A problem that could SPIRAL out of control

It has happened again, and it will happen yet again in the near future unless the authorities in Nay Pyi Taw seriously and properly address the issue of sectarian conflict between the majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in Myanmar.

Nationalism and anti-Muslim sentiment are becoming a serious problem in Myanmar, especially in Rakhine State. The country suffers from enough problems as it is without this adding to the list of obstacles to reconciliation and democratic development after decades of iron-fisted dictatorship. Unresolved, it will deeply divide Myanmar’s already diverse society and hurt its impoverished people even more. 

The latest round of communal violence took place late on Saturday and early Sunday in a village called Htan Gone south of the town of Kantbalu in the Sagaing district, when a 1,000-strong Buddhist mob torched dozens of Muslim houses and shops.

Rumours can easily set off violent conflict in a society where suspicion and hatred exist and are being stoked by inflammatory rhetoric. This time, allegations of a sexual assault by a Muslim man against a young Buddhist woman detonated anger among the Buddhist majority. There was no need to ask whether the allegation had any basis in truth. Rioters burned down 42 houses and 15 shops mostly belonging to Muslims, according to state-run media. There have been no reports of casualties so far.  

It is important to note that the rioters reportedly sang the national anthem as they rampaged. Were they really doing so to express love of the nation?

Myanmar has seen serious sectarian conflict since last year, when clashes erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine. The violence has left more than 250 people dead 

 and more than 140,000 displaced. Many other small-scale incidents similar to what happened in Htan Gone have occurred in other parts of the country that are home to conflicted communities. 

Violence in Myanmar is not abnormal, but these incidents are unusual in being ethno-religious. Nationalism implanted decades ago during the era of dictatorship has sown the seeds of hatred between people of different racial and religious backgrounds. Now, extreme elements among the vast majority Buddhist Burmese have added a religious ingredient to the social division. 

It’s not easy to understand why this anti-Muslim sentiment has emerged recently, since the two communities have lived side by side for a long time. But it has been noted that the systematic propagation of hatred has developed quietly since the Rakhine incidents. In the beginning it was the Rohingya who were targeted, in the belief that they were all “foreigners”. Since then Muslims in other parts of the country have been attacked despite there being no doubt that they are natives and citizens.

There is a tendency in Myanmar, including among those in office, to ignore the small group of extremists spreading anti-Muslim discourse through the newly liberated media.

The authorities reject any criticism on this issue. They also reject suggestions and pleas to end the anti-Muslim sentiment, saying the concerns of international groups are intended to damage the country’s reputation. Worse, this narrow-minded attitude is implanted deeply within the elite and even in sections of the news media.

The effort to restore peace and harmony in a society must begin at the most basic level – by teaching and encouraging people to tolerate differences and exercise restraint.