(Muslim men gather in front of a mosque heavily damaged during recent violence in town of Gyo Bin Gauk, some 150 km (93 miles) north of Yangon April 4, 2013.Reuters /Damir Sagolj )
Jack Haley has been at the forefront for struggle for human rights for many years. His excellent article on the use of religion to justify violence, and Buddhist terrorism in Myanmar and Sri Lanka can be seen in the Huffington Post.
He writes, "The Rohingya minority in Arakan/Rakhine state in
western Burma is often considered one of the most disempowered peoples in the
world. Formally stripped of citizenship and recognition in 1981, tension has
long simmered along these people who live not far from the border with
Bangladesh. The current tensions and violence has been abetted by government securityforces and that is unsurprising. What is disturbing
is that the discourse from some in the opposition democracy camps that received
so much support internationally for their struggle are now calling for the
forced expulsion of these people to Bangladesh, in spite of Bangladesh
emphatically denying that option. Most alarming is the fact that there are
robed Buddhist monks calling for this expulsion, for maintaining the Rohingya
in separate camps, and in actively blocking basic food and medical aid from
reaching them. The excuse? The claim is made to "defend" Burmese
Buddhism."
To read the entire article click Here.
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