# Rohingya Famous People > An open archive of famous Rohingya people: leaders, writers, poets, scholars, doctors and public servants. Read what each of them did, with dates, places and sources. Rohingya Famous People is an open archive of the lives of famous Rohingya people. Every person has a page with a short summary, a dated timeline of what they did, sources where known, and the full biography. Each page also has a plain Markdown copy (linked below), and the whole archive is available as JSON. You are welcome to read, cite and link to it; please name Rohingya Famous People and link the person's page. ## People - [A. F. K. Jilani](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/a-f-k-jilani/index.md): Educator, historian, activist and writer, 1940 – 2017, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya educator, historian, political activist and writer from Maungdaw, and a founding member of the Rohingya Students Organization at Rangoon University in 1962. He devoted… - [Abdul Hadi](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdul-hadi/index.md): Police inspector, 1918 – 2004, Bawli Bazaar, Maungdaw, Arakan. A police officer born in Bawli Bazaar (Kyein Chaung), Maungdaw Township, respected — and feared — by Rohingya and Rakhine communities alike, and known for enforcing the law… - [Abdul Hai](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdul-hai/index.md): Rohingya politician and member of Parliament. A Rohingya political representative from northern Arakan, also known as U Tun Aung Kyaw, who was elected from Maungdaw to Burma's national legislature in 1978, during the BSPP… - [Abul Khair](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abul-khair/index.md): Rohingya politician and member of Parliament for Maungdaw, 1919 – 2010, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya politician from Maungdaw, born in 1919, who was elected to Burma's Union Parliament for Maungdaw during the democratic parliamentary era before the 1962 military coup.… - [Aung Aung (Sittwe)](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/aung-aung-sittwe/index.md): Writer and human-rights activist, 1967 – 2021, Sittwe, Arakan. Writer, human-rights activist and Islamic scholar (Alim) from Sittwe. Under the pen name Aung Aung (Sittwe) he wrote books and essays exposing the persecution of the Rohingya,… - [Aung Kyaw Moe](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/aung-kyaw-moe/index.md): Deputy Minister for Human Rights, National Unity Government, Born 1983, Maungdaw, Rakhine State. Aung Kyaw Moe is a Rohingya politician and human rights advocate from Maungdaw who serves as Deputy Minister for Human Rights in Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), the… - [Aung Zaw Win](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/aung-zaw-win/index.md): Businessman, politician and member of Parliament. A Rohingya businessman and politician who represented Maungdaw in Myanmar's Union Parliament, elected in the 2010 general election and serving in the Upper House during the… - [B. A. Jafar](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/b-a-jafar/index.md): Revolutionary leader, c. 1939 – 1987, Buthidaung, Arakan. A notable leader of the Rohingya resistance movement. Born Mohammed Jafar Habib in Buthidaung Township around 1939, he studied at Rangoon University, co-founded the Rohingya… - [Chit Lwin](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/chit-lwin/index.md): Politician and lawyer, Born 1946, Maungdaw, Rakhine State. A Rohingya lawyer, accountant and politician from Maungdaw who, as a leading figure of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), won the Maungdaw-1 constituency in… - [Daulat Kazi](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/daulat-kazi/index.md): Royal poet of the Mrauk U court, 1600 – 1638, Sultanpur, Chittagong. A Bengali poet of the royal court of the Mrauk U kingdom in Arakan, born in 1600 in Sultanpur in the Chittagong region, who moved to Arakan seeking recognition for his literary… - [Daw Zohra Begum](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/zohra-begum/index.md): Member of the Union Parliament, 1919 – 1990, Sittwe, Arakan. A Rohingya politician from Akyab (now Sittwe), Arakan, who in the 1951–52 elections won the Maungdaw South seat in the Union Parliament with over 75% of the vote. She became one… - [Dr. Abdu Rahim](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdu-rahim/index.md): Rohingya politician and member of Parliament. A Rohingya political figure, also known as Dr. Chit Maung, who represented Maungdaw in the 1974 Hluttaw during the BSPP period. His election shows that Rohingya representatives… - [Dr. Abdullah Ma’ruf Al-Arkani](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdullah-maruf-al-arkani/index.md): Rohingya activist and representative to the OIC, Arakan. A Rohingya activist and community leader from Arakan, best known as the official representative of the Rohingya minority to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He… - [Dr. Wakar Uddin](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/wakar-uddin/index.md): Academic, activist and Director General of the Arakan Rohingya Union, c. 1960s – 2022, Maungdaw, Arakan. Dr. Wakar Uddin was a Rohingya academic and activist from Maungdaw, Arakan, who advocated for the rights of the Rohingya people on the international stage. A professor at… - [E. Kader Marakan](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/marakan/index.md): Merchant, barrister and philanthropist, Colonial era, Sittwe, Arakan. Barrister-at-law, Municipal Commissioner and the leading businessman of colonial-era Sittwe. He ran cargo, trading and shipping concerns on which more than a thousand people… - [Ezhar Miah](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/ezhar-miah/index.md): Political figure, social worker and member of Parliament, Northern Arakan. A social worker and political figure from northern Arakan who was elected to Burma's Parliament for Buthidaung North in 1956. He was one of several Muslim representatives elected… - [Fazal Ahmed](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/fazal-ahmed/index.md): Lawyer and former member-elect of parliament, Born 1941, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya lawyer and politician from Maungdaw, Arakan, who was elected for the Maungdaw-2 constituency in the 1990 general election as a central leader of the National… - [Gani Markan](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/gani-markan/index.md): Pioneer Arakanese Indian legislator, 1880s – 1950s. One of the first elected Arakanese Indian legislators in British Burma, elected in the 1936 Burmese general election from the Maungdaw-Buthidaung constituency in Arakan Division.… - [Jafar Kawal](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/jafar-kawal/index.md): Mujahid leader, poet and singer, 1920 – 1951, Maungdaw, Arakan. Jafar Kawal was a Rohingya nationalist from Maungdaw Township, Arakan, and a key figure in the Mujahid movement of the late 1940s. In 1947 he founded the Mujahid Party under the… - [Jaivet Ealom](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/jaivet-ealom/index.md): Rohingya author and human rights activist, Born 1990s. A Rohingya refugee and author who escaped persecution in Myanmar, endured detention and found safety in Canada, where he completed a double major in economics and political… - [M. A. Subahan](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/m-a-subahan/index.md): Academic, politician and member of Parliament. A member of Burma's Parliament who represented the combined Maungdaw and Buthidaung area in the Upper House during the parliamentary period; historical lists of Rohingya… - [Major Faizi](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/major-faizi/index.md): Education officer, d. 1958, Maungdaw, Arakan. Major Faizi, also known as Faiz, was an education officer and community leader from Maungdaw, North Arakan, active in the late British colonial period and the early years after… - [Master Aman Ullah](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/aman-ullah/index.md): Historian, educator and author, Born 1950, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya historian, educator and author, born in Maungdaw in 1950, who has spent more than five decades documenting Rohingya history, defending Rohingya identity and advocating… - [Maulana Muhammad Hanif](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/muhammad-hanif/index.md): Scholar and creator of the Hanifi Rohingya script, 1952 – 2023, Rathedaung, Rakhine State. A Rohingya scholar remembered for creating the Hanifi script, a writing system he devised in the 1980s to represent the sounds of the Rohingya language. Written from right to… - [Maung Tun Khin](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/maung-tun-khin/index.md): Rohingya rights activist and president of BROUK, Buthidaung, Arakan. A Rohingya rights activist from Buthidaung Township who founded and leads the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), lobbying governments, human rights institutions and the… - [Mawlana Pir Muzzaffar Ahmad](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/muzzaffar-ahmad/index.md): Islamic spiritual guide, Hadith scholar and educator, 1927 – 2006, Buthidaung, Arakan. A Rohingya Islamic scholar, Muhaddith and spiritual guide (Pir) from Mee Chaung Zay in Buthidaung Township, who devoted his life to teaching Hadith, Fiqh and the Qur'an, to… - [Mayyu Ali](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/mayyu-ali/index.md): Rohingya poet and writer, Born 1991, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya poet and writer born in Maungdaw Township in 1991, who survived the 2017 military crackdown, fled to Bangladesh and later moved to Canada. He founded the Community… - [Mohammed Noor](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/mohammed-noor/index.md): Media entrepreneur and founder of RVision, Born 1980s, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A Rohingya media entrepreneur, born in Makkah to a Rohingya refugee family from Arakan, who founded Rohingya Vision (RVision), a Rohingya satellite television channel and digital… - [Mohib Ullah](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/mohib-ullah/index.md): Peace activist and community leader, 1971 – 2021, Arakan. Mohib Ullah was a Rohingya human rights defender and peace activist who, after the 2017 genocide, co-founded the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) in the… - [Nasir Uddin](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/nasir-uddin/index.md): Community leader, politician and member of Parliament. An influential Muslim community leader associated with Akyab, also known as U Pho Khaing, who represented Akyab West in Burma's legislature in the early parliamentary period and… - [Nay San Lwin](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/nay-san-lwin/index.md): Rohingya activist and co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, Born 1978, Buthidaung, Arakan. A Rohingya political activist, born in Buthidaung in 1978 and raised in Rangoon, and a leading voice in the global advocacy for Rohingya rights and justice. Since leaving Myanmar… - [Nur Ahmed](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/nur-ahmed/index.md): Member-elect of Parliament and health worker, Born 1928, Buthidaung, Arakan. Nur Ahmed, also known as Tin Maung, was a Rohingya leader from Buthidaung who was elected Member of Parliament for the Buthidaung-2 constituency in Myanmar's 1990 general… - [Nurul Islam](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/nurul-islam/index.md): Lawyer and chairman of ARNO, Born 1948, Chilkhali, Maungdaw. A veteran Rohingya lawyer and political activist, born in 1948 in Chilkhali, Maungdaw Township. A student leader in the 1960s, he co-founded and led several Rohingya insurgent… - [Qari Arshad Hussain](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/arshad-hussain/index.md): Islamic scholar, teacher and radio broadcaster, 1910 – 2021, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya Islamic scholar, teacher and radio broadcaster from Oudaung Village near Maungdaw, who studied at Darul Uloom Deoband in India and taught at Islamic schools in… - [Rashid](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/rashid/index.md): Educator, politician and member of Parliament. An educator and politician who represented Maungdaw North in Burma's Parliament, elected in 1960. His election placed a representative from the Rohingya-majority region of… - [Rashid Ahmed](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/rashid-ahmed/index.md): Rohingya community elder and advocate, 1948 – 2021, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya community elder from Maungdaw, also known as U Tin Maung and Mayu Rashid, described by the European Rohingya Council as a respected elder of Quarter 4 in Maungdaw… - [Razia Sultana](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/razia-sultana/index.md): Lawyer and human rights activist, Born 1973, Maungdaw, Rakhine State. A Rohingya lawyer, researcher and human rights activist born in Maungdaw, who practises law in Bangladesh with Rohingya refugees and documents the trauma, mass rape and… - [Romarun](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/romarun/index.md): Poet and editor, 1981 – 2020, Sittwe, Arakan. Rohingya poet from Sittwe whose poems appeared on Rohingya Today, Arakan Pen and The Art Garden Rohingya, where she became an editor in 2020. She wrote of a life without a shore,… - [Selim Noor](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/selim-noor/index.md): Humanitarian leader and media founder, Born 1990. A Rohingya humanitarian and media figure based in Istanbul, who works to raise awareness of the Rohingya crisis and strengthen Rohingya identity through media, education and… - [Shamsul Anwarul Huq](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/shamsul-anwarul-huq/index.md): Academic, former politician and pro-democracy activist, Born 1944, Buthidaung, Arakan. Shamsul Anwarul Huq, also known as Kyaw Min, is a Rohingya academic, educator and pro-democracy activist from Buthidaung, Arakan. A former teacher and primary school headmaster,… - [Shaykh Abdul Wali al-Arkani](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdul-wali-al-arkani/index.md): Qari and imam in Saudi Arabia, Born 1983, Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A Rohingya Qari and imam, born in Mecca in 1983 to a family of Rohingya origin from Arakan, whose distinctive, melodious Quran recitations are broadcast on Arab channels in Saudi… - [Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Arakani](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/abdul-majeed-al-arakani/index.md): Qari and Islamic scholar, Saudi Arabia. A Rohingya Qari and Quran reciter, born in Saudi Arabia to a Rohingya refugee family originally from Arakan (Rakhine State), Myanmar, and known for his soulful, melodious… - [Sheikh Muhammad Ayyub](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/muhammad-ayyub/index.md): Qari and Imam of the Prophet's Mosque, 1952 – 2016, Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A Rohingya Qari and scholar of the Quran who, in 1990, was appointed Imam of the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) in Medina, a historic achievement for a Rohingya. Born in… - [Shobu](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/shobu/index.md): Singer and performer, c. 1950 – 2009, Maungdaw, Arakan. Shobu, officially named Shobbir Ahmed, was a Rohingya singer and performer from Maungdaw whose emotional and patriotic songs made him a household name across Rohingya… - [Syed Alaol](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/syed-alaol/index.md): Poet of Arakan and translator of Persian and Hindi literature, 1607 – 1673, Jalalpur, Bengal. A Bengali poet of the royal court of Arakan's Mrauk U kingdom, born in 1607 in Jalalpur, Bengal, and brought to Arakan in his youth after Portuguese pirates captured him. With… - [Tekkatho Nanda Meik](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/tekkatho-nanda-meik/index.md): Writer, novelist and editor, 1923 – 1986, Taungup, Arakan. Writer, novelist, poet, editor and publisher from Taungup, remembered as "the man who asked for heaven and earth". He edited Myawaddy Magazine and other leading journals, wrote… - [U Abdul Gaffar](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-abdul-gaffar/index.md): Member of the Constituent Assembly and politician, 1910 – 1966, Buthidaung, Arakan. A Rohingya politician and educator from Buthidaung, Arakan, remembered for his 1948 Memorandum of Appeal, which sought official recognition of the Rohingya as a distinct ethnic… - [U Ba Sein](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-ba-sein/index.md): Founder of Rohingya Blogger and former civil servant, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya writer and former Myanmar civil servant, best known as the founder of Rohingya Blogger, one of the early online platforms reporting on human rights abuses against the… - [U Kyaw Hla Aung](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-kyaw-hla-aung/index.md): Lawyer and civil rights activist, 1940 – 2021, Sittwe, Rakhine State. U Kyaw Hla Aung, born Muhammad Kasim in Sittwe, was a Rohingya lawyer and civil rights defender who was arrested multiple times and spent years in prison under Myanmar's military… - [U Mya Than](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-mya-than/index.md): Health officer, 1935 – 2009, Bawli Bazaar, Maungdaw. A Rohingya health worker and leprosy specialist who served hospitals and rural health centres across Arakan for three decades, and an unsung builder of his community: he helped… - [U Shwe Maung](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-shwe-maung/index.md): Former Member of Parliament for Buthidaung and rights activist, Born 1965, Buthidaung, Arakan. U Shwe Maung, also known as Abdul Razak, is a Rohingya politician and rights activist from Buthidaung, Arakan, who won a seat in Myanmar's House of Representatives (Pyithu… - [U Shwe Yat](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-shwe-yat/index.md): Social worker, politician and member of Parliament. A social worker and politician who was elected to represent Akyab in Burma's 1990 multi-party general election. Historical election records list him among the Muslim and Rohingya… - [U Sultan Ahmed](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-sultan-ahmed/index.md): Parliamentary secretary and politician, 1901 – 1981, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya lawyer and politician from Maungdaw, Arakan, who was elected to the Legislature of Burma for Maungdaw in 1947, one of the first Rohingya members of the national… - [U Sultan Mahmud](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/u-sultan-mahmud/index.md): Minister of Health and politician, 1919 – 1994, Sittwe, Arakan. A Rohingya politician from Sittwe (Akyab), Arakan, who served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed Minister of Health in Prime Minister U Nu's government. As a cabinet… - [Wai Wai Nu](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/wai-wai-nu/index.md): Human rights activist and lawyer, Born 1987, Buthidaung, Rakhine State. A Rohingya human rights activist and lawyer from Buthidaung, known for her advocacy for democracy, women's rights and justice in Myanmar. Arrested with her family at 18 while a… - [Waji Ullah Arkani](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/waji-ullah-arkani/index.md): Political activist, V-Force member and interpreter, 1919 – 1988, Maungdaw, Arakan. A Rohingya political activist and interpreter, born in 1919 in Chira Dan Village, Maungdaw Township, who served as an interpreter with the British-organised V-Force during the… ## Data - [Every biography in one file](https://people.rohingya.ro/llms-full.txt): all people, full text, Markdown - [Open data](https://people.rohingya.ro/data/people.json): all people as structured JSON - [Index of every name](https://people.rohingya.ro/people/) - [Sitemap](https://people.rohingya.ro/sitemap.xml)