Kathmandu: In recent weeks, following tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in parts of Nepal’s Madhesh and Inner Madhesh regions, the issue of Rohingya refugees has once again become a subject of public debate. Amid the discussions, several public figures, including Dr. Salahuddin Akhtar Siddiqui and Dr. Abul Hussain Ansari, have claimed on social media that the Rohingya issue is being used to unfairly stigmatise Nepal’s Muslim community.

Journalist Dipesh Shrestha says such statements have intensified public discourse but stresses that conclusions on such a sensitive issue must be based on verifiable evidence, historical records, and the legal framework rather than on unverified claims circulating on social media.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority community originating from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Following Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law, they were stripped of official recognition as citizens, rendering the majority of them stateless. The humanitarian crisis escalated dramatically in 2017, when a military crackdown forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Today, more than one million Rohingya refugees are living in camps in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh.

Beyond Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees have also sought refuge in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and several other countries. Bangladesh has provided humanitarian shelter but has not granted them citizenship. Malaysia hosts a significant Rohingya population, although most possess only limited refugee status rather than citizenship. India has likewise declined to grant citizenship, dealing with the issue primarily under its immigration and national security laws.

Nepal’s situation differs considerably. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Nepal hosts approximately 20,000 refugees, the overwhelming majority of whom are of Tibetan and Bhutanese origin. A few hundred Rohingya and asylum seekers from other countries are registered with UNHCR in the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal has not officially recognised Rohingya as a refugee group under domestic law, although UNHCR provides protection to certain individuals.

There is no single explanation as to how Rohingya arrived in Nepal. Various reports suggest that some entered through the open border with India, others travelled to Kathmandu seeking UNHCR protection, while some used Nepal as a transit point in the hope of resettlement in third countries. However, there is no official evidence supporting claims that Nepal’s Muslim population consists of Rohingya refugees or that Rohingya have broadly integrated into Nepali Muslim communities under false identities.

The history of Nepal’s Muslim community predates the Rohingya crisis by centuries. Historians note that Muslims have lived in the Kathmandu Valley, the Tarai, and western Nepal since the Malla era. Kashmiri traders, Mughal-era artisans, and indigenous Muslim communities in the southern plains gradually became an integral part of Nepali society. Consequently, the overwhelming majority of Nepal’s Muslims trace their roots to these long-established historical communities rather than to recent refugee movements.

Similarly, Christianity has a long history in Nepal. Capuchin missionaries reached the Kathmandu Valley during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Following the restoration of democracy and the expansion of religious freedom after 1990, Nepal’s Christian community grew significantly. Today, the vast majority of Nepali Christians are Nepali citizens, not foreign nationals. Equating their identity with refugee or migrant populations is historically and factually inaccurate.

The history of Nepali-origin families and some Hindu communities returning from Burma (now Myanmar) is also distinct from the Rohingya crisis. Political developments and bilateral arrangements led certain families to return to Nepal over different periods. Historians argue that these movements should not be conflated with the Rohingya displacement, as the legal, political, and historical contexts are fundamentally different.

Experts caution that misinformation shared during periods of communal tension can deepen social divisions. If foreign nationals are residing in Nepal illegally, irrespective of whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, or followers of any other faith, their cases should be addressed under Nepal’s immigration laws. Conversely, collectively associating Nepali citizens with foreign refugee populations solely on the basis of religion lacks both factual and legal foundation.

Nepal’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to religious freedom, equality before the law, and equal legal protection. While the state bears responsibility for addressing border security, irregular migration, and national security concerns through lawful mechanisms, preserving religious harmony remains a shared responsibility of all communities. Public debate grounded in verified facts and evidence strengthens social trust, whereas rumours and collective accusations risk undermining coexistence and national unity.

This report has been prepared for GNN025.com. Journalist Dipesh Shrestha contributed to the research and reporting as a Nepali correspondent.