26 June 2025 | 08:30 CAT
3-minute read

Impact of Israel-Iran War on Asia

Analysts have raised the alarm over the far-reaching implications of the conflict in the Middle East and have condemned the United States’ participation and complicity in perpetuating violence and destabilising the region.

Malaysian human rights activist Debbie Stothard joined Radio Islam International for this week’s Asia Pacific Report. Speaking from Kuala Lumpur, Stothard, who has worked for decades across Asia and beyond, said the impact of Middle East conflicts like the US bombing of Iran is felt globally, even in Southeast Asia.

“War anywhere, whether it’s a genocide in Gaza, whether it’s bombing Ukraine or bombing Iran, it inevitably affects us globally,” she said. “It seems to be downright immoral and shocking and cruel that after cutting aid to refugees and people in need in this region, Trump is using his national resources to go and bomb Iran on a very baseless premise. It stinks of Islamophobia, to be quite honest.”

Stothard emphasised that the Malaysian public, particularly its younger generations, is increasingly sensitive to international injustices. “People are angry and very concerned and also worried about what this will mean. It’s another big shock to a very fragile region that’s sensitive to all these disruptions.”

ASEAN Must ‘Get Its Act Together’ on Myanmar

Stothard has criticised ASEAN’s failure to address the escalating crisis in Myanmar, warning that the region’s inaction is enabling war crimes and the potential second wave of genocide against the Rohingya people.

Myanmar’s Worsening Crisis

Turning to Myanmar, Stothard described ASEAN’s response since the 2021 military coup as ineffective, despite adopting a five-point peace plan.

“ASEAN has actually made a lot of statements, and they’ve taken some small steps, but they haven’t actually applied a comprehensive strategy to prevent this military junta from accessing revenue, weapons, and equipment that can be used to oppress civilians.”

She detailed the ongoing military violence, which averages 33 armed clashes per day, including drone and airstrikes that mainly target civilians.

“This sham election is a joke,” she said, explaining that the junta has banned the political parties that overwhelmingly won the 2020 elections while controlling less than half of the country’s territory.

“I think the problem with ASEAN is that we still somehow regard this illegal military junta as being in charge, when on the ground, this junta has lost so much territory, it has to resort to artillery attacks and aerial strikes on civilians to try and get back a territory that is lost.”

Rohingya Facing New Genocidal Threat

Stothard warned that the Rohingya face a second wave of genocide in Myanmar’s Arakan state. She strongly condemned neighbouring countries for criminalising refugees, sharing an incident where Indian authorities arrested nearly 40 Rohingya and forced them into Burmese waters, making them swim for 12 hours to survive.

“That’s the kind of horrific situation that’s happening,” she said.

She criticised Malaysia and Thailand for their role in deporting asylum seekers and warned that these deportations could result in the refugees being recruited by Myanmar’s military junta.

“We really need to get our region to get its act together. If they don’t want conflict to continue to intensify in Burma, Myanmar, they need to be consistent in their action.”

Stothard’s call for ASEAN to show political will comes at a time when the region is grappling with growing instability, cross-border refugee flows, and international scrutiny over its weak response to Myanmar’s deepening humanitarian crisis.

“Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is the best of helpers and protectors, ameen, and it is important for the international, especially the Muslim community, to stay aware of such matters that are transpiring,” presenter Moulana Junaid Kharsany concluded.

Debbie Stothard has spent over four decades working as a crime reporter, government advisor, educator, and human rights advocate. She founded Altsean-Burma in 1996 to develop innovative human rights training, and advocacy programmes and has since led more than 300 workshops across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas on issues ranging from business and human rights to macroeconomics and policy.

Listen to the Asia Pacific Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.