Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar face new challenges in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Nur Sadek was once on track to become an Islamic scholar. His mother dreamed of raising a son who would serve as a faith leader in their western Myanmar village. Sadek’s family belongs to the Rohingya ethnic minority. The predominantly Muslim group shares an area in Myanmar's Rakhine State with Buddhists and a smaller Hindu population. Ethnic and religious divisions have long shaped the region’s history. He fled alongside loved ones in 2017 after soldiers opened fire on his community and bullets struck the tin roof of his home. He ran with nothing but the clothes on his back and never returned. Around 700,000 Rohingya escaped a military crackdown that year and crossed into neighboring Bangladesh , according to the U.N. refugee agency, known as UNHCR. More have sought refuge in other countries across Asia, including India, Indonesia and Thailand. As of February 2026, about 126,000 Rohingya were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia , a Muslim-majority country where Sadek now studies law and advocates for Rohingya rights. The Southeast Asian nation does not legall