Myanmar monk Wirathu joins battle against 'jihad threat'
A controversial Buddhist cleric from Myanmar announced on Sunday that he was linking up with hardline monks in Sri Lanka, alleging that their religion is under threat from Islamic jihadists.
The Mandalay-based monk Wirathu, addressing a convention in Colombo of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) or Buddhist Force, said they would work together to protect their common religion.
The BBS has been accused of instigating hate attacks against minority Muslims and Christians in mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka.
“To protect and defend the threatened Buddhists the world over, my 969 movement will join hands with the BBS,” the Myanmar monk said at a 5,000-seat stadium packed with monks and their lay supporters.
He said Muslim extremists had tried to scuttle his visit to Sri Lanka, which shares close cultural and religious links with Myanmar.
“I am thankful to the President [Mahinda Rajapakse] for granting me a visa in spite of attempts by Muslim extremists to prevent my visit,” he said.
“Buddhists are facing a serious threat today from jihadist groups,” the monk said, without giving details. “The patience of Buddhists is seen as a weakness.
“Buddhist temples have been destroyed. There is a jihad against Buddhist monks. Media organisations along with world powers are using technology to carry out a campaign against Buddhists,” he added.
BBS has been linked to stepped-up attacks against minority Muslims and Christians in the past two years.
The government has denied allegations that it provided tacit support to the BBS.
