First, They Erased Our Name

‘Habiburahman’s book is a rare first-hand account of what the Rohingya have had to endure over the past few decades, and especially valuable because the events it describes took place long before most of the world had heard of them. Told in short, punchy chapters, written in an urgent present tense …’

-- David Eimer * The Spectator *

‘Here is the first account by a Rohingya of the decades-long oppression of his people, as well as a memoir of his own journey. Chilling and eye-opening.’

* i *

‘This is the gripping, chilling inside story of the incubation of a genocide. In a corner of Asia where hatred has raged for decades, Habib’s moving family history emerges as a powerful and, to my knowledge, unique historical document. His compelling storytelling relates how playground prejudice against the Muslim Rohingya of Arakan escalated into pogroms, terror, and apartheid. As he makes his arduous and dangerous escape, he writes “death is always snapping at our heels”. What an incredible story. There are many who, after the killing fields of Cambodia, Bosnia, or Rwanda have said “Never again”. It just did, in Burma, and here’s how.’

-- Jonathan Miller, Foreign Affairs Correspondent * Channel 4 News *

‘Written in a simple style appropriate to the childhood it records, the memoir is a devastating testimony of persecution.’

-- David McKechnie * The Irish Times *

‘The book is written in simple language and tells the story without embellishment. There is no need for flourishes; it is relentless.’

-- Gay Alcorn * The Guardian *

‘Habiburahman is a vivid storyteller … It is a book that should be read the world over until the Rohingyas get justice … An essential read.’

-- Liam Heylin * Irish Examiner *

‘An astonishing story … a moving read.’

-- Paul Ross, talkRADIO

‘The remarkable first personal account from a Rohingya of his people’s persecution in Burma.’

* i *

‘The greatest barriers to stories such as Habiburahman’s being heard, though. Are invalidation and indifference. Do not be indifferent to this urgent, humane book. Read it, share it, talk about what has been happening — and in so doing safeguard the humanity of Habiburahman, the Rohingya and all asylum seekers, as well as the imperilled humanity of this country.’

-- Maria Takolander * The Saturday Paper *

‘[First, They Erased Our Name] tells the first-hand truth behind the global humanitarian crisis.’

* Business Standard *

‘For the first time, Habib’s book gives written voice to the history of fate and his people who have been left stateless in their own country. Habib’s own story is an odyssey of danger, resistance, torture and courage.’

-- James Taylor * Surf Coast Times *

‘Compelling.’

-- Robyn Douglass * SA Weekend, starred review *

‘Habiburahman was a boy when Myanmar outlawed his ethnic group, the Rohingya, stripping its members of citizenship and turning them into a stateless people. His book is a rare account of growing up during the subsequent catastrophe for the Rohingya … a useful addition to the literature of human rights abuses.’

* Kirkus Revie