ZoyaPandher

Mrs.Lucarelli
ComparativeCivilizations
9November2015
Buddhism:TheUglySideofaBeautifulReligion
InMyanmar(alsoknownasBurma),thepredominantreligionisBuddhism,withabout
89%ofthepopulationbeingofthatreligion(CIAWorldFactbook).ThemainformofBuddhism
isTheravadaBuddhism,whichfollowstheoriginalandhistoricteachingsofBuddha.Most
peoplehaveasetconceptofBuddhists,wheretheyarecalm,peaceful,andmeditateallthetime.
TheBuddhistsinMyanmardefyeverystereotypeoftheirreligionthatexists.
TounderstandBuddhismscurrentroleinMyanmar,thereligionsrelationshipwith
Islaminthecountrymustalsobeunderstood.Forthepastfewyears,therehavebeenmany
instanceswherethetworeligionshavebuttedheads,whereMuslimscanclearlybeseenas
victimswhileBuddhistsaretheaggressiveoffenders.Althoughonlyabout4%ofMyanmaris
Muslim,manyBuddhiststhinkthatIslamisaseriousthreattotheirreligion(CIAWorld
Factbook).Inresponsetothis,anultranationalistorganizationofBuddhistsknownasMaBa
Tha,ortheCommitteetoProtectRaceandReligionwasformedbythemonkUWirathu.U
Wirathuwasjailedin2003forinstigatingantiMuslimviolenceandwassupposedtoservea
twentyfiveyearlongsentence,butwasreleasednineyearslater(Hookway).Sincethen,hehas
beeninvolvedinmanyotherantiMuslimincidents.Forexample,MaBaThawasrecently
demandedthatthegovernmentpassabanonthewearingofhijabsingovernmentschools.Many
Muslimchildrenarealreadybeingdeniedaccesstoschooling,andthisbanwouldlikelydecrease

opportunitiesforthemevenmore(Blake).MaBaThaalsocallsfortheboycottingofMuslim
businesses,asitisbelievedthatMuslimbusinessespreventBuddhistbusinessesfromgrowing
(Watson).Inadditiontothis,themovementalsoencouragedlawsthatpreventedinterfaith
marriageandconversioninordertohinderthespreadofIslam(Hookway).Justtoreiterate,
MuslimsaretheethnicandreligiousminorityinMyanmar.
InMyanmar,tocriticizeamonkisoneoftheworstoffensesthatcanbecommitted.Due
totheinfluenceofmonkslikeUWirathu,anantiMuslimmentalityhasbeenadoptedbythe
majorityofthepopulation,especiallysincethepopulationismostlyBuddhist.Theworst
incidentbetweenBuddhistsandMuslimsoccurredin2013,whenaconflictbetweenpeopleof
thetworeligionbrokeoutinMeiktilaandatleast43peoplewerekilled.Manyotherswere
forcedtoliveindisplacementcampsasaresultoffollowingviolencesuchastheburningof
mosques,andmostofthecasualtieswereoftheMuslimpopulation(Inocencio).However,this
incidentalsobroughttolightthatnotallmonksareantiMuslim.UWieDouktahisamonkthat
providedsafetyformanyMuslimfamiliesinhismonasteryduring2013,inspiteofmobthreats
ofviolence(Watson).
ThetensioninMyanmarisalsohavingaseriouseffectonthepoliticsandgovernment.
ScaredofangeringMaBaTha,politicalpartiessuchastheNationalLeagueforDemocracy
(NLD)haverefusedtofieldMuslimcandidates.MaBaThaisalsobecomingamoreformidable
andorganizedcommitteethatholdsalotofsaywiththegovernmentandthegeneralpublic.
Eventhoughthemonksthemselvescannotvote,theycaninfluencethosewhocantoreflecttheir
ownviews.VotingrightshavealsobeenremovedfrommanyMuslims,althoughsomeare
actuallyrunningintheelections.Manypeoplefearthatthecombinationofthediscrimination

againstMuslimsandtheswaythatthemonkspossessmightcompromisetheelectionasfreeand
fair.(Reuters)
ThekindofBuddhismthatissooverwhelminginMyanmarisaradical,extremistform
ofthereligion.Myanmarisanexampleofhowareligionthatholdsnonviolenceandtolerance
assomeofitsprincipalbeliefscanbeusedbyitsfollowerstoincitefearandsendamessageof
hatred.

WorkCited
Blake,Eben."HijabBan2015:BuddhistMonksProposeAntiMuslimMeasureOnMyanmar
Schoolgirls."
InternationalBusinessTimes
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Hookway,James,andShibaniMahtani."Myanmar'sBuddhistMonksFlexMuscleAheadof
Election."
WSJ
.TheWallStreetJournal,14Oct.2015.Web.05Nov.2015.
Inocencio,Ramy,andPhyoWaiLin."BuddhistsConvictedofMuslimMassacreinMyanmar
CNN.com."
CNN
.CableNewsNetwork,12July2013.Web.05Nov.2015.
McLaughlin,Timothy,andHninYadanaZaw."AntiMuslimBuddhistGroupMovestoward
Myanmar'sMainstream."
Reuters
.ThomsonReuters,01Sept.2015.Web.05Nov.2015.
Reuters."ALoneMuslimCampaignsinMyanmar'sStrongholdofRadicalBuddhism."
TheNew
YorkTimes
.TheNewYorkTimes,02Nov.2015.Web.05Nov.2015.
Watson,Ivan,andMannyMaung."MyanmarElection:AntiMuslimTensionSimmers
CNN.com."
CNN
.CableNewsNetwork,03Nov.2015.Web.05Nov.2015.