North Side cultural center unites Rohingya refugees together

Date: November 28 2017

Source:

The Columbia Chronicle

Nasir Zakaria is one of hundreds of Rohingya, a stateless Indo-Aryan people from the Rakhine State, Myanmar, who found refuge in Chicago’s North Side. After immigrating to the U.S. from Myanmar in 2013 and settling in Rogers Park, Zakaria said he could not sit idly while his people suffered from horrendous persecution.

Zakaria founded the Rohingya Cultural Center, 2740 W. Devon Ave., in April 2016 with assistance from the Zakat Foundation, a Muslim organization that provides an annual grant to pay rent, utilities and Zakaria’s salary.

April 7

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April. 15, 2016 For the majority of his life, Nasir Bin Zakaria was a citizen of nowhere. He was 14 when he was kidnapped by militants at a bazaar in west Myanmar. “Kalah,” they hissed at him, a racial slur used toward Rohingya — the ethnic Muslim minority residing among...

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October 11

Refugees from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community find sanctuary and solace at a cultural center in Chicago

A dozen primary school-aged children sit around desks taking instruction from their tutors, local college students who volunteer as English language teachers at the Rohingya Culture Center in Chicago.

October 11

Persecuted Rohingya community find sanctuary and solace at a cultural center in Chicago

Oct. 11, 2016 A dozen primary school-aged children sit around desks taking instruction from their tutors, local college students who volunteer as English language teachers at the Rohingya Culture Center in Chicago. Zakaria, who works full-time as the director of the center, fought tirelessly to create this space for refugees.

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The Rohingya Who Made It to Chicago

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Refugees Fleeing Ethnic Cleansing in Burma Are About to Get Even Less Help From the US

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Adjusting to New Lives, Chicago’s Rohingya Look to Aid Those Still in Myanmar

There are now approximately 1,500 Rohingya living in Chicago’s north side, according to the Rohingya Culture Center (RCC), an organization that helps the refugees settle into the city.

October 18

Rohingya Expatriates Push US Lawmakers to Act on Myanmar

Oct. 18, 2017 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Although he hasn’t seen his home country in more than a decade, modern technology has made it easy for Abdul Jabbar Amanullah to stay in regular contact with his family in Myanmar’s remote Rakhine state. Using email and social media to interact with loved...

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Rohingya who fled Myanmar find refuge in Chicago

Nov. 4, 2017 Muslim Rohingya who escaped deadly violence and persecution in Myanmar have found new homes in the United States. Muslim Rohingya who escaped deadly violence and persecution in Myanmar have found new homes in the United States. One of the largest concentrations of Rohingya is in the US city of Chicago.

November 28

North Side cultural center unites Rohingya refugees together

Nov. 28, 2017 Nasir Zakaria is one of hundreds of Rohingya, a stateless Indo-Aryan people from the Rakhine State, Myanmar, who found refuge in Chicago’s North Side. After immigrating to the U.S. from Myanmar in 2013 and settling in Rogers Park, Zakaria said he could not sit idly while his...

November 30

Rohingya culture center in West Ridge offers comfort amidst crisis

Nov. 29, 2017 CHICAGO (WLS) — Tragic images from Myanmar are difficult to watch. They show the plight of the Rohingya people, described by ABC News as a Muslim minority in the country also known as Burma. The Rohingya were stripped of citizenship by Myanmar’s government in 1982, though they’ve..

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Rohingya refugees in Chicago face stress, anxiety after escaping horrors in Myanmar

Dec. 26, 2017 Hasan Korimullah was 8, maybe 9, when he saw his mother hacked to death. The pair had been on a shopping trip near their home in Myanmar when two men jumped out of the bushes with machetes, he said. Hasan took off running, eventually escaping, while his...

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CHICAGO (RNS) — About a dozen Rohingya refugees voted for the first time Tuesday (Oct. 20) at an early voting site in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. It wasn’t just the first time they voted as United States citizens. It was the first time they’d ever voted, period.

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Executive Director Nasir Zakaria for receiving the Leaders for a New Chicago Award.

This award is given to 10 individuals in Chicago who are advancing the racial and social justice movement in Chicago. Rep. Olickal and I have had the honor of working alongside Nasir and the rest of the team at the RCC to serve the needs of the Rohingyan community and have seen his impact firsthand.

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North Side cultural center unites Rohingya refugees together

News

Chicago Rohingya Organize To Help Their Own

Persecuted Rohingya Muslims find rare refuge in Chicago

Myanmar refugees, including Muslim Rohingya, outpace Syrian arrivals in U.S.

Refugees from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community find sanctuary and solace at a cultural center in Chicago

Persecuted Rohingya community find sanctuary and solace at a cultural center in Chicago

The Rohingya Who Made It to Chicago

Refugees Fleeing Ethnic Cleansing in Burma Are About to Get Even Less Help From the US

Adjusting to New Lives, Chicago’s Rohingya Look to Aid Those Still in Myanmar

Rohingya Expatriates Push US Lawmakers to Act on Myanmar

Rohingya who fled Myanmar find refuge in Chicago

North Side cultural center unites Rohingya refugees together

Rohingya culture center in West Ridge offers comfort amidst crisis

Web Extra: Rohingya Find New Life in Chicago

Rohingya refugees in Chicago face stress, anxiety after escaping horrors in Myanmar

Rohingya Refugees

Chicago Red Cross Global Citizenship Hero 2018: Nasir Bin Zakaria

Rohingya refugees rebuilding their lives in Chicago

Coronavirus shutdown threatens Chicago’s Rohingya cultural centre

Rohingya Resettlement During a Pandemic

Rohingya Americans in Chicago venture out to local polling place en masse to cast their first-ever general election votes: ‘Really I’m so grateful’

Stripped of citizenship in Myanmar, Rohingya immigrants find new home in Chicago — and a chance to vote for the first time

Rohingya American voters ‘grateful,’ ‘excited’ to cast ballots for the first time in Chicago

Hopeful Rogers Park Rohingya Vote in First Presidential Election

Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $150B

Rohingya Diaspora in the U.S.

Rashid Ahmed’s Family Fled Persecution In Myanmar. Now, He Is Chicago’s First Rohingya Refugee To Graduate College

Rohingya sue Facebook for £150bn over Myanmar genocide

Meet Our 2023 Health & Medicine Award Winners

Executive Director Nasir Zakaria for receiving the Leaders for a New Chicago Award.

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