RO Maung Shwe
Mohammad Karim’s voice falters as he recounts the day his life changed forever. A former businessman and physics teacher from Maungdaw township, Karim once believed in the promise of education and hard work. Today, he teaches refugee children in a camp far from the home he was forced to abandon.
Karim’s journey began with a dream. Armed with a master’s degree in physics from Aykub Sittway University, he was one of the few Rohingya to overcome the systemic barriers to higher education. “For years, I balanced my business and teaching careers, hoping to provide my family and students with a stable future,” he says. But systemic oppression and restrictions on movement, banking, and trade made success nearly impossible. Eventually, he devoted himself fully to teaching, nurturing the next generation of Rohingya and Rakhine students.
The peace of Maungdaw was shattered in 2024 when clashes between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar junta intensified. “The violence this time was unlike anything we had ever seen,” he says. Rohingya villages were indiscriminately bombed, civilians were abducted, and markets were destroyed. “We had to flee amidst airstrikes and drone attacks. The scenes of pregnant women and children left behind on the shores of the Naf River haunt me.”
Crossing the river to Bangladesh was a journey fraught with peril. “We had to pay exorbitant amounts to cross, only to be robbed again by other groups,” Karim recounts. Yet, his greatest challenge was ensuring his gravely ill wife survived the journey. “I carried her on my back, stepping over bodies of those who didn’t make it. It was a nightmare.”
Upon reaching Bangladesh, Karim found solace in teaching again. “I was offered a position at a community-led high school in the camp,” he says. For Karim, teaching physics is not just about imparting knowledge—it’s about restoring dignity and hope to his students. “Our community has lost so much, but education can give us a chance to rebuild.”
As Karim’s students listen to him explain the intricacies of science, they are reminded that knowledge has the power to transcend borders, hardships, and even the violence that has scarred their lives. For Karim, the classroom is his refuge and his rebellion—a space where he can fight back against despair and nurture the promise of a brighter future.
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