood. Build it. Surround yourself with people who understand, who will support you when you falter, who will uplift you in moments of doubt. Trust in each other and lean on one another, because this work isn’t meant to be done alone. We need each other’s strength, wisdom, and compassion to carry on. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that having a network of women who understand your struggles, who can share the weight of your burdens, makes all the difference
The road ahead won’t always be easy, but you don’t have to walk it alone. Build your community, build your sisterhood, and know that the journey may be long, but with each step, you are making the world a better place for those who need it most.
Noor Azizah mentioned that among the priorities of RMCN for this year is to extend urgent support to children survivors, cultural preservation efforts for the protection of Rohingya heritage, long-term advocacy for justice and reconciliation, and building regional and global alliances.
‘Truth-telling, reconciliation, and reckoning’
Part of the campaign is to work with the National Unity Government (pro-democracy forces) to ensure that the welfare of the Rohingya will be addressed. Noor Azizah added:
While immediate relief is critical, we are also focused on long-term advocacy for justice. We are working closely with the National Unity Government and other stakeholders to push for meaningful democratization in Burma, and we will continue to highlight the exclusion of Rohingya from these processes.
For us, citizenship alone will never be enough. We are calling for a process of reconciliation, reckoning, and truth-telling that fully recognizes our rightful place in Arakan/Rakhine State.
She emphasized that this includes recognition of the harm done against the Rohingya and the restoration of their ancestral land.
Finally, she voiced out what freedom means for the Rohingya struggle. “True freedom will only come when all of my people are free.”