Rohingya Christian leader facing renewed death threats in refugee camp

Being a Christian seems to be a curse for Rohingya youth Peter Saiful, who has lived in exile for most of his life.

Saiful has spent over three decades in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh—the largest refugee settlement in the world. Today, he is a man under siege, facing a new wave of threats from militant groups and religious extremists within the very community he has long tried to serve.

Saiful is not just a survivor—he is a leader. As a volunteer pastor and human rights defender, he has worked tirelessly to support the small and often invisible population of Rohingya Christians. His work has come at a high cost: harassment, threats, attacks, and an unshakable fear for his family’s life.

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“I have suffered for being Rohingya and again for being a Christian among Rohingya,” Saiful said. “Our suffering is doubled. We are a minority within a minority.”

A Life of Exile and Faith

Peter Saiful family fled their home in Rakhine State, Myanmar, in 1992. At the time, waves of military crackdowns, forced labour, land seizures, and systemic denial of citizenship had led tens of thousands of Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh. Like many others, the Saiful family arrived in Nayapara Refugee Camp and later in Kutupalong, hoping for temporary shelter and eventual justice. That justice has never come.

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In the years that followed, Saiful found both strength and solace in his Christian faith, which his family had embraced inside Myanmar. Over time, he became a community leader, pastor, and quiet defender of religious freedom in one of the world’s most marginalised groups. Today, he pastors a small community of Rohingya Christians—a group that, though often overlooked, has faced decades of abuse and isolation.

Forgotten Persecution: Rohingya Christians Under Attack

While the plight of Rohingya Muslims has received widespread international attention—particularly after the military-led genocide in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2017—the story of Rohingya Christians remains largely untold. Estimates suggest that there are fewer than 1,500 Rohingya Christians globally, many of whom live in fear of both the Burmese regime and their own displaced community.

According to numerous accounts, Rohingya Christians have long faced harassment, forced conversions, social ostracism, and physical attacks inside both Myanmar and the refugee camps in Bangladesh.

The most devastating recent attack occurred on January 26, 2020, when an armed group stormed a Christian enclave inside Kutupalong camp. The assault resulted in the deaths of two community members, the injury of a dozen others, and the sexual assault of seven women. Most horrifyingly, a teenage Christian girl was abducted, forcibly converted, and married to a member of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)—a shadowy militant group active in the camps. Her whereabouts remain unknown.

Following the attack, around 25 Christian families, including Peter Saiful’s, were relocated by UNHCR to a transit center within the camp. Though intended to be a protective measure, Saiful says the move has offered little real safety.

A Renewed Campaign of Fear

Since December 2024, Saiful and other Christian leaders have been subjected to a disturbing campaign of threats and hate speech. Posters bearing his image and that of his younger brother, Nur Emmanuel, have been circulated throughout the camp, accusing them of proselytising and calling for their beheading. These threats, Saiful says, are not random; they are organised, deliberate, and increasingly dangerous.

“Fatwas have been issued by religious students from inside the camp, calling for my death and the death of others like me,” he said. “Militant groups have openly declared that they will destroy our shelters inside the UNHCR Transit Center.”

Among the individuals allegedly orchestrating these threats is Osama Ibrahim, a known ARSA commander operating from Camp 1W. Saiful reports that Ibrahim has created and distributed videos explicitly calling for attacks against the Christian camp sector. Armed men are now frequently seen near the Protection Center, intensifying fears of a repeat of the 2020 assault.

Despite multiple reports to the UNHCR’s protection focal points and the local police, no concrete action has been taken. While a UNHCR legal advisor has urged Saiful to file a cybercrime case, he remains cautious. “As a Christian leader, I hesitate to pursue legal action that might inflame tensions further. I fear retaliation not just against me, but against all Rohingya Christians.”

A Cry for Help

Saiful has not been entirely alone in raising his voice. Burmese activist Wai Wai Nu, a Rohingya Muslim human rights advocate, has spoken publicly about the rising danger faced by Christians in the camps. But beyond statements, Saiful says meaningful support has been minimal.

In a written appeal addressed to human rights organisations and international bodies, Saiful states:

“We are left to suffer in silence. Our stories are erased even from the narrative of Rohingya suffering. We do not want revenge or violence—we want peace, protection, and the right to live.”

Today, Peter Saiful and the 25 Christian families he represents continue to live under severe duress at the Transit Center. Children are unable to attend school safely, women live in fear of abduction, and pastors cannot openly practice their faith.

Saiful says they need urgent international intervention: physical protection for Christians within the camps; investigation and dismantling of armed groups threatening minorities; resettlement opportunities for high-risk religious minorities; and clear recognition of Rohingya Christians as victims of both ethnic and religious persecution.

On June 29, the Ukhiya police stations registered a general diary when Saiful sought protection via the Kutupalong camp in-charge.

‘Before It’s Too Late’

The case of Peter Saiful is a stark reminder that the plight of the Rohingya is not monolithic. Within this displaced population are layers of discrimination, suffering, and resilience that the global community has yet to fully confront.

“We fled persecution in Myanmar. Now we face it again—this time from those we fled with,” Saiful said, his voice steady but worn. “I fear that one day, my children will grow up only knowing fear, hiding their identity just to survive.”

For now, the only things protecting Saiful and his community are a tattered tent, a handful of allies, and the faint hope that someone, somewhere, is listening.