The systematic removal of Rohingya Muslims from their homeland, by means of force and intimidation, is a case of ethnic cleansing. The intention to cleanse the ethnic group from Rakhine State, and throughout Myanmar, is motivated by ethnic and religious sentiment, state-security concerns, and lack of international determination to end ethnic cleansing.
For generations, the Rohingya people have lived in the western coastal state of Rakhine in Myanmar. Unlike other ethnic and religious minorities in the country, Rohingya Muslims have long been deprived of cultural rights and denied citizenship in the majority Buddhist state. They are not only a stateless group, but also, what some contend, the most persecuted minority in the world.