Perlstein1

BrianPerlstein
Mrs.Lucarelli
ComparativeCivilizations
9November2015
TheEffectsofBuddhisminContemporaryMyanmar

ManyAmericansandotherpeoplearoundtheworldknowlittleofwhatBuddhismis,despiteit
beingthefourthlargestreligionintheworld.IfyouweretoaskpeoplewhattheyknowaboutBuddhism,
theywouldprobablyanswerwithcertainkeyideasoftheteachingsoftheBuddha.Someofthese
conceptsincluderiddingyourselfofdesire,reincarnation,andabsolutenonviolencetoallpeople.
However,justlikemanyoftheworldslargestreligions,especiallyChristianityandHinduism,the
religionofBuddhismisincrediblydiverse.SomeBuddhistsbelievethatitisunnecessarytoridyourself
ofallorevenmostdesire,othersbelieveitisessentialtomediatedailytoachieveenlightenment,and
someeventheworshiptheBuddhaasadivinebeing.However,itmayabeasurprisetomanypeoplethat
thereareBuddhistsinsomeplacesaroundtheworldthewhowillgoasfarastomurderotherswith
differentreligiousbeliefsasthem.AspecificexampleareBuddhistsintheSoutheastAsiancountryof
Myanmar,wherethedangersofextremeBuddhismhavebeenrevealed.
Myanmar,alsoknownasBurma,isanationthatbordersChina,India,Bangladesh,Laos,and
Thailand.IthasapopulationlargerthanAustralia,theNetherlands,andSwedencombinedandhasaland
areawhichisgreaterthanthesizeofFrance.Thecountryhasan89%TheravadaBuddhistmajoritywith
theremainingpercentagescomingfromHindus,Christians,andlocalBurmeselocalfaiths.However,
therehasbeenlargeamountsoftensionbetweentheBuddhistsandMuslims,andinmanycasesithas
resultedinthedeathofpeopleonbothsides.Thoughtherearewidespreadreportsofthegovernment
beingunfairtoMuslimsthroughoutthenation,almostalloftheviolentconflicttakesplaceintheRakhine

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StateofMyanmar.TheRakhineStatebordersBangladesh,amajorityMuslimnationandtheRakhine
stateitselfhas800,000MuslimRohingyas,whichareagroupofMuslimsthatliveprimarilyinBurma
andneighboringBangladesh.Tensionshavebeenhigheversincethe1940swhenRohingyasattemptedto
createanIslamicstateinandaroundtheareaoftheRakhineState.Aftertheyfailed,theywantedto
becomeannexedbyBangladeshduetotheculturalandreligioussimilaritiestheRakhineStateshareswith
thecountry.(Tatnaw5)
FightingbeganwhentheMujahids(peopleengagedinjihad)declaredaholywarontheBurmese
governmentin1949.TheybegantooffensivelyattackcitiesintheRakhineState,knownasArakanatthe
time.TheystartedforcefullyremovingtheArakanesepeoplethatlivedthere,wantingthelandtoonlybe
beingoccupiedbytheRohingyas.Theseoriginalmilitaryexpeditionswereincrediblysuccessful.The
MujahidswereabletosuccessfullytakecontrolofeverycityandvillageinArakanwiththeexceptionof
Akyab,acityinthesouthoftheRakhineState.ThiswasveryhumiliatingtotheBurmesegovernment
becausetheirlandwassoquicklytakenawayfromthembyagroupofonlyafewtenthousandpeople.
Theyfearedthatthepeoplewouldwantthegovernmenttobeoverthrowniftheydidnotlookstrong
enough.ThiscausedtheBurmesegovernmenttodecidetoretaliatebylaunchingmassivemilitary
operationsintheRakhineStatebetweentheyears1950and1954.Theseattackswereveryeffective.They
quicklymoveduptheRakhineState,recapturingallthevillagesthattheycameacross.Manyofthe
MujahidswereforcedtofleeintothejunglesofSoutheastAsiaorneighboringEastPakistan.(Yegar25)
In1954,theBurmesegovernmentlaunchedmultiplemilitaryexpeditionthatbecameknownas
OperationMonsoon.Intheseincursions,majorMujahidleadersweremurderedandtheareaswhere
MujahidsliveindensepopulationswerecapturedbytheBurmesegovernment.Theseattackscausedthe
Mujahidsfightingpowertobecomeseverelyreduced.Withoutunification,nomassmilitarymovements
wereabletobeexercisedbytheMujahids.ThoughtheBurmesegovernmentwasoverthrownin1962,the
Mujahidsweretooweaktogainanypowerandcollapsedentirelyin1970.(Kaung87)

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TodayinMyanmar,Muslimsaresubjecttoimmenselevelsofviolence.Atleasttwohundred
MuslimshavebeenkilledduetoBuddhistlynchmobsandanother150,000thousandMuslimshavefled
theirhomestokeepthemandtheirfamiliessafer(Fuller4).Muchofthisrecentviolenceisduetopeople
likeAshinWirathu,afamousBuddhistmonkinMyanmarwithalargeandloyalfanbase.Ashinis
reportedtohavestated,Youcanbefullofkindnessandlove,butyoucannotsleepnexttoamaddog.
WhenAshinsaysmaddogheisreferringtoMuslims.HeisalsoknownforsayingthatallMuslimsare
theenemyandalsobelievesthatthemassacreofMuslimschoolchildreninacentralBurmesecityshows
positivesignsofstrength.ManyfamousBuddhists,includingtheDalaiLama,havecondemnedthese
actionsandhavestatedthattheanyonewhocommitstheseatrocitiesarenotBuddhist.However,dueto
thelimitedaccesstotheInternetthatBurmesecitizenshave,almostallofthemdonotknowthatthe
holiestfigureintheirreligioncondemnstheiractions.ThegovernmentofMyanmardoesnotcondemnthe
oneswhodotheattacks,mostlikelybecausetheywanttheremainingMuslimsintheRakhineStateto
leave.ItisnosurprisethattheTheEconomiststatesthattheRohingyasarethemostpersecutedethnic
groupintheworld.areThepersecutionofMuslimsthroughoutthenationonMyanmarhasnotbeena
keyU.N.focusandsadlyitisunlikelythesituationwillbegintogetanybetterinthefuture.

WorksCited

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Fuller,Thomas."ExtremismRisesAmongMyanmarBuddhists."(n.d.):n.pag.Web.4Nov.
2015.
Kaung,PhoKan."TheDangersofRohingyas."MyetKhinThitMagazinen.d.:n.pag.Web.6
Nov.2015.
Tatnaw."BurmaArmy."KhitYayTatmawJournal(1961):5.Web.6Nov.2015.
Yegar,Moshe.BetweenIntegrationandSecession:TheMuslimCommunitiesoftheSouthern
Philippines,SouthernThailand,andWesternBurma/Myanmar.Lanham,MD:Lexington,2002.Print.