The Architecture Of Exclusion

About this episode

Mohammad Siraj discusses the Rohingya crisis as a political and institutional issue rooted in discriminatory laws and his personal experiences as a stateless individual.

Episode #549: Mohammad Siraj, a Rohingya researcher, political analyst, educator, and aspiring legal scholar living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, studies citizenship, constitutional reform, education, and human rights. Drawing on his work with the Rohingya Academic Research Institute and his experience teaching in refugee settings, he argues that the Rohingya crisis is not simply a humanitarian emergency but a political and institutional crisis rooted in discriminatory law, particularly Myanmar’s citizenship framework and constitutional structure. Siraj’s own life reflects the realities he studies. He once hoped to become a doctor, but military violence forced his family to flee Myanmar. In Bangladesh’s refugee camps, he continued studying through limited educational opportunities and later pursued research training. Statelessness created major barriers: even when he received university offers, he could not accept them because he lacked a passport or travel documents. He turned toward law because he believes legal systems have excluded Rohingya from citizenship, political participation, and protection. He repeatedly highlights statelessness as one of the greatest obstacles…

People in this episode

Guest: Mohammad Siraj

Topics covered

• Rohingya crisis
• citizenship
• human rights
• education
• statelessness
• political analysis

Keywords

• Rohingya
• citizenship
• constitutional reform
• human rights
• statelessness
• education
• Bangladesh
• Myanmar

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rohingya Academic Research Institute

Places: Bangladesh, Myanmar

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