The Persecution of Muslims in Burma

Burma (also known as Myanmar) is a Buddhist majority country. However it is also home to a small Muslim minority, and as of 2013 there are 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims living in Burma, with most living in the state of Rakhine. (1)

The Rohingya people are said to be mostly people of Bengali ethnic origin that fled the Indian region of Bengal (now Bangladesh.) Mass migration of the Rohingya people is said to have begun when the British gained control of India with Bengals often migrating to Burma in search of jobs.

Anti-Islamic ideologies in Burma can said to be rooted in the fact that many Buddhists had been persecuted in India during the time of the Mughal Empire. However, in the last 50 years especially, the Rohingya Muslim population have been faced with increasing persecution by Burmese Buddhist radicals.

Up until 1962 the Rohingya people were seen as full citizens of Burma. However this all changed when in 1962 the charge of power shifted to the army and military general, General Ne Win. Rohingya people began to be viewed as 'immigrants' or 'intruders' on the basis that they only went to Burma after the British occupation of the Rakhine State. Ne Win introduced and passed a law in 1982 that took away the citizenship of the Rohingya people. Officially stripped of Burmese citizenship they are now seen by Burmese people as 'Bengali immigrants.'

Persecution of Muslims is seen clearly in recent Burmese history. With the rise of Islamic extremism this has been used as a justification for the persecution of Muslims. For example the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were carvings of a standing buddha, carved into the Bamiyan valley, part of the Bamyan province in Afghanistan.

Destruction of the 'Buddhas of Bamiyan'

This destructive act by the Taliban incited retaliation by radical Buddhists who demanded justice with the destruction of mosques in Burma. This provided impetus for the 2001 Anti-Muslim Riots in Taungoo. On May 15 2001, 20 Muslims who were praying in the Hun Tha mosque were killed and some beaten to death. The Hun Tha mosque was then later bulldozed.

Persecution of Muslims has only continued in Burma with the Rakhine State Riots in 2012. 166  Muslims were killed. In 2013 the hugely Islamophobic 969 Buddhist movement began, led by Bhikkhu Wirathu. Wirathu claims the movement is in order to protect Burmese people from Bengalis who terrorise them, however it is clear that their beliefs are predominantly anti-Islamic with Wirathu preaching against an influx of Muslims into Burma. The 969 movement in fact has provided momentum for further anti-Islamic movements in Burma, provoking the 2013 Anti-Muslim Riots in Central Burma.

Anti-Islamic movements and persecution of Muslims has been increasingly present in Burma. If I were to name the countless incidents against Muslims the list would be painfully long. However it is vital that we see the importance of the increasing persecution of Muslims in Burma. Yes, as the UN and charities such as Amnesty International have acknowledged, the human rights of the Muslim Rohingya population are being violated. Yet there is also an importance on a wider global scale. Increasing Muslim persecution is also dangerous in fuelling extremism or leading Burmese Muslims to resort to radicalism. Already Muslims in Burma have collectively begun to form groups and protect each other, however if the persecution continues it can only lay the foundations for radical Islam.

We see all over the world the dangers of Islamic extremism, Islam that is used in order to, what they see (and falsely so) in 'protecting themselves.' Therefore, although it must be brought to all our attention the persecution and the violation of the human rights of Burma's Muslim population, it must also be stopped for the danger on a wider global scale. Although some may say it's an exaggeration, I believe this persecution can only fuel Islamic extremism in Burma. Maybe the threat of this may provoke world leaders to finally take action with Burma. We can only hope.


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(1)Price, David (October 2014) "Fatal Distraction from Federalism: Religious Conflict in Rakhine" Harvard Ash Centre, Retrieved 20 February 2015