Malaysian PM urges Muslim world to help oppressed Rohingya

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to help end the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority, as OIC foreign ministers open a special meeting to discuss the crisis.

Najib, in a speech at the meeting today, said that the crisis is no longer Myanmar's internal affair as it has caused an exodus of refugees that could destabilize the region. He warned that the violence must end before terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State group infiltrate and radicalize the Rohingyas.

Security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar are accused of widespread abuses against the Rohingya, including killings, rape and the burning of thousands of homes that have driven an estimated 65,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh in the past three months.