A surge in political disinformation targeting Malaysia’s Rohingya refugee population has raised concerns among human rights groups about increasing xenophobia and intimidation directed at the community. Fact-checkers have identified a wave of false claims circulating on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, featuring fabricated statistics, manipulated videos, and false quotes aimed at the predominantly Muslim ethnic group.

While anti-Rohingya misinformation has been present for years in the context of ongoing military crackdowns in Myanmar, analysts attribute the recent intensification to a broader political campaign ahead of Malaysia’s general elections scheduled for next year. Experts say refugees have become scapegoats for wider societal anxieties about economic conditions, migration, public services, security, and national identity. Lilianne Fan, head of the Secretariat of the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar, described the rhetoric as “violent and hateful,” noting that it signals a perception that the government is unresponsive to citizen concerns.

Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), of whom over 126,000 are Rohingya, constituting the country’s largest refugee group. Anti-Rohingya sentiment escalated notably in late May following social media posts alleging that Rohingya refugees had dumped waste from a cattle slaughter during the Eid al-Adha festival. This incident triggered an online petition demanding government intervention to relocate the Rohingya to another country, which amassed nearly 500,000 signatures before being removed.

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission issued a statement expressing serious concern about rising hostility, discriminatory language, and online harassment targeting the Rohingya community. False claims have additionally spread that Rohingya refugees seek to establish their own territory, gain special rights, or acquire citizenship through marriages to Malaysians. A widely shared Facebook post from a group named “Rohingya Malaysia” claimed that a Malaysian town was requested to be handed over to Rohingya refugees—an assertion debunked by fact-checkers who also disproved a related claim of two million births from Malay-Rohingya unions, labeling the figure as impossible based on official data and expert analysis.

Information integrity analysts have found that some accounts disseminating this misleading content have histories of monetizing their social media activity, capitalizing on politically sensitive issues like the Rohingya refugee situation to drive engagement. “Algorithms reward outrage over accuracy,” Fan explained, emphasizing how isolated incidents are often generalized to stigmatize the entire Rohingya population.

Local NGOs and Rohingya advocacy groups have reported growing hate speech and intimidation, which they say deter community members from sharing their experiences or seeking support due to fears of abuse or public backlash. An official from Rohingya Rights Response noted this reluctance, citing safety concerns.

Although Malaysia hosts one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee populations, it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not legally recognize refugee status. In response to demands for deportations, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution stated last month that the government seeks to balance security and humanitarian considerations through cooperation with other countries hosting significant migrant populations. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has similarly pledged to engage ASEAN mechanisms and Myanmar authorities to address the Rohingya situation regionally. Speaking alongside his Bangladeshi counterpart, Anwar said efforts would focus on resolving the plight of Rohingya refugees both in Bangladesh and Malaysia.