Rohingya Targeted by Resurgence of ‘Hateful’ Disinformation in Malaysia

A wave of "hateful" political disinformation targeting Malaysia's Rohingya population has rights groups deeply concerned, warning that it is intensifying xenophobia and intimidation against the refugee community. AFP fact-checkers have identified and debunked a torrent of falsehoods circulating on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, including fabricated quotes, manipulated videos, and invented statistics.

While anti-Rohingya disinformation has been a persistent issue for years, exacerbated by crackdowns in their native Myanmar, analysts suggest the current surge is part of a coordinated political campaign in anticipation of Malaysia's general elections, expected in 2028. "Refugees have become a convenient proxy through which wider anxieties about the economy, migration, public services, security and national identity are channelled and expressed in the most violent and hateful language," stated Lilianne Fan, head of the Secretariat of the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar.

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Refugees have become a convenient proxy through which wider anxieties about the economy, migration, public services, security and national identity are channelled and expressed in the most violent and hateful language. And ultimately the end message seems to be: The government is not listening to citizens.

Malaysia is home to over 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, with the Rohingya community constituting the largest group at over 126,000. Anti-Rohingya sentiment intensified in late May following social media accusations that the community had dumped waste from a cattle slaughter during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. This incident spurred an online petition demanding the government resettle Rohingya refugees, which garnered nearly half a million signatures before being removed.

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deep concern over the growing hostility, discriminatory rhetoric and online attacks directed at the Rohingya community

The Malaysian human rights commission has expressed "deep concern over the growing hostility, discriminatory rhetoric and online attacks directed at the Rohingya community." Rumors about the Rohingya seeking their own territory, special rights, or citizenship through marriage to Malaysians are also circulating. One AI-generated Facebook post falsely claimed a Malaysian town was to be handed over to refugees, while another fabricated Instagram image depicted Rohingya "kicking out Malaysians."

Further falsehoods, identified by AFP, used fabricated news reports to falsely claim two million babies were born to Malay-Rohingya marriages, a figure experts have refuted as "impossible." Fan noted that "algorithms reward outrage over accuracy, allowing isolated incidents to be generalised to the entire Rohingya refugee population."

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Algorithms reward outrage over accuracy, allowing isolated incidents to be generalised to the entire Rohingya refugee population.