In 2017, Anuwara Begum lived with her husband in Rakhine State in what was then western Burma, now Myanmar. Her husband earned money as a day labourer. They did not find life too difficult and Anuwara has said that she liked her life. They had three children and Anuwara hoped they would finish their education and then get married. Then the Burmese army came into the village and started burning down the houses. Consequently, the whole village ran into the forest and hid.
Anuwara’s house survived so, once the gunfire stopped, her husband returned to their house with neighbours to collect some belongings. But the military was waiting, and they shot Anuwara’s husband dead. When her neighbours returned and told Auwara he was dead, all she could think about was how to save her children. She fled with them to Bangladesh.
This is just one of so many heartbreaking stories from survivors of the genocide, which was committed against the Rohingyas in Rakhine State, Myanmar, by the country’s military eight years ago. In all, Medecins sans Frontieres estimated that more than 6,700 Rohingya were killed there.
A permanent Rohingya memorial in Bradford
In response to the terrible tragedy, Bradford is set to establish a permanent memorial for the Rohingya community. This will make history by becoming the first city in the UK to recognise the genocide the Rohingyas endured. The initiative is being led by Newcastle councillor and anti-racism activist Habib Rahman, in collaboration with the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) and the British Rohingya Community (BRC). This landmark project aims to raise awareness of the ongoing plight of the Rohingya people, while honouring their resilience.
The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group from Rakhine State, Myanmar, have faced systemic persecution for decades. They were cruelly stripped of citizenship under Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law and have been subjected to discrimination, forced displacement, and violence.
Today, over one million Rohingya refugees live in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in terrible conditions. They face limited access to healthcare, education and employment. Although there have been some heroic international aid efforts, the Rohingya remain stateless and vulnerable.
Bradford welcomed around 100 Rohingya refugees between 2008 and 2010, under the Gateway Protection Programme. In so doing, Bradford became the first UK city to provide them with a safe home. The community has grown since the first arrivals came, integrating into Bradford’s diverse society, while maintaining their cultural identity. It has been decided that Bradford is the most fitting location for the UK’s first memorial dedicated to the community, in light of the city’s pioneering role in resettling Rohingya refugees.
Rohingya Action North East
Independent Cllr Habib Rahman from Newcastle has long been an advocate for the Rohingya people. In 2017, he founded Rohingya Action North East (RANE), a grassroots organisation that has evolved into a political lobbying group raising awareness, fundraising, and delivering aid missions to refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Under Rahman’s leadership, RANE has worked with humanitarian organisations to help refugees in Cox’ s Bazaar by:
- Providing educational support for young women
- Delivering aid during Ramadan and winter appeals
- Establishing a maternity clinic in Rohingya refugee camps
- Responding to emergency crises, such as floods and harsh winters
Rahman has also led awareness campaigns, holding educational events during Holocaust Memorial Month, Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day (25 August) and during Refugee Week in June. He has also spoken at events in Italy and elsewhere to highlight the crisis.
Cllr Rahman initiated discussions with Bradford City Council to establish a memorial, as he wished to recognise the importance of preserving the history of the Rohingya people. In 2023, council approval was secured for the project, after years of advocacy for Rahman, alongside BRC Chair Nur Huda and General Secretary Nijam Uddin.
The memorial public consultation
Members of the Rohingya community, human rights activists, and the public had the opportunity to voice their support and shape the vision of the memorial at public consultation on Tuesday, 11 February 2025.
Cllr Rahman describes this as a very important moment in British history:
“Bradford and the UK are on the verge of making history. This memorial will serve as a lasting reminder that we stand united against all forms of oppression and genocide. It will be a testament to the Rohingya’s struggle, a reminder of the genocide they have faced, and a call to the world to recognise, to act, and to ensure no one is denied their dignity and rights again.”
He added, “I am immensely proud to have led this effort alongside the British Rohingya Community, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), and, of course, Bradford Council. Bradford is the right city for this memorial as it was the first to welcome Rohingya refugees. We are working toward unveiling the memorial on 25 August 2025”.
He states: “It will stand as a powerful symbol of the UK’s commitment to justice, remembrance, and solidarity with the world’s most persecuted communities”.
Jasmin Akter: a new life in Bradford
Football and cricket coach Jasmin Akter voiced support, saying:
“I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to my role model, Habib Rahman, for his unwavering support of both me and the Rohingya people. His leadership in pursuing this memorial is truly commendable.
“Bradford has been my sanctuary and home since 2009, and I am deeply grateful to Bradford Council for approving this memorial. Bradford is the right city for it—being the only one to open its doors to the Rohingya people.
“Born in the world’s largest refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, I spent my first seven years as a Rohingya refugee, denied every basic human right. Life felt like a cage, filled with discrimination and hardship. Bradford, however, has given me love, opportunities, and a place to call home, I am a proud Bradfodian.
She goes on to say:
“I was deeply moved to witness the widespread support for the Rohingya Memorial Stone. I cannot thank the council, its staff, and the councillors enough for their solidarity. Placed at the heart of the Rohingya community in Bradford, this memorial will stand as a powerful symbol of remembrance and resilience.
“As a Rohingya woman who firmly believes in gender equality, this memorial holds immense significance. It stands as a tribute to the countless Rohingya women who have endured unimaginable suffering—those who have been raped, murdered, tortured, and abused. This stone will serve as a reminder of their pain, their strength, and our collective commitment to justice and remembrance”.
A safe place to live
Tun Khin, president of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), said:
“In Bradford, Rohingya have been given a safe place to live, free and with dignity, that we never experienced back home. As a people experiencing genocide, where every member of the community has lost family members and friends, it is hard to describe just how much this memorial means to us. We are very grateful, and hope that one day there can be similar memorials in Burma.
“At Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK we will continue to seek justice through any means possible, including our universal jurisdiction case in Argentina seeking arrest warrants for leaders of the Burmese military. We are proud to support this important memorial along with BRC and we thank the Bradford Council and RANE for making this possible”
Nur Huda, chair of the BRC, added:
“As the leading voice of the Rohingya community in Bradford, I can proudly say that our close collaboration with the council has been crucial in bringing this memorial to life. We are deeply grateful to our community, Bradford City Council, BROUK, and RANE for their vital contributions.“
This memorial is more than stone and inscription; it is a declaration that we belong, that our history will not be forgotten, and that our children will grow up knowing who they are. Bradford has given us a home, and through this memorial, it is allowing us to share our story with the world and keeps our hope of justice alive.”
Nijam Uddin, general secretary of BRC, remarked:
“Bradford has been the first place where we, as Rohingya, have truly felt at home and safe. This city welcomed us when we had nowhere else to go, and now, it has given us the opportunity to cement our identity—something that was systematically erased in Myanmar. This memorial is not just a tribute to our past but a beacon of hope for future generations, ensuring they remain connected to their heritage.”
Bradford’s heritage
Bradford has a strong heritage of radical politics and human rights work, going back many decades. This includes the formation of the Independent Labour Party at a conference in the city in 1893, and the Bradford peace Museum, founded in 1894 and now thriving in its new home in Salt Mills. Saltaire in the north of the city.
Meanwhile Bradford University has the renowned Department of Peace Studies and International Development. It was a son of Bradford, Liberal politician William Forster who was largely responsible for the groundbreaking Education Act of 1870, which introduced compulsory education for five to-13-year-olds across the country for the first time.
Given the heritage and Bradford City Council’s commendable role in supporting the much maligned Rohingya community, it does indeed seem very fitting that the city will be the site of the UK’s first permanent memorial for the Rohingya.
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