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---
description: &quot;They deserve to be treated like we all deserve to be treated – with dignity and respect.&quot;
title: Malala Yousafzai Says Burma&#x27;s Rohingya Muslims &#x27;Deserve Citizenship&#x27;
image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production
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# Malala Says Burma's Rohingya Muslims 'Deserve Citizenship'


by 

[Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


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Jun 8, 2015 1:14 PM CUT

by 

[Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


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Jun 8, 2015 1:14 PM CUT

Activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is standing with the [Rohingya people](http://time.com/3908627/burmas-nowhere-people/ "undefined") of Burma and calling on world leaders to demand an end to their persecution.

“I call on the leaders of Myanmar and the world to take immediate action to halt the inhuman persecution of Burma’s Muslim minority Rohingya people,” Yousafzai said in a statement.

“The Rohingyas deserve citizenship in the country where they were born and have lived for generations,” she added.“They deserve equal rights and opportunities. They deserve to be treated like we all deserve to be treated—with dignity and respect. Today and every day, I stand with the Rohingyas, and I encourage people everywhere to do so,” she said.

The Rohingyas are fleeing Burma en masse and have faced years of persecution considered by many to be a form of [ethnic cleansing.](http://time.com/3810494/rohingya-burmas-forgotten-muslims/ "undefined") The United Nations considers the Rohingyas one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

**MORE** [Burma’s Nowhere People](http://time.com/3908627/burmas-nowhere-people/ "undefined")

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