Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

From genocide to dream: The journey of a Rohingya refugee student

Mohammed Siraj
Kutupalong Refugee Camp-7, Bangladesh

The author. Photo by Kaiser Komor. 

I was born in a small village called Nanther Daung, near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. My family and the entire Rohingya community have faced discrimination, persecution, political exclusion, and genocide in Myanmar for more than seventy-five years. Following the 1962 military coup by General Ne Win, the regime institutionalized racism. The 1982 Citizenship Law effectively rendered our people stateless, stripping away our rights and identity. Myanmar has sought to erase the Rohingya from its national fabric.

When I was four, my father would usually accompany me back and forth to school. But being the oldest child, I sometimes had to go alone when he was busy. In the evenings, he taught me to read and write. However, in 2012, when I was in third grade, violence erupted against the Rohingya community in Arakan State. We lived in constant fear.

In 2013, I returned to school as a Rohingya Muslim student. Rakhine students treated me badly, calling me derogatory terms like “Kalarsi,” a hateful ethnic slur. In 2016, during another genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, I managed to complete sixth grade. But on the night of August 25, 2017, the military began firing large weapons at our village while we slept. My family, along with about 750,000 Rohingya people, fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh to save our lives.

After taking shelter in Camp 7, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, I successfully completed my matriculation—equivalent to high school graduation—in 2022. I also began human rights advocacy and youth activism. Since 2021, I have worked in the education sector with various organizations in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, teaching literacy, numeracy, and skill development to Rohingya youths.

Because of a lack of opportunities, I could not pursue my own university studies immediately. I began studying Political Science and Public Administration through the Rohingya Graduation For Hope Institution (RGFHI), a non-accredited online institute. After completing a three-month course on Comparative Democratic Politics, I was also appointed to teach and support other students. Volunteering with RGFHI supported my human rights advocacy and youth activism. Currently, I work as a secondary school teacher at Friendship UNICEF, volunteer as the Research Team Coordinator at the Rohingya Academic Research Institute, and serve as a member of the Central Executive Council at the Rohingya Academic Research Institute.

In 2022, I connected online with Mr. Kaisayr Hussein, a PhD student in Political Science and Public Administration and the founder of the Rohingya Academic Research Institute (RAR-Institute). I graduated with a diploma in Academic Research Studies with the help of Mr. Hussein’s mentorship and inspiration.

Throughout my journey, I have attended training sessions and workshops on advocacy, human rights, international law and relations, and social justice. I have developed skills in leadership, conflict resolution, and communication. These opportunities have not only helped me develop personally, but also revealed my potential. While becoming a politician or activist was never my dream, I now feel it is my moral obligation to raise my voice for our persecuted and oppressed community.

I have always dreamed of becoming a physician. I am committed to pursuing that goal, and I am currently studying for a Bachelor of Science in Health Science at the University of the People (UoPeople) with a full scholarship, which will help prepare me for medical school. I am forever grateful to UoPeople for providing global access to higher education to students who can’t afford it, and for providing scholarships to talented displaced and refugee students like me.

I face many challenges, including poor internet connection and electricity. I sometimes cannot charge my phone properly, as we rely on solar panels, and need to go to the top of a hill near the government-monitored barbed-wire fence to get internet access. But I will keep trying my best to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician, and aim to specialize in cardiology and neuroscience. If this dream comes true, I will provide free treatment to marginalized communities across the world who are facing healthcare crises due to forced displacement, political crises, persecution, and genocide. I will especially focus on my Rohingya community and other marginalized communities in Myanmar who are facing similar challenges. I will not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity, or nationality, because I believe that everyone deserves fair treatment, respect, and equal services.

Refugee students dream like other young people. We have the same talent, capacity, and potential as other students, and perhaps understand the meaning of life better than some others because of the challenges we face. These challenges make us strong, committed, motivated, and resilient. Refugee students may lack opportunities, but if we are given those opportunities, we can show the world who we are and what we can do.


MOHAMMED SIRAJ is a Rohingya refugee, researcher, and youth advocate dedicated to human rights and education. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Science at the University of the People. Siraj also serves as the Research Team Coordinator at the Rohingya Academic Research Institute and teaches secondary-level science and mathematics to underserved youth in refugee camps. 

Spring 2025

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4 responses

  1. Dear Hektoen International Editorial Team,

    Thank you so much for publishing my piece. I’m truly honored and grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to submitting more in the future.

    Warm regards,
    Mohammed Siraj

  2. Masha Allah, I am very glad to see your article. On the other hand, I feel sad after reading your journey from Myanmar to Bangladesh. This is so called our community has been facing numerous challenges and hardships due to the decades of injustices in Myanmar based on ethnicity as Rohingya Muslim minority. The Rohingya has been subjected to genocide by the Myanmar government, so Many Rohingya students were deprived of all the rights that they have to get in Myanmar.

  3. Well done Mohammed Seraj and your dedication, hard work, sacrifice are truly amazing.Mashaha Allah keep shining in future

  4. Actually, I’m excited to read about your life journey from your native land to the refugee camp, and your story reminds me of some very tragic events. Nevertheless, keep moving forward with your pure dreams and make history!

    Note: Believe that we Rohingya are also human, multi-talented, and have dreams of becoming teachers, professors, engineers, doctors, and more.

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