Exploring Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management in Muhammadiyah’s Peacemaking Role during the Rohingya Conflict in Myanmar

Abstract This study examines Muhammadiyah’s role in responding to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Myanmar between 2012 and 2017, with particular attention to the factors limiting its involvement in formal peacemaking processes. Using a qualitative approach based on interviews, institutional documents, and secondary sources, the study analyzes how Muhammadiyah positioned itself as a faith-based humanitarian actor within a complex international conflict setting. The findings demonstrate that Muhammadiyah primarily contributed through humanitarian assistance, advocacy initiatives, and the facilitation of dialogue, mainly direct political mediation between the Myanmar government and the Rohingya ethnic group. The study argues that Muhammadiyah’s limited role in formal peacemaking was shaped by institutional constraints, restricted diplomatic authority as a non-state actor, and the political sensitivity of Myanmar’s domestic conflict. Despite these limitations, Muhammadiyah played an important role in humanitarian diplomacy by mobilizing moral legitimacy, transnational Islamic solidarity, and civil society networks to support Rohingya refugees. This article contributes to the literature on faith-based organizations and peacebuilding by demonstrating how religious actors may strategically prioritize humanitarian engagement over formal political negotiation in conflict contexts.