‘Who is the pope?’ asks Rohingya in Bangladesh
DHAKA: Pope Francis yesterday arrived in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees have sought sanctuary after fleeing a crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar, in the second stage of a tour dominated by the plight of the persecuted minority.
He will spend three days in mainly-Muslim Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism that has seen Catholics attacked for their faith.
Here, he will meet some Rohingya refugees, whom he has described as his “brothers and sisters”, and lead a mass for Bangladesh’s tiny Catholic minority.
The plight of the Rohingya is the backdrop to the pope’s landmark visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, but in the vast refugee camps on the border, there is puzzlement, with many asking: “Who is he?”
The head of the Catholic church has repeatedly spoken out in support of the Rohingya. With his message of hope and tolerance, supporters hope his presence can tamp down the religious and ethnic hatreds roiling the region.
Yet in the teeming Bangladeshi camps near the border with Myanmar, mention of the pontiff drew blank faces and raised eyebrows.
When shown a photo, refugees shrugged and guessed him to be anyone from a king or a celebrity to a Bangladeshi politician. Some mistook his zucchetto for an Islamic skullcap and said he could be a Muslim leader.
“I think I’ve seen him in the news, but what does he do? Is he important?” asked Nurul Qadar, 42.
On learning of the pope’s role in the world, refugees said they hoped Francis would be able to broker a deal with Myanmar that would pave the way for a safe return to their homeland.
Maybe the Myanmar government “might listen to him”, said Mujibur Rahman, 40.
Hassan Arraf, a Rohingya imam at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, and the only one out of dozens who knew of the pope, said the pontiff ’s manof-the-people reputation had the power to change their lives.
“The way they tortured us, no religion allows it. He is a big leader of another religion, but I believe he’s a very wise man.
“I think he will be able to understand what we went through. He can ask the Myanmar government to resolve this matter and make the place peaceful.”