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Burma's transition marred by anti-Muslim attacks

A wave of anti-Muslim sentiment and violence is threatening country's burgeoning democracy. Calum MacLeod USA TODAY May 27, 2013 OKKAN, Burma — Buddhists and Muslims alike often visit the stall of U Tin Maung, a repairman whose little shop beside the Okkan town mosque has been fixing broken umbrellas and faulty lighters for 25 years. The seeming harmony was destroyed earlier this month when a mob of several hundred people used shovels, stones and swords to smash the mosque's windows. "They shouted, 'Kill all Muslims!' We were scared and ran away to hide," says U Tin Maung, 70, a Muslim and trustee of the mosque. "It was the first time I've ever seen Buddhists attack Muslims. There are rumors that this is only the first step. Next they will loot the shops," he says. Known officially as Myanmar, the army-ruled nation of Burma has embarked on concrete political reforms after decades of dictatorship that have earned it rewa...