Risky and Uncertain Future of Muslims in Buddhist Burma

Faroque Shah M. Yusoof 

RB Article

April 7, 2013

Whenever a Muslim thinks over the crises being faced by his brethren Muslims in Burma, he can never end up with a solution but has to surrender taking a deep-sigh, retreat and put trust to God alone as there seems no alternative of precaution to save those who are living in the midst of hatred-filled Buddhist terrorists. Today, Burma becomes a notorious land of terrorism where a small minority Muslim has become the target of genocide either in Arakan or in central Burma. Last June 2012, the pre-planned violence targeting Rohingyas and Kamans sparked from Taung Gup to Maungdaw, Bhuthidaung, Sittwe and Kyauktaw, Mrohaung, MaunBya, Kyauk Pyu and all the regions where there are Muslims living. 

Sadly , since the government itself is composed of the people with Buddhist faith, Minority Muslim Rohingyas and other minority Muslims living in the central Burma remain unprotected from the danger posed by the majority Buddhist racists. Instead, the repressive Buddhist regime itself encourages and fuels the violence against the Muslim minority to be in a more systematic way. The security forces (Hluntin) and Rakhine terrorists behave above the rule of law and often triggers violence against the small Rohingya minority in Arakan and Muslims in central Burma. And the reasons behind the violence are simply hatred and Islamophobia in the pretext of the so-called new democratic and political changes. 

Burma, in the name of democratic changes, gives license and freedom to the Buddhist terrorists in the country to massacre Muslim minority, loot and vandalize their properties, rape their women and girl and for all kinds of atrocities against Muslim minority. In Akyab (Sittwe), western Burma, thousands of Muslims lost their lives in the hands of Buddhist terrorists and more than 120 thousands have been displaced as IDP or refugees. No justice has been done yet. Rather, they turn deaf ears to International Human Rights Organizations’ calls to end the violence and racist parties such as RNDP, ALP and hatred-filled pseudo Monks are fanning the violence in full scale in the midst of curfew and summary laws but alas, curfews are only imposed on Muslims and Rakhines are set free to continue their barbarism. UNCHR, other NGOs and INGOs are denied their access to the Rohingya IDP camps to provide food, medicine and other humanitarian aids and their rehabilitation to their original places are also denied by the authorities. 

As the hatred, discrimination and repressive laws against the Muslims minority are gaining momentum in Burma, Genocide spread like bush-fire to Meikhtila where more than 43 innocent Muslims were killed and more than 1200 houses including Mosque and Madarasas were burnt down. Buddhist Burmese of Meikhtila including government authorities were just watching with their hand folded and having no feeling of humanity even for those who had been living side by sides with them for hundreds of years in the same town. The reason is they are Buddhist Majority and it doesn’t matter to them if the victims are from small minority Muslim. Since government itself is transgressor of all bonds, the nation feels nothing whether atrocities and transgression against innocent Muslim minority are wrong or right but justify them to be rightful. 

Who are behind all these violence? Many well known politicians expressed, these all violence are entirely creation of Burmese government and I, myself, too, used to say Military regime is the mother of all evils. When the head of the state, Thein Sein, declared the Muslims citizens of Burma living for centuries be deported to a third country, Buddhist terrorists got the official supports to continue their transgressions. In the name of democracy and changes, in Myanmar, every party is taking advantage over the coming democracy and some are to derail it to different means. 

All the senior army generals have different views on democracy and meanwhile, ex-general Tin Oo, co-chair person of Suu Kyi’s NLD is taking all advantages out of democracy to root out entire Rohingya community from Arakan. Tin Oo was hired by old Rakhine politicians in the pretext of making him son-in-law of Rakhine, whose spouse is a fanatic racist. The same Tin Oo is also believed to be the director of 1982 citizenship law drawing commission along with General Ne Win, the gambler, and they both were behind the Immigration operations in 20 different names since 1978 in Arakan. The Retired General Than Shwe is another hater of Rohingya and although his coup put intelligent chief Lt general Khin Nyut in prison, their common goal is to finish Rohingya of Arakan. 

Immediately after the Khin Nyut's release from jail, he thanked Ms. Suu Kyi who played a role for his release from jail, but vowed to challenge those who put him jail apparently to derail democracy to its failure. He then visited Arakan and met with Monks apparently to fan the violence against Muslims that might block the Rakhine votes to his arch rival military generals. Khin Nyut seemed to be a major strife creator in Arakan in order to make President Thein Sein face hard nut on the way to democracy that might breed much criticism around the world. After all Muslims had become escape-goats and falling into misfortune, ill-fated Rohingyas have to suffer all those atrocities. 

People say last June 2012 sectarian violence was triggered by the three Muslim rapists while they were not actual Muslim and the question is where were the rapists in the 1942 Muslim massacre where 100 thousands innocent Muslims lost their lives and where were the rapists in Meiktila and in the recent arson attack in Rangoon where 13 innocent and minor Muslims students were burnt alive , where five are missing and score seriously wounded with the burns. The Tafiz al Quran School inside the Mosque (Sadeqia) has been in function right before the independence of Burma in 1948. During the period of 65 years, no such incidents were ever reported and today the Burmese authorities are lying and tricking the International community and the Muslims of Burma that the incident was merely due to electric-shock and trying to conceal that the true cause of the burning was due to the fuel-oil poured on the stair by the same trained Buddhist extremists related with Meikhtila. 

It is believed that the incident of 13 innocent minor students was precisely similar to the case of 1968 Chinese- Burmese riots in Rangoon where the Burmese rioters systematically killed by pouring coking gas on the ladder of the top floor of the Chinese buildings and then setting fire at the bottom of the ladder where no one was able to escape while fire caught entire buildings. Eye witnesses like me shockingly watched the scene of 1968 riots in Rangoon where white skinned and flat nose like Chinese were hiding for many days to escape from the danger to their lives. 

No need of wasting time arguing to investigate whether it was due to the electric-shock or it is a plotted firing. It was certainly a plotting by the trained Buddhist extremists and it is not the end of incidents and God forbid, worse kinds of cases might happen in the future to the long-beard and capped Muslims of Indian feature with pointed noses are on the target. To my disappointment, there seems no magic solution or meaningful reconciliation shall take place until and unless 2015 election is over with the uncertain victory of Thein Sein. 

Faroque Shah M. Yusoof 

An Eye-Witness of 1968 Chinese-Burmese Riot 

In Rangoon and Moulmein