Mohammed Siraj
Undergraduate student

My name is Mohammed Siraj, also known as Mg Aung Hla Shwe. I used to live in Nanther Daung Village, Taungpyo region, northern Maungdaw, in the Arakan State of Western Myanmar. I was born to Rohingya parents, Rashid Ahmed and Robaida Begum, in Nanther Daung Village. My father, Mv Rashid Ahmed, was a leader of our Eastern Nanther Muslim society, a shrimp farmer and businessman, as well as an Islamic teacher. My mother was also an Islamic teacher and a housewife. My father was well-off, owning money, gold, land, property, and cattle.
I still remember the discrimination, institutionalized persecution, and genocide we faced in my native ancestral homeland. When I was a KG student at the age of 4, my father would accompany me to go and back from school. Being the first child, I sometimes had to go to school alone when my father was busy. In the evenings, he would teach me how to read and write as he had a dream to make me as a doctor to help the people because in my village there are very limited healthcare facilities and lack of medical doctors. However, in 2012, when I was a 3rd-grade student, a brutal violence erupted against the Rohingya community in the Arakan State. Some called it communal violence, but it was clearly a systematic attack by the Buddhist majority against the Rohingya minority. I remember seeing Rakhine people patrolling our village with guns and swords, aiming to attack us. At night, the elders and my parents would guard the village while we, the children, slept. It was such a horrendous life we encountered at daily basis in Arakan.
In 2013, I returned to school as a Rohingya Muslim student. Rakhine students treated me badly, calling me derogatory terms like “Kalarchi,” which is a hateful, ethnic slur. Despite this, I had to endure it. In 2016, another genocidal campaign began against the Rohingya, but I managed to complete 6th grade. However, by the time I reached 7th grade, the situation worsened.
On the night of August 25th, 2017, the violence escalated into a full-scale genocide. We were asleep when the military began shooting at our village. My mother woke us up, and we fled into the dark forest, my father having been away at his fish dam. My siblings, all under the age of 12, and I walked with my mother, but my 4-year-old brother, Mohammed Shohid, got lost. I began searching for him in a panic, and in that moment, I became separated from my family and survived mentally traumatized.
Alone and terrified in the forest, I was surrounded by the sounds of gunfire and the fear of death. In the middle of the forest, I found my grandmother, and together we continued through the jungle, narrowly avoiding gunfire. We reached a nearby village called Lappiya, where we reunited with some family members, but my parents and siblings were still missing. At 8 AM, I found my father, who had returned from the fish dam. Together, we searched for my mother and siblings and eventually found them in a village called Madee. Sadly, we received news that my grandfather, Husein Ahmed, had been brutally tortured and left for dead by the military and Rakhine attackers.
My father, uncle, and I returned to our village to find my grandfather tied to a mango tree. His body was swollen, and he was barely alive. We brought him to Lappiya, where a Rohingya doctor gave him emergency treatment. In the chaos, we once again lost contact with my mother and siblings. After a day, we heard that they were heading toward Bangladesh with my maternal aunt’s family.
Because our village was close to the Bangladesh border, we cautiously made our way through the forest, avoiding the military. We witnessed horrific scenes of people being killed by gunfire and swords. It took us two days to cross just two kilometers, as military and Rakhine forces were hunting Rohingya. We saw many dead bodies on the roads, farmland, and inside homes. Finally, we arrived at Palong Khali in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and reunited with my mother and siblings.
We stayed at a relative’s shelter in Kutupalong registered camp for 25 days. My family then built a bamboo shelter in Gundum camp, but soon after, we were forced to leave by the Bangladesh Hill Tracts Police. We returned to the registered camp for 15 more days and my grandparents relocated to Balukhali camp. My father then bought a shelter floor in Kutupalong camp 7, where we built another shelter with bamboo and plastic, and received some humanitarian aid to sustain ourselves.
On December in 2017, I searched for a school but found none. The only available options were two NGO learning centers, which focused more on dancing than actual education, so I did not enroll. I began attending a Maktab (Arabic school) where my father was teaching. I also opened a small shop in Kutupalong Rohingya Bazaar, making around 500-600 BDT in profit daily. I gave part of the money to my parents and saved about 70,000 BDT in 10 months. However, at my parents’ request, I eventually closed the shop to focus on my studies.
In 2019, I met a boy named Mohammed Akram at the mosque. After performing Ashar, we were having a conversation, during which he used some English words I wasn’t familiar with. When I asked him where he studied, he didn’t give me a specific teacher or center name. Instead, Akram asked for my UNHCR data card information, pretending that it was needed for a teacher to admit me to a center, and I gave it to him. In reality, he was joking and shared the trick with his classmates, who all laughed about it.At that time, teacher named Mohammed Ali, a psychology graduate, noticed the situation and inquired about what had happened. His students explained the matter to him. Mr. Mohammed Ali then sent three students to invite me to his center, where I was admitted. I worked hard and ranked first in the exams. I studied under him for two years and built a strong foundation in middle school.
After finishing middle school, I enrolled in class 9 at Life Destination High School in Camp 6. I also began human rights advocacy and youth activism. I got a job as a Senior Facilitator at Plan International Bangladesh, supported by Japan and implemented by JCF. My responsibilities included teaching literacy, numeracy, and skills development to Rohingya youths from 9 AM to 2 PM. After work, I would complete my homework and attend high school from 4 PM to 8 PM. Upon returning home, I performed the Ashar prayer, had dinner, and then studied for two hours each night. In the morning, I attended tuition classes for math, physics, and chemistry. After returning from tuition, I would go to work. I balanced this with my school studies and continued improving my education.
My class 9 teachers were Mr. Abdur Rahman (Burmese grammar), Mr. Khairul Islam (Myanmar), Mr. Nur Islam (Burmese poetry), Mr. Than Naing (English), Mr. Mohammed Taraque (Mathematics), Mr. Muhammad Ayas (Chemistry), Mr. Noor Kowkir (Physics part 1), Mr. Ahasanul Hoque (Physics part 2), and Mr. Nur Quaveer (Biology). They are experts in their respective subjects.
In 2022, I started class 10, the final year of high school under the Myanmar curriculum. I resigned from my previous job and took a position at CODEC (Community Development Center), an EPRC project by UNHCR. They initially hired me as a primary school teacher, but I was later promoted to teach secondary school. I continued my studies while working from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. After work, I attended school from 4 PM to 8 PM. Balancing work and school was challenging, but I persevered by attending tuition classes and maintaining a rigorous study schedule.
In November 2022, I took my high school matriculation exams, and on January 15th, 2023, the result were announced where I was ranked first in my class. I received the first prize for my achievement, and My favorite subjects were sciences, especially biology, and I also enjoyed math. My class 10 teachers were Mr. Mohammed Taraque (Burmese & Physics part 2), Mr. Abdur Rahman & Mr. Rofique (Burmese), Mr. Noor Quaveer (English), Mr. Noor Kowbir (Math), Mr. Muhammad Ayas (Chemistry), Mr. Ahasanul Hoque (Physics part 1), and Mr. Abdul Nur (Biology).
After my high graduation, due to the lack of opportunities, I couldn’t pursue university studies immediately.I began studying Political Science and Public Administration through the Rohingya Graduation For Hope Institution (RGFHI) in online. After completing a three-month course on Comparative Democratic Politics, I was appointed as a Political Science and Public Administration Trainer by the RGFHI’s founder, Mr Abdu Shukkur (a PhD. student). My role involved delivering presentations and helping students understand these subjects. Volunteering with RGFHI also supported my human rights advocacy and youth activism.
In 2023, I connected online with Mr. Kaisayr Husein, a PhD student in political science and public administration and founder of the Rohingya Academic Research Institute (RAR-Institute). He offered a course on Scientific Research Methods and Science Ethics, which I eagerly joined. After completing the course, I was appointed as a Research Team Coordinator at RAR-Institute.Mr. Kaisayr mentored me, helping me develop research and writing skills, character, communication, and interpersonal skills. He remains one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. He made me academically strong, and I can never forget his selfless effort and dedication toward me and the Rohingya youth.
Throughout my journey, I have attended numerous training sessions and workshops on advocacy, human rights, refugee law, international law, international humanitarian law, social cohesion, social justice, humanity, skills development, leadership, conflict resolution, public speaking, and communication skills development. These experiences have significantly deepened my understanding of activism, advocacy, and leadership.These opportunities have not only helped me develop personally but also revealed my potential. While becoming a politician or activist was never my dream, however I now feel it is my moral obligation to raise my voice for our most persecuted, marginalized, oppressed, and institutionally discriminated community. Advocacy has become my passion and an integral part of my daily life.
Currently, I work as a secondary school teacher at Friendship UNICEF and serve as a Research Team Coordinator at the Rohingya Academic Research Institute. I continue my human rights advocacy and youth activism through social media platforms, despite the many challenges. My childhood dream of becoming a qualified physician still drives me today, and I am committed to pursuing that goal.However, I still haven’t had the opportunity to study at my dream university. I always dream of studying at one of the world’s top universities, but I hesitate to mention its name because people might make fun of it, thinking, “Why would a refugee dream of that when they don’t even have the opportunity to attend an accredited school?”

Mohammed Siraj
Undergraduate Student
Email: mohammedsirajmgaunghlashwe@gmail.com