Myanmar’s monks back marriage law
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| Buddhist monk Wirathu (right), leader of the 969 movement, attends a meeting on the National Protection Law at a monastery outside Yangon yesterday. |
June 28, 2013
Hundreds of Myanmar Buddhist monks yesterday supported a proposed interfaith marriage law that would place restrictions on women seeking to wed a Muslim man.
The draft law, authored by extremist monk Wirathu, was endorsed by some 1,500 monks from throughout the nation who had gathered in Yangon to debate the controversial legislation.
“All the senior monks attending today’s meeting agreed to support the law to protect Myanmar nationals,” said Damapiya, a spokesman for the monks, who included members of the Sangha - the equivalent to the Buddhist clergy.
The draft legislation, to be submitted to parliament eventually, has met with opposition from Myanmar women’s groups, including opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi last week criticized the proposed law for discriminating against women and running counter to human rights.
The law, if enacted, would require a Buddist woman seeking to marry a Muslim to get prior permission from her parents and authorities, and the man to convert to Buddhism.
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Myanmar, where Muslims represent a small minority of less than 5% of the population.
The main proponent of the law, the Mandalay-based Wirathu, has been blamed for fueling anti-Muslim sentiments this year. Sectarian clashes in central and northern Myanmar claimed more than 30 dead.
In February, Wirathu launched the 969 campaign, calling on Buddhists to boycott Muslim shops and businesses.
Wirathu in 2003 was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the previous ruling junta for inciting religious hatred, but released last year under a general amnesty.
The current elected government has been reluctant to crack down on his campaigns.
Myanmar’s President Thein Sein earlier this week criticised Time magazine’s “Buddhist terror” cover story on Wirathu for undermining government efforts to ease sectarian tensions.
On Wednesday the magazine’s July 1 edition was banned from circulation.
Rising sectarian violence is one of the greatest challenges to Thein Sein, who came to power in March 2011, and has since pushed through political and economic reforms.
In June 2012, Buddhist communities in the Rakhine State attacked Rohingya Muslims, leaving 167 people dead and 125,000 people homeless.
There have been at least three anti-Muslim riots this year in central and northern Myanmar, leaving thousands homeless.
