Communal violence in Rakhine, Myanmar

Distrust Feeds Myanmar Muslim Hatred

Wednesday, 06 June 2012

NAYPYIDAW – The grisly killing of several Muslim passengers by Buddhist vigilantes is reflecting a growing anti-Muslim hostility in Myanmar and a pervasive discrimination of the sizable minority.

"The daily relationship with Buddhists is good as long as you know your limited ground and do not cross it," Ko Aung Aung, of the exiled Burmese Muslim Association (BMA), told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday, June 6.

For the majority of people "any crime is a crime", but when a Muslim is suspected "it could be a good reason to riot against them.”

At least nine Muslim passengers were killed Sunday after Buddhist vigilantes attacked their bus western state of Rakhine.

The attack followed the rape and murder of a woman in the state, which borders Bangladesh, for which three Muslim men have been detained.

"These innocent people have been killed like animals," said Abu Tahay, of the National Democratic Party for Development, which represents the country's much-persecuted stateless Muslim Rohingya community.

"If the police cannot control the situation, maybe the (unrest) is going to spread.”

But Muslim groups see the anti-Muslim violence as the most visible expression of a pervasive discrimination.

"Riots are always possible at any place and any time. So we must be very careful,” said Ko Aung Aung, who fled Myanmar in 2004 fearing for his safety because of his activism.

Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state, has a Muslim population of around 100,000 and dozens of mosques.

But a Muslim leader in the town, who asked not to be named, told AFP there was "no religious freedom".

He added that authorities rarely granted permission for new mosques to be built, or repairs to be carried out.

Muslims make up nearly five percent of Myanmar's more than 53 million population.

The largest group of Myanmar Muslims is the ethnic-Bengali minority, generally known as the Rohingyas, who mainly live in the western state of Rakhine.

Less numbered are the Indian-descended Muslims who live in Yangon and ethnic-Chinese Muslims, known as the Panthay.

Pockets of sectarian unrest have occasionally broken out in the past across the country, with Rakhine state, which has the largest concentration of Muslims, a flashpoint for tensions.

In February 2001, the then-ruling junta declared a curfew in the state capital Sittwe after clashes between Muslims and Buddhists.

The authorities this week warned against "anarchic acts" after the mob killings and an attack on a police station by an angry crowd in Sittwe.

Distrust

Many believe that the latest episode of violence reflects the deep divisions between the majority Buddhists and the Muslim minority.

"There is a feeling, a fear among the country's Buddhists about being invaded," a foreign researcher told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Shwe Maung, of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, which represents the ethnic Rakhine people, says many Buddhists harbor deep fears of Muslims.

"One day it will be a serious problem, they caused trouble in Thailand, Europe, USA. They try to make trouble in Rakhine State."

Many Buddhists share similar anti-Muslim sentiments.

"They are fighting to own the land, occupy the entire state," Khaing Kaung San, a local activist in education and other areas, said of Muslims.

"They don't need weapons, just by their numbers they can cover the entire land."

Muslims entered Myanmar en masse for the first time as indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent during British colonial rule, which ended in 1948.

But despite their long history, they have never fully been integrated into the country and are seen as foreigners.

"For many people, a Burmese is a Buddhist by definition. Buddhism forms an essential part of their identity," said Jacques Leider, a historian at the French School of the Far East based in northern Thailand.

"The situation is explosive and from friction to the clashes is only a matter of lighting the fuse.”

Rohingya Muslims have been denied citizenship rights since an amendment to the citizenship laws in 1982 and are treated as illegal immigrants in their own home.

Every year, thousands of minority Muslim Rohingyas flee Myanmar in wooden boats, embarking on a hazardous journey to Thailand or Malaysia in search of a better life.

While some find work as illegal laborers, others are arrested, detained and "repatriated" to a military-ruled country that washed its hands of them decades ago.

Rohingyas say they are deprived of free movement, education and employment in their homeland.

They are not recognized as an ethnic minority by Myanmar and say they suffer human rights abuses at the hands of government officials.

Distrust Feeds Myanmar Muslim Hatred - Asia-Pacific - News -

Distrust fuels anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar

AFP: Distrust fuels anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar


Buddhist vigilantes kill 9 Muslims in Myanmar bus attack

Mmegi Online :: Buddhist vigilantes kill 9 Muslims in Myanmar bus attack

It is just because of some fanatical radicals going berserk and interpreting religious scriptures to suit their purpose to change the world that people around the world are dead scared that Muslims mean trouble!

I have met the Rohingyas in Malaysia and Singapore. They are a pretty docile lot, at least in Malaysia and Singapore.

Even Bangladesh does not want them!

This is the time to ponder why Non-Muslims hate Muslims everywhere. Myanmar is just an example. Muslims have created problem for Non-Muslims everywhere from Thailand to India, Pakistan to Africa. They come as migrants and start the process of islamization by growing number and on other side Non-Muslims persecution keep growing in Muslim countries.

Rohingyas are migrants from Chittagong region of present day Bangladesh and speak a language similar to Chittagongian, nothing to with India. Arabs called 'Thambu Kya' Muslims came to Myanmar by sea - they are a different group and live along Arakan sea coast

These Muslims in Myanmar are not migrants. The are Indian origin people who went to Myanmar during the British and have lived there for generations. Just like Indian origin Hindus and Muslims live in Fiji today or in Suriname in South American. Bangladesh was part of British India at that time.

What we have here is well Muslims like the Jews in the 19th centruy Europe

Here Muslims are getting killed, Muslims who don't have even citizenship rights after being in Myanmar for generations, they form less than 5% of the population of Myanmar and yet the blame is on Muslims that they are some how going to take over Myanmar? In any case, this persecution didn't start suddenly post 9/11. This has been going on since the 1960s. It is a case were the majority ethnc or religous group in this case Buddhists have opressed the minority group which happened to be Muslims. Just like in Sri Lanka the Buddhist majority opressed the Tamil Hindu minority. Or how we have the Hans Chinese opress the Tibetan Buddhist or the Turkistani Muslims among others.

Wasn't that the same thinking that was prevalent in Germany were Jews were considered the root of evil and that they control all money and are freedy. And basically have a cabal like the Elders of Zion forgery of taking over the world. Similar reasons though not to the same extent are used by other illeberal states around the world wether it be the Sinhalese Buddhists in Sri Lanka or the Hans Chinese or the Buddhists in Myanmar.

Emergency declared after Burma unrest

BBC News - Burma unrest: UN envoy visiting Rakhine state

We'll have to look seriously into the matter before reaching to any conclusion, but we Indians should make it clear that we are not going to welcome refugees from Myanmar, we already have enough Muslim refugees and India is not a "Dharmshala".

Under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, the Right to life and personal liberty is applicable to everyone, irrespective of whether you are a citizen or not. This has also been debated on numerous occasions at the Supreme court and the SC has upheld this right for non-citizens.

If one of these refugee boats enters Indian waters, legally as well as morally we are obligated to help them. We cannot and should not turn them away. It goes against the ideology of our nation.

Yes, many times these very people turn around and try to bite off the hand that has fed them, but that does not justify a change in our approach on how we treat refugees.

most of the refugees in India are Hindus whether they be from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh.

Review & Outlook: Burma's Most Hated - WSJ.com

Its getting really bad. 28 more people killed.

Rohingyas are originally from Chittagong area.

They don't look like Myanmarese.

They are not Indians by any shade of imagination.

Bangladesh must address the problem.

The problem is that these people do not like to integrate and think that they are different and that is what is the problem all over the world.

Rohingyas have nothing to do with India...They are a problem between BD-Myanmar and India should not intervene in that..If refugees come , no sorry, send them back.