The April 28 forced closure of two madrassas in downtown Yangon by a mob of ultra-nationalist protestors backed by Buddhist monks was the latest indication that anti-Muslim vehemence is still a virulent undercurrent of instability in Myanmar’s unconsolidated democratic transition.
Two Islamic schools in the former capital’s Thaketa township were padlocked by protestors who alleged the madrassas were serving as illegal mosques. Police stood by while journalists covering the incident were harassed and threatened by the mob. Five days later the madrassa’s remain shuttered and the neighborhood tense.
The incident was less a resurgence of Islamophobic bullying than a resurfacing. The ultra-nationalist Ma Ba Tha movement, known for its anti-Muslim 969 boycott campaign and sparking periodic riots against Muslim communities, may have been diminished by the 2015 election victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD). But they have clearly not disappeared.
The assassination of prominent constitutional lawyer U Ko Ni at Yangon’s airport in January was a thunderclap to any complacency that may have settled over the country’s politics. The prominent journalist Swe Win faced a possible jail-able defamation charge by a Ma Ba Tha supporter who became enraged by the reporter’s critical portrayal of monks who supported the Muslim lawyer’s assassination.
Anti-Muslim sentiments in Myanmar are often misinterpreted internationally as a byproduct of the repression of the ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority. But this obscures the broader fears and distrust of Muslims throughout the country that have constantly simmered and not subsided under Suu Kyi’s and her NLD’s elected rule.
Recent attacks on Muslim buildings include the sacking of a mosque in the southern central Bago region in June 2016. Thereafter came an arson attack on a mosque in Hpakant town in Kachin State. Often these attacks are predicated on the alleged unlawful status of a building, giving local authorities the leeway to side with ultra-nationalist, anti-Muslim protestors.
Last week’s madrassa closure in Yangon revealed once again Suu Kyi’s government’s disinclination to repudiate the message of anti-Muslim ultra-nationalist groups and affirm its commitment to protecting minority groups against communal violence.
Suu Kyi and the NLD prevailed over the Ma Ba Tha during the 2015 elections because they shrewdly recognized the election was a de facto referendum on decades of military misrule, and not an opportunity to give voice to religious extremism.
As a result, Ma Ba Tha, which openly campaigned against Suu Kyi and the NLD, lost some of its standing in society and was openly criticized in Myanmar’s emerging social media space. But there is still a tendency to view Ma Ba Tha as a hierarchical, structured national movement rather than a collective of nationwide franchises that often merge national and local issues to mobilize support.
Senior NLD official criticisms in mid-2016, followed by apparent restrictions imposed on Ma Ba The by the State Sangha’s Maha Nayaka Committee, or Ma Ha Na, a government appointed religious body, were not the decisive denunciations that they originally appeared to be.
Matthew Walton, a research fellow on Myanmar at Oxford University, noted in a 2016 article that Ma Ha Na’s findings against Ma Ba Tha did not spell de-registration but were merely a caution against extremist activities.
The Ma Ba Tha affiliated firebrand Buddhist monk, U Wirathu, now also on the receiving end of intensified social media criticism, has launched a series of public stunts following a one-year ban on public preaching imposed by the Ma Ha Na in March.
To protest, he appeared at a sermon with tape across his mouth, and soon after released a short video deriding the NLD government as a ‘dah-mocracy’ (dah is a sword in Burmese) threatening his freedom of speech.
Wirathu is often viewed as the prophetic progenitor of attacks on Muslims, but he is more a self-promoting tub-thumper than an effective nationalist leader, critics say. Yet the NLD government’s response has been short-sighted, episodic and devoid of the high-level principled messaging needed to repudiate the vigilantes who have thrived in a rule of law vacuum.
Government-led inter-faith dialogue, support for effective community policing and local administration reform would all help to defuse the situation.
But the problem will persist if the NLD fails to form coalitions of national and local political representatives to challenge the activities of ultra-nationalists, many prone to violence, without curbing basic freedoms of expression, assembly and association. Not all Ma Ba Tha activities are negative or extreme.
The NLD’s bigger shortcoming, however, has been its bid to weaken and discredit its potentially most effective ally in neutralizing ultra-nationalists: civil society.
A range of women’s rights groups, human rights activists, health and education workers, think-tanks and the media have been at the frontline of critiquing ultra-nationalist forces and have thus been the target of social media threats and intimidation that have translated into occasional violence.
Civil society networks play an important role as transmission belts of information between government and communities, including causes of localized animus and distrust of Muslim minorities in rural communities. Yet the NLD have sought to distance themselves from these groups over the years, especially since it took office in 2016.
The NLD has openly criticized many of them to international donors in a bid to dilute their grass roots power and influence. Suu Kyi apparently views civil society not as valued allies who supported her nearly three decades long struggle against military rule but as unruly, unaccountable and a threat to national unity – a frequently aired siren call for unquestioning loyalty to her leadership.
When Suu Kyi gave a speech on March 30 extolling the achievements of her government’s first year in power, she used the term “together with the people” while stating that for “national reconciliation, we have to treat everyone equally.”
But Suu Kyi’s and her government’s seemingly studied silence after each anti-Muslim incident, including last Friday’s mosque closure in Yangon, raises questions whether her administration is truly committed to such high-minded pursuits.
Omar Shereef Are you barking at me?
John Boyd, your Facebook has the things which can be understood by people of Myanmar origin. Don’t B.S.
Omar Shereef Is truth hurting?
John Boyd, very smart. Dumb anti-Muslim neo-Nazi Buddhist boy acting like a American white boy.
Thein Maung, your shoulders are just a little wider than your head. You are a tiny man; about 5 foot 2 inches tall. I only judge people by the size of their hearts, but you even have smaller insights into all things. Your Facebook friends are all anti-Muslim radical Hindus and Buddhists. Myanmar military is still in charge of the country. Most of you are murderers, rapists, racists, thieves and liars. All you do is bow down and worship the idols and monks who support you. You all are not Dharma-Zaydi (followers andworshipers of true teaching of Buddha). There is no attack on non-Muslim in Bangladesh. I will chat more.
Nalanda monks were not much different from Myanmar Ma Ba Tha monks. Idea of existence of all peaceful Buddhists is an urban myth. You are not much different from being Antisemitic, just replacing with anit-Islam. Christianity (or I should say Christians) has ten times more blood on its hands than any other religions. Most Buddhists are naive, misinformed and have very litle knowledge about their own and other religions. I condemn what Turkish general did to Nalanda in India, but Buddhism in Nalanda was a real death cult also. Just wait for French movie "Le Venerable W." coming out in two months. It is true that only 3 to 6 percent of Muslims are violent, but Islam is fastest growing religion. If Islam is death cult, so are Judaism, Christianity and Hiduism. Hindu terrorists are raping and killing Muslims in India today for eating beef. They are mislabeled as cow vigilantes. You have very little information about history and religions.
Read my comments above please. Myanmar Muslims are not Pakistanis or Saudis.
Thein Maung, you must be only one Myanmar police officer in town with English skills. About one thousand Rohingyas were slaughtered by Myanmar military recently while over 70000 fled into Bangladesh. Myanmar is the only country with Theravada Buddhist majority believing in Buddha as a man turned into god from enlightenment. In other Buddhist majority countries, bowing to Buddha idols means paying respect. In Myanmar, it means worshiping him as a god. Trust me; your version of Buddhism can die out like Japanese Shinto religion. Your lies and fabrications are hilarious.
Hello Thein Maung. The problem in Myanmar is neo-Nazi militant Buddhism spearheaded by the military leaders themselves. Myanmar generals are not dumb for taking the cover from global Muslim extremist terrorism, but it is Buddhist terrorism against peaceful Muslim minorities. Buddhists have never been really peaceful. Peaceful Buddhism is an urban myth, but Buddhists are favored by non-Muslim pro-Buddhists to go against Islam. Myanmar itself was established by brutal conquest over three small Buddhist kingdoms of Rakhine, Mon and Shan. Brave Bamar or Burmese who knew how to fight and kill unified the country before British colonization. Islam has been in Myanmar for more than 900 years, but Theravada Buddhism imported from Sri Lanka has been more successful. The problematic difference is Buddha is considered to be a man enlightened to become a god, and they worship him as a god in Myanmar version of Theravada Buddhism. Three jewels of Buddhism (god(Buddha), his teachings and monks) are worshiped as Trinity in Myanmar as Phayar, Tatar and Thanga. Most Buddhists in Myanmar think all Buddhist sects are the same. Others believe Buddha as a guide and a teacher. Bowing to him just paying respect, not worship. Thus, they have 600000 gods in saffron robes in Myanmar. Monk is called Ashin Phayar (my lord god) is always bowed to in two closing palms in worship. It is hard to argue with gods who already have godly positions. Different indigenous ethic groups have been fighting for autonomous states for more than half a century. Former dictator Ne Win’s grandchildren are billionaires; so are general Than Shwe and others. They do have dumb way of foul plays and governing. Most Buddhists dislike growing numbers of Indian-mixed Muslims. Buddhists don’t really have communal system like Muslims and Christians. Total of 600000 monks must be fed and worshiped. Of course, Islam is also toughest religion surviving like Karen Armstrong said. It is easier to divert attention to Muslim minorities and attacking them. Military is in total control under fake democracy. Ms. Suu Kyi knows she can’t do much with Buddhist majority weaken morally under 55 year old military rule. Rohingyas have been easy targets for ethnic cleansing since they are Muslims and Bengali-mixed. Rakhine Buddhists living in Rakhine State don’t like them very much also fighting for separation. Kachins and ethnic Chinese Wa are fighting in the north. It is a mess. If Suu Kyi is put in charge, she may be able to the problem. But, the generals have a good taste for wealth and power. Muslim Madrassahs provide discipline training and basic education for Arabic and Myanmar languages for mostly orphans in systematically discriminating Buddhist laws designed by former regimes and present supporters. Thein Maung is well-trained and well-paid English-speaking police officer. Just use google image for meiktila massacre to check on how little orphan boys from Muslim orphanage Maddrassah were hacked apart and burnt alive by Buddhist mob and monks in March, 2013. They forced one captive Muslim man to bow and worship the monks, but he refused. He was dragged away to be killed and burnt somewhere. Riot was well-planned and well-organized. Bulldozers were prepared beforehand. Malala Yousoufi made it to Noble Prize. Poor boys ended up in garbage dump plowed by bulldozers. Maung Zarni is the only outspoken Myanmar Buddhist revolutionary; no one else. French movie Le Venerable W. is coming out in about two months about Wirathu. I hope Myanmar Buddhists can understand the reality before they destroy Theravada sect of Buddhism. Mahayana Dalai Lama is always inviting.
ON-GOING ETHNIC CLEANSING OF INDIGENOUS HINDUS, BUDDHIST AND CHRISTIANS IN BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is smaller in size than the state of Iowa in United States, yet its population is over 150 million compared to Iowa’s 3 million. The population of Bangladesh is projected to be 242 million by 2050. Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated nations with 90% being Sunni Muslims. Radicalized Bangladeshi muslims have been migrating to neighboring countries because of over population, natural catastrophes, hunger and other reasons.
Bangladesh is included in a list released by White House of 78 terrorist attacks "executed or inspired" by the Islamic State. The list does not include the thousands of native Buddhists, Hindus and Christians killed by islamic terrorists. The minority population of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians in Bangladesh have been decimated and their property confiscated with connivance from local authorities and the government. The case is specially disheartening for Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) where an area of 13,295 square kilometers, is now part of Bangladesh, belonged in 1947 to mostly indigenous Buddhists. CHT is now heavily militarized and outsiders are not allowed in by Bangladesh government and Buddhists and other minorities are in an apartheid conditions. The Bengali Muslims have since infiltrated the area (killed, raped and burnt the villages with impunity) with the help of the Bangladesh security forces.
In "moderate" Bangladesh, even minority Ahmadiyya Muslim community have been targeted and their mosques bombed. Anti jihadist secular bloggers have been slaughtered in broad daylight. Western and Japanese diplomats/ visitors / journalists have been murdered without cause. Even, the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, was almost killed in a grenade attack by jihadist in 2004. The sadder part is that practically none of the terrorist killers and murderers have been brought to justice.
The population of minorities (Hindus, Buddhists and Christians) in Bangladesh has decreased from over 35% in 1950 to less than 10%; while the muslim population in Myanmar has increased at an astounding rate (70%); which reinforces the fact that the muslims are playing the victim hood card. The same victim hood card is being played globally, as non-muslims in muslim countries are being annihilated while muslim population has increased in non-muslim countries and are aggressively imposing islamic sharia law.
The need to carry out wholesale educational reforms including the madrasas has almost universal acceptance in the country. Given the public respect the madrasa institution has earned over centuries, the clergy must be actively involved in madrasa reforms. Raising public awareness by exposing the waywardness of madrasas and the charlatans who run them masquerading as ulemas would strengthen the genuine ones.
Madrasa Reforms: Lynchpin of Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/madrasa-reforms-lynchpin-of-pakistans-efforts-to-combat-terrorism/
Nur Hassan Hassan
Is truth hurting?
Serves the British right!
Human understanding for human being but Myanmar extremist monks and regime are not human. Why are world communities try to understanding to them regarding the human rights? Please don’t feed breads to animals. They don’t understand about human but human being trying to understand to animals, it is negative point . Thanks
Muslims may find it safer in neighboring Bangladesh.
SEEING IS BELIEVING.
Muslims have already established themselves in EUROPE safely doing all the crimes under the SUN. Muslims are pain to the world.
Buddhists need to protect their tradition. Look what happened to Buddhism in India. Nalanda University was destroyed by Muslims.
Muslims want to convert everyone to their death cult
White CIA dog posing as a Burmese
If anybody ever criticizes Islam and is an inconvenience to your narrative, just cry Islamophobia. It’s like a magic spell. Remember DAVID SCOTT MATHIESON: if all goes wrong, cry ISLAMOPHOBIA! An entire army of left wingers and Islam apologists comes to your calling.
WHILE ALL NON MUSLIMS PRAY FOR LOVE AND PEACE – MUSLIMS PRAY IN THEIR MOSQUES FOR DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
At Islam’s most holy place! As Muslims circumambulated around the Ka’ba, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the following ‘prayers’ were blasted on a megaphone, and Muslim pilgrims joined in chant:
“O Allah, vanquish the unjust Christians and the criminal Jews, the unjust traitors; strike them with your wrath; make their lives hostage to misery; drape them with endless despair, unrelenting pain and unremitting ailment; fill their lives with sorrow and pain and end their lives in humiliation and oppression; inflict your tortures and punishments upon the unjust Christians and criminal Jews. This is our supplication, Allah; grant us our request!”
In stark contrast, there are no such hateful prayers in other religions, not even close. Christian prayers use universal supplications that include phrases like “O lord, lover of all mankind and savior of all the world”; they quote biblical passages such as “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5: 44); they pray that God may “heal all people around the world of their diseases.” And, likewise are the prayers of Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and others.
Evidence of Hatred and Intolerance From the Kyauktaw Mosque, Rakhine state, Myanmar (Country)
A paper is printed by the mosque for members to recite during Friday prayers. Friday is the most important day of the week for Muslims. Below is the extract as translated from Arabic:
"Oh Allah, eternal God, Accept those who believe in Islam and destroy all the other non-believers. Demolish the infidels communities, Oh Allah, Break the foundation of their false religions Destroy and pulverize their villages and towns, and event he ground beneath their homes must be destroyed. Those who don’t believe in Allah, those who don’t listen to Allah, may everything be cursed for them. Oh Allah, bring the natural disaster to the infidels, bring the worst diseases to the unbelievers, bring all forms of catastrophe to them."
Muslims themselves know that their mosques are used as fortresses for war and thus mosques have always been the prime target of attacks when disputes erupts among islamic sects. As recently as February 2017, at least 72 people were killed and more than 150 others injured when a sunni muslim suicide attacker blew himself up at an Islamic Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Thursday, the latest in a string of islamic terror attacks in the country this week. The following says it all:
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