Rohingya Shining Stars

Delhi gave us freedom to play football, don’t take it away from us: Captain of Rohingya Shining Stars

Adding that football also allows the Rohingya community to make people aware of their situation and their problems, Riyaz said, "It has a wider reach and the younger generation can understand our problems. It also keeps politics aside."

On the night of September 23, 2012, when violence between Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists was at its peak, 19-year-old Mohammed Shirajullah decided to take a plunge into the unknown as he ran away from his Nga Khu Village in Arakan state, Myanmar. His story is nothing short of a dramatic movie script as he swam across a river after escaping from his village and ended up in Bangladesh. Despite being aware of the dangers, Riyaz (as he is also known as) took the risk and crossed two international borders as he made his way from Myanmar to the Indian state of Tripura through Bangladesh.
“It was at midnight when my parents woke me up asked me to leave. A group of men with guns had come near our house and I did not know what to do but simply ran. I did not even have time to change my clothes or think about my family or my loved ones. All I knew was that I wanted to survive and breathe,” he said. According to Riyaz, youngsters are regularly targeted and mercilessly beaten and killed. However, he managed to survive as he used to teach kids in his village.
Upon reaching Tripura, however, he was nabbed by a policeman. After learning about his situation, in an act of kindness, the policeman paid some money and asked him to go to Delhi. With no clue as to how to go about in Delhi, he met a policeman who took him to a hospital after seeing his condition. He had not eaten anything during his journey from Tripura to Delhi. After two weeks of treatment Riyaz was finally able to muster some strength and walk.
“I am really thankful to the Delhi police for helping me out at the critical stage. It helped me stay alive and kept my passion for football alight. From 2012 to 2015 I worked in various sectors but always made it a point to play football whenever I got time. It helped me forget all the pain that I had been through.”

Towards the end of 2015, as more and more Rohingya Muslims started to enter and settle in Delhi, Riyaz (who plays as a defender) decided to form a core group of players and termed it as the Rohingya Shining Stars (Youth Club of Delhi). The team comprises players from the age of 17 to 36 but one thing that bonds them together is the undying passion for football. They may not have the best of equipment but that is not a barrier from running in the field.
So what is that they love about Delhi? “Playing any form of sport is a right, something that we did not have back home. We had no respect, no right to play and no right to live. We were targeted, humiliated and many of us killed. In Delhi, we have the right to play. It frees our mind and relieves the tension.What more could we want?”
Additionally, football also allows the Rohingya community to make people aware of their situation and their problems, Riyaz said, “It has a wider reach and the younger generation can understand our problems. It also helps to keep politics aside.”
Riyaz and his teammates now want the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case on their deportation, to consider their plight and allow them to live. “Delhi gave us the freedom to play football, don’t take it away from us,” he says, “We make one appeal to people that please care about us. We are not the only ones being killed back home. Even the Hindus are being mercilessly treated there. If SC allows us to live here then it will allow us to live a dignified life. It will help us pursue our passion for football and take India’s name forward. we may be from another country but we want to play for India and would love to make India proud.”