The following poem was written by a Rohingya poet. But the words tell my story too, although I’m not a refugee. I’m a victim of stigma and discrimination because I live with a mental health condition.

But I’m not just a victim, I also help people like me learn to cope with their emotional pain. And I’ve been trying to reduce the injustice of mental health stigma since 1993. The many battles I’ve fought trying to make the voices of people with mental illness heard, have caused me to become ostracized, even by people who share my religious faith. I have suffered much because of it.

This is why I have felt such empathy for the Rohingya people. I can relate to them on many levels. Although we differ in culture and religion, they have grown to be like brothers and sisters to me. I want to encourage them to be strong and not to lose hope.

I believe a day will come when the Rohingya people will be seen as an example for the world to follow. In their resilience, despite the way they’ve suffered; in how they believe in themselves and never give up hope for a better future; in how they work tirelessly to help themselves, not satisfied to rely on humanitarian aid.

I see the Rohingya as a steadfast people, a peaceful people who never fail to cling to their traditions and their faith. The Rohingya have much to be proud of.

I AM NOT JUST A VICTIM
By Abul Osman

I’m not just a victim
Not just a hunger of peace
I’m also a symbol of resistance,
A voice of the voiceless,
A hope of the hopeless.

I carry heavy weight of pain
Not like a burden on my back,
But a strength of resilience,
Because I’m not just a victim,
But a fighter—fighting for justice.

I stand by the oppressed
For the persecuted,
It isn’t just being a victim
A torn part of war-crackdown
But a voice of the humanity
speaking of equality for all.

My voice isn’t just for me,
Not just as I’m a victim
A traumatized of the war
Of the inhuman act
I speak for thousands like me,
For millions denied of justice,
Still surviving hardship like me.

I’m not just a victim,
Not just a survivor,
But a warrior,
I fight for each and every soul,
I don’t just speak as one,
I speak for millions in one voice.