Understanding the Rohingya Genocide & Refugee Crisis

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Published Jul 22, 2023

Learn about the history of Rohingya, current political challenges, the Rohingya genocide, and what Rohingya Americans are doing to help their community from three speakers from the Rohingya Culture Center in Chicago: Nasir Zakaria, Sarah Pajeau, and Abdul Jabbar Amanullah.

Nasir Zakaria shares his personal experience of fleeing Burma and living as a refugee and the challenges he faced resettling in the United States. We learn about the history of Burma from Sarah Pajeau, the current politics surrounding the region, as well as other events in Burma and other nations hosting Rohingya refugees. Abdul Jabbar Amanullah shares what the Rohingya Culture Center is doing to support the Rohingya refugee population in Chicago.

Nasir Zakaria was born in Burma and fled to Bangladesh when he was 14. He then traveled to Thailand and Malaysia, and in 2013 he was resettled in Chicago. He saw the need for a place for the Rohingya population to gather and receive services, as there was no Rohingya population in Chicago before refugees began arriving in 2010. Through hard work and determination, Nasir founded the Rohingya Culture Center, where he remains Executive Director. Nasir serves as a community leader for the Rohingya population and is known nationally and internationally through the Rohingya community for opening the first one-of-a-kind Rohingya Culture Center.

Sarah Pajeau is the Assistant Director at the Rohingya Culture Center, where she handles grant writing/reporting, finances, program development, and more. She has been involved with the Rohingya community since 2019. Sarah is passionate about refugee rights and community health, with a demonstrated history of working in the nonprofit industry. She holds an MS in Refugee & Forced Migration Studies from DePaul University.

Abdul Jabbar Amanullah was born in Burma and fled to Bangladesh when he was only 12. He then traveled to Thailand and Malaysia. In Malaysia, he worked with United Nations as an Interpreter. He was resettled in Chicago when he was 25 years old. Abdul Jabbar began volunteering as an interpreter in eight languages to support his community and others and soon began work as a social worker. He works as Senior Case Manager at the Rohingya Culture Center, assisting with over 500 cases every month.

This talk was delivered at the Muslim Community Center - East Bay (MCC East Bay) in Pleasanton, California on Sunday, July 16, 2023.

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