Muslims targeted during more violence against Burma's minority community

[muriel_volestrangler]

Muslim businesses and a mosque have come under attack in the centre of Burma in the latest outbreak of violence directed against the minority community.

Reports said that gangs armed with bricks smashed windows of the mosque and looted dozens of stores after a Muslim woman apparently bumped into a Buddhist monk.
...
The violence broke out in Oakkan village, located about 60 miles north of Rangoon, Burma's commercial capital.

While it appears the violence was triggered when the Muslim woman unintentionally collided with the monk, causing him to drop his alms bowl, tension between the Muslim and Buddhist communities has been high for months.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/muslims-targeted-during-more-violence-against-burmas-minority-community-8598092.html

Buddhist monk uses racism and rumours to spread hatred in Burma

His name is Wirathu, he calls himself the "Burmese Bin Laden" and he is a Buddhist monk who is stoking religious hatred across Burma.
...
To ears untrained in the Burmese language, his sermons seem steady and calm – almost trance-like – with Wirathu rocking back and forth, eyes downcast. Translate his softly spoken words, however, and it becomes clear how his paranoia and fear, muddled with racist stereotypes and unfounded rumours, have helped to incite violence and spread misinformation in a nation still stumbling towards democracy.

"We are being raped in every town, being sexually harassed in every town, being ganged up on and bullied in every town," Wirathu recently told the Guardian, speaking from the Masoeyein monastery in Mandalay where he is based.
...
It would be easy to disregard Wirathu as a misinformed monk with militant views, were it not for his popularity. Presiding over some 2,500 monks at this respected monastery, Wirathu has thousands of followers on Facebook and his YouTube videos have been watched tens of thousands of times.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/18/buddhist-monk-spreads-hatred-burma

[rug]

1. More on Wirathu

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/18/burmese-buddhist-monk-wirathu-uses-youtube-to-spread-anti-muslim-hatred-to-thousands/

[grantcart]

3. If people don't have time to watch this excellent clip go to 4:55

and listen to the wisdom of the Muslim leader who, with great patience and tolerance, sees this as an opportunity for reconciliation and harmony.

[grantcart]

2. Thanks for posting

The reality is that any idiot can put on a robe and become a 'monk'. They can go out and give blessings for 'good luck' and collect money and so on.

What I understand the difference between Burma and Thailand is that the Sangha (the Monk hierarchy) is intact and takes care of these errant monks, most of the time, and all of the time if they were to advocate violence.

I am guessing that the Sangha in Burma has been seriously compromised and that corrupt military leaders use idiots like this one to create schism.

[trotsky]

4. NTS?

No True Sangha? We should probably find out if they put sugar on their porridge.

[Dorian Gray]

5. Not to the point....

but isn't Burma officially known as Myanmar now? Why are two papers (albeit British papers), referring to it as Burma?

As to the stories, why would a Buddhist monk refer to himself as the "Burmese Bin Laden?" when stoking fear and hatred toward the religous group. That seems highly ironic.

This is the first that I've read about rising tensions in Myanmar. It's not so surprising with their history of unrest, though.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Because a lot of activists call it Burma

In a diplomatic show of support, Obama referred to the country by the government's preferred name -- Myanmar -- rather than the colonial name of Burma used by Suu Kyi and democracy activists.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/19/politics/obama-asia-trip

A BBC discussion on the name: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2012/06/burma_whats_in_a_name.html

[Dorian Gray]

7. Thanks for the information, Muriel.

I appreciate it!