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 and nationalist groups and became the first Chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) when they merged into it in 1998. Under his leadership ARNO has urged the UN, the OIC, ASEAN and major powers to investigate and prosecute Myanmar's military for genocide and crimes against humanity.
The veteran lawyer of the Rohingya movement
Nurul Islam is a veteran Rohingya lawyer and political activist. He was born in 1948 in Chilkhali, Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State, Myanmar. He earned a B.A. (Law) and LL.B. from the University of Rangoon in 1972–73. Later, he completed human rights training at the University of New South Wales and received an LL.M. in Human Rights from the University of East London in 2007.
He joined the Rohingya political movement in the 1960s as a student leader. He served as President of the Rangoon University Rohingya Students Association in 1971. He also co-founded and led several insurgent and nationalist groups, including the Rohingya Patriotic Front and Rohingya Solidarity Organization, eventually merging them into the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) in 1998, where he became its first Chairman.
Since joining ARNO, Nurul Islam has been a central figure in Rohingya advocacy. He served as consultant on Arakan affairs for the Euro-Burma Office in Brussels until 2010. He now divides his time between Chittagong, Bangladesh, and East London, UK, while leading ARNO and coordinating policy at the Free Rohingya Coalition.
Nurul Islam has been a key figure in global advocacy for Rohingya rights as chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO). Under his leadership, ARNO urged international bodies such as the UN, OIC, ASEAN, and major powers to investigate and prosecute Myanmar’s military for genocide and crimes against humanity. In 2011, during the Rohingya Global Day of Action in London, he emphasized the community’s historical roots in Arakan and demanded the restoration of citizenship, citing their political presence since the 15th century. He continues to call for UN-led inquiries and ICC action to hold Myanmar accountable for atrocities against Rohingya civilians.
