COMMENT | A Rohingya-Malaysian love story

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 

-  Dr Martin Luther King Jr

COMMENT | A few years ago, a friend of mine met a young Rohingya man at a street stall. He was working there as a dishwashing boy. On that day, the stall owner was short of hand, hence he got the Rohingya man to clean tables and take orders as well. And that was how they met.

As my friend frequented the stall on the following days for her daily meals, the Rohingya man and my friend started bumping into each other quite often. From exchanging nods to exchanging smiles, they soon developed a friendship.

My friend is a well-educated woman with a good career and future. The Rohingya man, Mohammad, is a refugee from Rakhine who followed his family to Malaysia when he was younger. He only had basic education and was in no way a match for her...