When Evils Behave like Saviours | M.S Anwar
What will happen when evils behave like saviours? What will happen when criminals play the role of saints? What will happen when people take them as their Demigods? Especially, when it happens in a country whose people have long been lived the lives under extreme poverty and of the salves, kept isolated from the rest of the world, made uneducated and ignorant and drown in the sea of extreme nationalism, what will be the ultimate outcomes? Look into Burma today. You will get the answers. General Burmese people who hardly have the chances to lead their lives with freedom and always been ruled under “Divide and Rule Policy,” who are brainwashed with ultra-nationalism or fanaticism and taught to see strangers as the threats on and on are today really showing the signs of extreme xenophobia.
The extremists Buddhist Monks and the so-called democratic activists in Burma have played their respective roles to turn most Burmese into fanatics though the vital role that Burmese regime played in it can’t be denied. According to Buddha’s philosophy, everyone, Monks in particular, must show the loving kindness (Metta) towards all creatures irrespective to who or what they are. The edict NOT to KILL OR INFLICT PAINS on others (even on insects) is integral to Buddhist thought. Therefore, there are some people who argue that among the Buddhist Monks in Burma, there are some government’s spy agents in saffron who are instigating all the racial hatred towards the Xenos for the political gains.
Look into the ongoing violence against Rohingyas in Arakan today, who are considered one of the world’s most persecuted people by United Nation and a people who have high possibility of extinction by Human Rights Watch (HRW). They are genealogically descendents of Indo-Aryans know to be the one of the earliest settlers of Arakan. Though they have been under systematic persecutions for decades, a major violence against them was prompted by the regime and Rakhine Extremists Politicians especially by the members of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) in last June and is still going on. Especially before the formation of RNDP, Rakhines and Rohingyas lived peacefully together though there were some minor problems between them. The regime and RNDP politicized all the differences between Rakhines and Rohingyas and made them a mountain out of a molehill to create the violence.
Both the regime and RNDP have done it for their respective political gains. The regime has successfully diverted public attentions from the political and economic crises they were having, depopularized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi among some segments of Burmese society and international community, gained critically required public supports, discredited international media and eventually implemented their Nazi fascist policy of wiping out of Rohingya Muslims. As for RNDP, they are on their way to root out Rohingyas who have become the major barrier to achieving their long awaited dream of having an independent Arakan. Though they both are unanimously killing Rohingyas on the common hatred against Rohingyas, they have much dislikes against each other and are struggling for their different agendas. And not to forget that a unity based on someone’s hatred doesn’t last long.
The regime and Rakhine extremists are leaving no stone unturned to cover up all their crimes against humanity in general and Rohingyas in particular. Knowing the degree of honour and importance given to Monks in the Burmese society, Regime and its allies are using them as the tool to discredit international media, UN organizations and NGOs. (UN organizations, NGOs and INGOs are some organizations that have been playing the crucial role in Burma to eradicate malnutrition, poverty and diseases and without them, millions of Burmese would have died). The radical Monks like Wirathu, abbot of the Damma-Thahaaya School of Mandalay New Masuyein Monastery are happily spreading anti-Muslim propaganda throughout Burma. Not to forget that Wirathu is the one who has led the killing of Muslim families and burning Muslim houses in Kyauk Se Township in central Burma.
They are holding rallies against Rohingyas which is much like Nazi rally. Very recently, radical Monks protested against Rohingyas in Mandalay, the cultural centre of Burma. They condemned human rights organizations, NGOs etc and backed the President Thein Sein’s proposal to put all Rohingyas in the camps and subsequently send them to third countries as if Rohingyas have not been living there from the time of immemorial. They demanded that Nationalism must be given priority over humanism and human rights, which international community find hard to comprehend and is something that can’t be implemented in the time of great civilization today. To the radical Monks and extremist Buddhists, Rohingyas are inferior human beings. Buddhist Monks are not supposed to involve in the worldly affairs. Yet shockingly, they are involving, unlike before, in an affair which is against a people of about 3.5 million worldwide in particular and humanity in general. It is a slap to the face of Buddha and he would be much disgusted with them were he alive.
Yet, there are few Buddhist Monks and some Burmese who think from the humanist point of view and say that Rohingyas must at least be given human rights which they have not been having under different regimes of Burma. Some of them are Zarganar (famous Burmese comedian), Dr. Maung Zarni (a research fellow at LSE), Ashin Gambira (a leader in 2007 saffron revolution) and so on. However, their voice hardly matters in a society which is almost full of fanatics.
Nevertheless, who are behind all such Nazi-Styled rallies? They are undeniably the Burmese regime that has made Rohingyas as scapegoats like Chinese were made during anti-Chinese riot in 1967 throughout 1970s, the hypocritical Burmese democratic activists who define Democracy as “Of Burmese, By Burmese and For Burmese” and “Human Rights as Burmese Rights” and Rakhine politicians who want to separate Arakan from Burma. Awkwardly, the regime banned subsequent protests of the Monks. Why? The regime want to portray an image that they are not behind all such Nazi rallies and people are doing all that according their wish. The government is just preventing further violence to be taking place. Anyway, it is a good trick to deceive the international community.
Rohingyas and the name “Rohingya” were unknown to most of the Burmese until 2010. When they came to know about them, it was in negative light. They are ill-informed about Rohingyas and their history. They are successfully branded as illegal Bengali invaders and threats to the existence of Buddhism. And the Military dictators who have been long known as evils in Burmese society have successfully portrayed them as the saviours of Buddhism, Sovereignty of the country and the protectors of purity of Burmese race. Therefore, it is not strange to see the various attacks coming against Rohingyas from the fanatic segment of Burmese society. In short, when the evils can behave like saviours and become dominant, goodness will cease to exist.
Mohammed Sheikh Anwar is an activist studying Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies at Westminster International College Malaysia.
RB News Desk.
