protesting Buddhist monks in myanmar

[Ensapa]

I bet most of us is aware of what is going on in bangkok as there are religion and race based bias and wars. This time, it is the Buddhists against the Rohgiyas, but since the monks are concerned about the nation, they have done a taboo with what is expected from monks: to not get involved in politics. But it is their country and they have every right to be concerned about its well being as citizens. Do you think the protests are too much for monks, or that what they are doing actually means a lot to the nation?

In Buddhist Myanmar, Monks Gone Wild

New America Media, Commentary, Andrew Lam, Posted: Jul 31, 2012

For a country steeped in Buddhism, Myanmar is accruing terrible karmic debts.

Alarming news and images of attacks and killings by the Buddhist majority in Rakhine Province against a Muslim minority there have been slowly trickling out onto the Internet and the wider world. Pictures of charred bodies and crying parents have stirred largely unheeded calls for intervention, mostly from Muslim nations.

“The attacks have been primarily one-sided, with Muslims generally and Rohingyas specifically the targets and victims,” Benjamin Zawacki, a Bangkok-based researcher for Amnesty International, told The Associated Press. “Some of this is by the security forces’ own hands, some by Rakhine Buddhists with the security forces turning a blind eye in some cases.”

The government in Myanmar, recently lauded for taking steps toward democratization, declared a state of emergency in June following the outbreak of violence allegedly sparked by the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman by members of the Rohingya minority -- a largely Muslim group on the country’s western border with Bangladesh. The official death toll stands at 78, though activists say it is likely much higher and prompted the UN to call for independent investigation over human rights violations.

The Rohingya, meanwhile, remain caught between a hostile populace and a neighboring Muslim nation in Bangladesh that refuses to open its borders to fleeing refugees.

Such is the irony in a country famous for its Valley of the Temples and its unrivaled devotion to the Buddha. Alas, while Buddhism through a Western lens can appear rosy for its message of compassion, inner peace, and self-cultivation, in Asian societies Buddhism as an institution has much broader political applications.

Five years ago thousands of monks across Myanmar led in mass demonstrations against the military junta that paralyzed the former capital Yangon and other cities. The catalyst was an economic crisis, coupled with a devastating typhoon that destroyed homes and rice fields. The government’s failure to respond drove the monks to revolt, leading to the arrest and beating of hundreds of clergy. In such an overwhelmingly Buddhist country as Myanmar, the crackdown posed serious risks for the leadership.

For the monks, on the other hand, if fighting on behalf of the people seemed a moral necessity, such “spiritual engagement” apparently does not extend to the country’s Muslims -- estimated at around 800,000. They are a population denied citizenship and, by extension, the beneficence of the Buddha.

In 2001 monks handed out anti-Muslim pamphlets that resulted in the burning of Muslim homes, destruction of 11 mosques and the killing of over 200 Muslims in the Pegu region. Four years earlier, another anti-Muslim riot broke out in Mandalay during the worship of a Buddha statue at the Maha Myatmuni pagoda. In that incident, an estimated 1,500 Buddhist monks led the attack on nearby mosques and Muslim-owned businesses, looting as they went.

As for the current crisis, Human Rights Watch is strongly urging the Burmese government to end arbitrary and incommunicado detention, and “redeploy and hold accountable security forces implicated in serious abuses. Burmese authorities should ensure safe access to the area by the United Nations (UN), independent humanitarian organizations, and the media.”

“The Burmese government needs to put an immediate end to the abusive sweeps by the security forces against Rohingya communities,” noted Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Anyone being held should be promptly charged or released, and their relatives given access.”

So far the killings have garnered little attention in the West, where they have registered little more than a blip in the news cycle. Equally as troubling, however, has been the muted response of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi – an icon of human rights across Southeast Asia. Her recent tepid call for ethnic equality in Myanmar, nearly two months after the violence erupted, was met with uniform criticism around the world.

In the 1960s the renowned Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh coined the term “Engaged Buddhism.” The intent, then as now, was to exhort fellow monks to emerge from their temples and engage with a society then in the grips of war.

The practice continues across much of South and Southeast Asia today. One example is the long drawn out war in Sri Lanka, during which militant monks formed their own political party, held seats in parliament and advocated military solutions to the conflict with the Tamil Tigers.

In Vietnam, the ruling class knows each time a Buddhist monk sets himself ablaze they'd better watch out. That was certainly true in 1963 when a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc immolated himself in downtown Saigon to protest a crackdown on Buddhism. Unrest grew as civilian fear turned into anger, and the Catholic controlled regime of Ngo Dinh Diem fell soon afterward. The current communist regime still keeps a number of leading clergymen under house arrest for fear for a popular revolt.

But if Myanmar’s monks held the moral high ground five years ago when they protested against government oppression, that standing has quickly turned into a deep and dark sinkhole of depravity amid calls for the majority to oppress their neighbors.

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech and a life of service and compassion renew humanity,” the historical Buddha, Gautama Siddharta, once said.

One wonders what he would say now, as innocent blood is shed in his name, and the path toward enlightenment that he taught to relieve the suffering of all beings had somehow derailed into a dark road of rebirth in the lowest levels of hell?

[brian]

i feel that monks should abstain themselves away from politics. Understanding that things in samsara has no end to it, and political is of mundane nature. Unless the motivation being of such demonstrations are to have a deeper meaning in it such as trying to make their feelings known that they want stability in their country so that the people in the country can live in a peaceful way of life and do not need to have further sufferings due to civil wars or internal conflicts. Having said that, i still feel anyone should abstain from participating demonstrations as this will create more chaos than peace. The politicians will solve issues pertaining to politics and for me, monks would better off studying Dharma and eradicate sufferings of sentient beings.

[Ensapa]

I'm actually quite surprised and disappointed that the Buddhist monks acted this way instead of just tolerating the muslims. After all Tibet did have a muslim community living alongside the Buddhist one and nobody did anything to them. They coexisted peacefully. These monks are, unfortunately, giving a very bad example to Buddhism and they are bringing their own lineage and tradition down with this religious/racial discrimination.

Burmese Buddhists pandering to nationalist passions, prejudice
Published on July 31, 2012
Gwynne Dyer 
   
Topics : United Nations , Association of Sittwe , British Empire    , Burma , Arakan , Bangladesh
At last somebody in an official position has said something. United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has called for an independent investigation into claims that Burmese security forces are systematically targeting the Rohingya, a Muslim minority community living in the Arakan region. Even the Burmese government says at least 78 Rohingya were murdered; their own community leaders say 650 have been killed.
Nobody disputes the fact that about 100,000 Rohingyas (out of a population of 800,000) are now internal refugees in Burma, while others have fled across the border into Bangladesh. As you would expect, the Buddhist monks of Burma have stood up to be counted. Unfortunately, this time they are standing on the wrong side.
Buddhist monks are standing outside the refugee camps in Arakan, turning away people who are trying to bring food and other aid to the Rohingya. Two important Buddhist organizations in the region, the Young Monks’ Association of Sittwe and the Mrauk U Monks’ Association, have urged locals to have no dealings with them. One pamphlet distributed by the monks says the Rohingya are “cruel by nature.”
And Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the woman who spent two decades under house arrest for defying the generals — the woman who may one day be Burma’s first democratically elected prime minister — has declined to offer any support or comfort to the Rohingyas either.
Recently a foreign journalist asked her whether she regarded Rohingyas as citizens of Burma. “I do not know,” she prevaricated. “We have to be very clear about what the laws of citizenship are and who are entitled to them.”
If she were honest, she would have replied: “Of course the Rohingya are citizens, but I dare not say so. The military are finally giving up power, and I want to win the 2015 election. I won’t win any votes by defending the rights of Burmese Muslims.”
Nelson Mandela, with whom she is often compared, would never have said anything like that, but it’s a failure of courage on her part that has nothing to do with her religion. Religious belief and moral behaviour don’t automatically go together, and nationalism often trumps both. So let’s stop being astonished that Buddhists behave badly and just consider what’s really happening in Burma.
The ancestors of the Rohingya settled in the Arakan region between the 14th and 18th centuries, long before the main wave of Indian immigrants arrived in Burma after it was conquered by the British Empire during the 19th century. By the 1930s, the new Indian arrivals were a majority in most big Burmese cities, and dominated the commercial sector of the economy. Burmese resentment, naturally, was intense.
The Japanese invasion of Burma during the Second World War drove out most of those Indian immigrants, but the Burmese fear and hatred of “foreigners” in their midst remained, and it then turned against the Rohingya. They were targeted mainly because they were perceived as “foreigners,” but the fact that they were Muslims in an overwhelmingly Buddhist country made them seem even more alien.
The Rohingya of Arakan were poor farmers, just like their Buddhist neighbours, and their right to Burmese citizenship was unquestioned until the Burmese military seized power in 1962. The army attacked the Rohingya and drove some 200,000 of them across the border into Bangladesh in 1978, in a campaign marked by widespread killings, mass rape and the destruction of mosques.
The military dictator of the day, Ne Win, revoked the citizenship of all Rohingyas in 1982, and other new laws forbade them to travel without official permission, banned them from owning land, and required newly married couples to sign a commitment to have no more than two children. Another military campaign drove a further quarter-million Rohingyas into Bangladesh in 1990-91. And now this.
On Sunday, former general Thein Sein, the transitional president of Burma, replied to Pillay: “We will take responsibilities for our ethnic people, but it is impossible to accept the illegally entered Rohingyas who are not our ethnicity.” Some other country must take them all, he said.
But the Rohingya did not “enter illegally,” and there are a dozen “ethnicities” in Burma. What drives this policy is fear, greed and ignorance — exploited, as usual, by politicians pandering to nationalist passions and religious prejudice. Being Buddhist, it turns out, doesn’t stop you from falling for all that. Surprise.
Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

[Ensapa]

This is a very sad piece of news of how monks are protesting against people of a certain religion and race when they should be cultivating compassion. My heart breaks to read news of this nature.

Buddhist Monks Against Humanitarian Aid?
Posted: 08/02/2012 8:42 am
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When we last read about Burmese monks in the Western press, it was in the context of mass protests against Burma's brutal military junta and their visit to Aung San Suu Kyi's home in homage of the courageous pro-democracy activist. It is surprising then, shocking even, that Burma's monks have come down on what is so blatantly the wrong side of a humanitarian crisis.

One photograph shows a Burmese monk in saffron robes, looking austere and intelligent in wireframe glasses. On his palm are the words "ROHINGYA NO," written in English. The Rohingya Muslims are an ethnic minority in Burma's western Rakhine state, and are considered by the United Nations to be among the world's most persecuted minorities. Since ethnic violence erupted last month, state-sanctioned and publicly supported oppression has driven thousands of Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh, where they are treated not as refugees but as illegal asylum seekers. Interviews with survivors in unofficial refugee camps describe how the Burmese army has systematically gone through villages, murdering men and raping women. To justify their actions, the Burmese government has attempted to portray the Rohingya as Muslim radicals, despite consistent lack of evidence, but the "anti-Rohingya campaign [also] wraps itself in calls for ethnic purity, defense of sovereignty, and protection of Buddhism."

Hannah Hindstrom at The Independent writes, "In recent days, [Buddhist] monks have emerged in a leading role to enforce denial of humanitarian assistance to Muslims, in support of policy statements by [Burmese] politicians." The same monks who campaigned against the brutal former regime are advocating against a stateless people, for what appears to be no other reason than their race and religion, "[failing] to practice compassion for all victims of violence." How can we make sense of this, and where do we go from here?

The history of eastern religions in the West is a strange and serendipitous one, where the experience of those faith traditions is often divorced from the cultural, historical, political and even religious contexts from which they emerged. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islamic Sufism and other faiths transformed in the crucible of cultural revolution that began half a century ago, taking on new relationships with race and class in the United States. Pop-spirituality, the secularization of meditation and yoga, and the democratization of spirituality have both enhanced our religious and spiritual landscape while simultaneously limiting what we know about global religion and culture.

At the same time, Islam and Muslims are frequently portrayed as the new enemy, Islamic law creeping into our courts, the Muslim Brotherhood infiltrating our government -- despite hard evidence indicating that American Muslims seek neither to impose sharia on Americans nor are they fomenting revolution. While this is evidence of a greater need for religious literacy, it also suggests some of the processes by which we construct categories of religions that are "good" and religions that are "bad."

The cognitive dissonance produced by Burmese monks actively preventing humanitarian aid from reaching one of the world's most persecuted minorities is real, and is worth picking apart. In the West, we conceive of certain religious groups as being inherently more "violent" or more "peaceful" or more "compassionate" than others. The victimization of Buddhists in Tibet at the hands of the Chinese state and the popularization of the Tibetan cause in American culture have uni-dimensionally reinforced the notion that Buddhists are, and can only be, nonviolent actors at the mercy of their oppressors.

My point is not to say that Buddhists aren't or can't be those things, but that all religious groups -- simply because they are made up of human beings -- are all of those descriptors while being none of them. The history of Buddhism is bloody, too. If we choose to frame history in terms of violent conflict and oppression, then the same can be said of Islam or any other belief system, including secularism.

Naturally, we can lob back and forth accusations of one religious group causing more suffering than another all day long and to no effect, entirely missing the point that the best of religious thought -- in Buddhism, Islam and elsewhere -- persistently demands compassion. Both Islam and Buddhism underscore that human nature and ego must be overcome through self-discipline and practiced compassion in order to become our best selves.

Cognitive dissonance generates questions. Ideally, stories like this can challenge us to think about one another in less monolithic, more nuanced ways. It allows us as news readers and members of pluralistic societies to complicate our understandings of The Other, whether that "Other" lives in another country or across the street. With greater attention, we can begin to be attuned to diversity and debate within religious traditions, both contemporary and historical, and to acknowledge that they are just as complicated as our own. The case of the Burmese monks also creates room for dialogue between Buddhists and Muslims, and reminds Muslims to be sensitive to the needs of vulnerable Muslim and non-Muslim ethnic and religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries. Lastly, the story opens spaces for Buddhists worldwide to put their faith into action on a global level, and to be a voice for compassion in Burma.

[Klein]

I disagree when violence is used in any form. Buddhism is about acceptance, compassion and kindness. So any actions used to hurt others is the total opposite of Buddhism. Negative karma is created as a result, pushing the Buddhist practitioner deeper in to Samsara.

Geshe Langri Tangpa's mind training root text known as the 8 verses of thought transformation is a perfect example of how Buddhists should think and behave.

1. Determined to obtain the greatest possible benefit from all sentient beings, who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel, I shall hold them most dear at all times.

2. When in the company of others, I shall always consider myself the lowest of all, and from the depths of my heart hold others dear and supreme.

3. Vigilant, the moment a delusion appears in my mind, endangering myself and others, I shall confront and avert it without delay.

4. Whenever I see beings who are wicked in nature and overwhelmed by violent negative actions and suffering, I shall hold such rare ones dear, as if I had found a precious treasure.

5. When, out of envy, others mistreat me with abuse, insults, or the like, I shall accept defeat and offer the victory to others.

6. When someone whom I have benefited and in whom I have great hopes gives me terrible harm, I shall regard that person as my holy guru.

7. In short, both directly and indirectly, do I offer every happiness and benefit to all my mothers. I shall secretly take upon myself all their harmful actions and suffering.

8. Undefiled by the stains of the superstitions of the eight worldly concerns, may I, by perceiving all phenomena as illusory, be released from the bondage of attachment.

[Ensapa]

And with that effect, the western Buddhist community has quickly came up with an open letter to wash themselves clean of this situation. Is this how it has to be now? Why cant someone speak up against them that what they are doing is not buddhist and that they should stop! Sigh.

An Open Letter from the Buddhist Community on Islamophobia
By Danny Fisher on July 31, 2012
As disciples of the Buddha who live in the West, we would like to take the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to express our growing concern about Islamophobia, both within our governments and within the Buddhist community worldwide.

In North America and Europe, the past decade has seen peaceful Muslim communities targeted by hate crimes, police profiling, and even challenges to their basic human rights of free religion and free assembly. The New York Times reports that the New York City Police Department infiltrated peaceful Muslim groups across the Northeastern United States for indiscriminate surveillance. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Murfreesboro, Tennessee has faced vandalism, arson, and legal challenges opposing their new mosque, while France and Belgium have outlawed wearing niq?b in public over concerns about immigration, the status of women, and the diluting of European culture.

In the wider Buddhist community there have been media reports of Buddhist leaders—including monastics—endorsing human rights abuses against Muslim ethnic groups. For example, The Independent reports that Buddhist monastic organizations in Burma are blocking aid shipments to refugee camps for ethnically Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine. The article also accuses monastic associations of encouraging ethnically Rakhine Buddhists not to associate with Rohingya. Ethnic tensions have resulted in human rights abuses and loss of life on both sides of this conflict.

Meanwhile, Newsweek reports that the Thai government has set up military encampments inside Buddhist temples—even using some of them as torture chambers—in their ongoing fight against a violent Malay Muslim insurgency in the southern states of Patani, Yala, and Narathiwat. More disturbingly, Newsweek reports the Thai government is paying ethnic Thais to resettle in majority-Malay areas in order to dilute the Malay population. Once again, there have been many human rights abuses and much loss of life on both sides of the conflict.

In this time of conflict, we believe that the life and teachings of the Buddha can be a shining example for the world. He taught us to practice mutual respect among all people without prejudice, to work for the mutual benefit of all beings, and to try to solve our problems without resorting to violence. In those rare instances where violence is necessary, he taught us to practice restraint and to protect innocent lives. It is in this spirit that we are writing.

In our own countries, we ask law enforcement agencies to stop targeting Muslim communities with indiscriminate surveillance and profiling. And we call on Americans to see their Muslims neighbors as fellow citizens, bound together with them through the shared values of democracy, equality, and freedom.

In the wider Buddhist community, we ask our fellow Buddhists to refrain from using the Dharma to support nationalism, ethnic conflict, and Islamophobia. We believe that these values are antithetical to the Buddha’s teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

The vast majority of Muslims the world over are peaceful, law-abiding people who share much the same dreams, hopes, and aspirations as their non-Muslim neighbors. They are our friends, our relatives, our colleagues, our neighbors, and our fellow citizens. Most importantly, they are our fellow sentient beings, all of whom, the Buddha taught, have loved and cared for us in the past. We stand with them during this holy month of Ramadan and denounce Islamophobia unequivocally.

Signed,
[long list of western buddhist organizations]

http://buddhistletteronislamophobia.wordpress.com/

[bambi]

How sad that such things are still happening in the modern world. Especially those living in a Buddhist majority country. As Sangha, they should not be getting involved in politics nor incite violence in any way. How can they, of all people show the opposite of what they have learned? It is outrageous! What have you learn from Dharma after spending so much time on it? Where is your transformation and contemplation?

Can someone please help and stop all the violence that is happening to prevent more deaths and clashes?
My prayers go out to all of you...



For decades the fear and hatred has simmered, but rigid military control has largely kept it in check.

Now, as Burma enters a new era of liberalisation, decades of pent-up feelings have exploded into sectarian violence.

Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine state have attacked each other, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency and impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in several areas.

President Thein Sein has warned of an unravelling of the country's democratic transition in the face of inter-communal violence.

"If this endless anarchic vengeance and deadly acts continue, there is the danger of them spreading to other parts and being overwhelmed by subversive influences," he said on Sunday.

"If that happens, it can severely affect peace and tranquillity and our nascent democratic reforms and the development of the country."

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Muslim leaders in Rangoon earlier this week and issued a similar appeal for tolerance.

History of hatred
Local Buddhists blame the Muslim Rohingya people for the outbreak of violence, which appears to have started when a woman was raped and killed. Three Muslim men are in custody following the attack.

In what seems to have been a revenge attack, 10 Muslims were killed in an attack on a bus.

Continue reading the main story
Background: Burma unrest

What sparked the latest violence?

The rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in Rakhine in May set off a chain of deadly sectarian clashes.

Why has a state of emergency been declared and what does it mean?

A state of emergency allows the introduction of martial law, which means the military can take over administrative control of the region.

Who are the Rohingyas?

The United Nations describes Rohingya as a persecuted religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. The Burmese government, on the other hand, says they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent.

Is there a risk this might escalate further?

Analysts say that communal tensions with a religious and sectarian tinge have the potential to spark wider unrest, which will worry the government.

Q&A: Rakhine unrest
But whatever the cause of the latest clashes, the conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine state has deep roots.

During the Second World War and again in the early 1990s, sectarian violence claimed many lives.

One of the most worrying trends is the appearance on placards and on the internet of demands for Rohingyas to be removed from Burma. Under the country's constitution they are denied citizenship.

There are an estimated 750,000 Rohingyas in Rakhine state, but they are frequently referred to as "Bengalis" who belong in neighbouring Bangladesh.

As a former Burmese foreign minister reportedly once remarked: "Historically, there has never been a Rohingya race in Myanmar [Burma]."

But the Rohingya are also stateless in Bangladesh, where many thousands have sought refuge from persecution in Burma.

The campaign group Human Rights Watch said discriminatory government policy in Burma had helped inflame tensions.

The organisation said the government's handling of the latest crisis would be a critical test of its reform program.

Elsewhere there has been progress in negotiating an end to some of the other ethnic problems that have plagued Burma since independence, although the situation in Kachin state remains hugely problematic.

Newfound freedoms
So how great a threat to the transition is the violence in Rakhine state?

If the violence was happening in isolation then the threat could be regarded as relatively small.

But for a country emerging from nearly 50 years of military domination, with different groups testing the limits of freedom, the current position is potentially precarious.

In recent months there has been a series of labour disputes and protests over power shortages that would have been unthinkable under the old dispensation.

The demonstrations certainly reflect a more tolerant state, but also a flexing of muscle on the part of a previously quiescent people who are frustrated with poverty and lack of development.

Set against all this is the emergence of the National League for Democracy (NLD) as a potent electoral force.

It won 43 out of the 44 seats it contested in recent by-elections, a result that surprised the military backed government.

There have been signs in recent weeks that the celebrity profile of its leader Aung San Suu Kyi - and her warning against "reckless optimism" about Burma's future - has unsettled some within the leadership.

President Thein Sein cancelled his appearance at an economic forum in Bangkok apparently in response to the high profile accorded to the opposition leader. Her forthcoming tour of Europe will likely heighten official anxiety that Aung San Suu Kyi is already being treated as Burma's national leader by Western governments.

The relationship between the president and Aung San Suu Kyi is fundamental to the success of the transition.

For now, Thein Sein has managed to keep the more conservative parts of the military on board, just as Aung San Suu Kyi has persuaded her more radical supporters to accept compromise with the state.

There is a fear that more conservative elements of the government might see rising ethnic unrest, expanding protests over living conditions, and the growing political threat from the NLD as a reason to put the brake on reform.

As the regime's grip loosens and long dormant forces emerge the transition is likely to be challenged in numerous and unpredictable ways.

[Rihanna]

My opinion on this is that monks should not be involved in politics in any way, shape or form, not to mention attending demonstrations. It will be more beneficial for them to be away from politics instead of participating or organising such demonstrations.

They should leave it to the politicians to solve the issues and concentrating on their own spiritual practices and duties. I feel that these monks (with due respect to everyone of them) are not representing Buddhism well here. Does anyone know if this constitutes breaking any monk vows?

[pgdharma]

As Buddhists, we practiced tolerance. It is so disheartening to see monks behaving in this way instead of practicing tolerance.  As monks they should not get involved in politics and should not protest in this way or create any violence. They are going against the Buddha’s Teachings and will have negative karmic repercussions. They should lead by example by having compassion, tolerance and acceptance.  Even though at times the protection of human rights depends on courageous voices willing to stand up, it is not for the monks to stand up to be heard, it should be the politicians standing  up for their people.

[Ensapa]

Here's the latest scoop on this matter. It seems that the Myanmar government has decided to do something..lets hope it is to protect the interest of the rohgiyas....

Myanmar opens new probe into deadly sectarian unrest

YANGON: Myanmar has set up a new commission to probe sectarian clashes that saw scores killed and displaced tens of thousands, members told AFP, following intense scrutiny of its handling of the issue.

The nation's authorities have faced heavy criticism from rights groups after deadly unrest between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in western Rakhine state.

The 27-member commission, which includes religious leaders, artists and former dissidents, will "expose the real cause of the incident" and suggest ways ahead, state mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar said.

The newspaper said its remit is to establish the causes of the June violence, the number of casualties on both sides and recommend measures to ease tensions and find "ways for peaceful coexistence".

"As an independent commission was formed inside the country... it is a right decision which showed that we can create our own fate of the country," Aye Maung, the chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, told AFP.

In June, the government established a committee to investigate the sectarian strife. But its findings, originally expected by the end of that month, were never released by President Thein Sein.

The regime also invited the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the world's largest Muslim grouping, to visit the country in an effort to diffuse mounting outcry over the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya.

Official figures say some 80 people died in the initial spasm of violence, but rights groups say the toll is likely much higher -- mainly on the Rohingya side.

The commission is expected to call witnesses and be granted access to the areas rocked by the violence, which saw villages razed and has left an estimated 70,000 people -- from both communities -- in government-run camps and shelters.

Thein Sein has overseen a series of reforms since the end of outright military-rule last year, but the Rakhine bloodshed cast a long shadow over those changes.

Myanmar's government has rejected accusations of abuse by security forces in Rakhine, after the United Nations raised fears of a crackdown on Muslims.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Myanmar forces of opening fire on Rohingya during the June outbreak of unrest, as well as committing rape and standing by as rival mobs attacked each other.

Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless, and they are viewed by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.

[DSFriend]

What is the difference then if people in robes and lay people all react the same way - violence.
What if the monks are killed in protests. Will the act be considered as them being a holy martyr? In one of Buddha Shakyamuni's lifetime before he became enlightened, he killed a man as in his clairvoyence, he saw this was necessary in order to prevent this man from killing many others. Are we to draw a parallel in this case with what is happening in Myanmar? If that is the case, then does this warrant for other religion to validate their acts of violence?

It will never stop. No body wins with violence as a solution.

[Ensapa]

What is the difference then if people in robes and lay people all react the same way - violence.
What if the monks are killed in protests. Will the act be considered as them being a holy martyr? In one of Buddha Shakyamuni's lifetime before he became enlightened, he killed a man as in his clairvoyence, he saw this was necessary in order to prevent this man from killing many others. Are we to draw a parallel in this case with what is happening in Myanmar? If that is the case, then does this warrant for other religion to validate their acts of violence?

It will never stop. No body wins with violence as a solution.

In the case of Myanmar, the basis of this is clearly to rid Myanmar of an undesirable race that they do see as human beings even. the Buddha even ordained Upali of the lowest caste and allowed him to join the sangha in equal rank, so why are these monks go against the Buddha's teachings by being xenophobic? I am extremely saddened by how the Buddha is misrepresented...

Here's an opinion piece on the whole situation:

Monks involved in oppresion of Rohingya?
by Pilgrim, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, The Buddhist Channel, Aug 5, 2012
Many of us cringe when we hear news of the Buddhist Rakhine oppression of the Rohingya.  The Buddhist Channel also issued a letter to the monks of Myanmar callng on them "to do the rignt thing."

 Letters written to the various news portals indicate that the Rohingya who are viewed in Myanmar as illegal immigrants, have been a source of violent crime and cross border insurgency for decades. While this does not validate any form of violence against an entire community, it indicates that conflicts that have been left to simmer for generations cannot simply be reduced to a short article and blame summarily dispensed.

Human rights law requires that stateless persons should be treated with compassion and efforts should be made to resolve the problem of statelessness. The Myanmar government, for decades dealing with various problems and insurgencies, has apparently not succeeded in doing this. However, no country has a right to tell another who should and who should not be a citizen. The "right to a nationality" is poorly established in international law and there is no global practice that is binding on governments. It is up to the various governments to exercise their discretion in accepting refugees. Muslim countries, including neighbouring Bangladesh, although soundly criticising Myanmar's actions have also not been forthcoming in accepting these refugees. Bangladesh is embarassingly, in a similar position, as it is accused of tacitly supporting the oppression of the Buddhist tribes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts who are being pushed into exile into India. A political solution is needed, not calls for jihad which are just plain idiotic. This is the job for the reformist Myanmar government which now includes the highly respected Aung San Suu Kyi in its ranks.

Many expressed dissapointment that the monks who led the Saffron Revolution are also involved in the oppression. The Young Monks’ Association of Sittwe and Mrauk Oo Monks’ Association have been reported to be two orgamisations which called for the shunning of the Rohingya and are obstructig the distribution of humanitarian aid. There has been no reports of the size nor influence of these organisations, but all the same, such actions appear extreme, at least by Buddhist standards.

However, it is a mistake to view a religious group as a uniform block and it is unfair to paint the entire monastic sangha with the broad brush of blame. It should be borne in mind that Myanmar has almost half a million monks. A significant fraction of this number, most likely the politically aware, marched in the streets of Yangon during the Saffron Revolution. But the majority stayed in the monasteries, aloof from these political spasms. A small number of monks also sided with the government. But just as we applauded those who marched in the Saffron Revlolution, then blame should be directed only at these organisations which support the poor treatment of a minority.

[Ensapa]

And on other news, it seems that myanmar has done some arrests on some UN staff, and accused them of inciting the violence. I have no idea what to make of this, but it does seem like a weird move at this time of crisis for a country that is already very embroiled in conflicts. Perhaps they are looking for someone to blame? In any case, such a move would create more problems for myanmar in the near future instead of solving them.

Myanmar sentences 2 UN staff to jail for violence
AYE AYE WIN, Associated Press
Updated 2:40 a.m., Monday, August 27, 2012

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A court in Myanmar has sentenced two United Nations staff members to prison terms for their alleged involvement in a spate of bloody communal violence in the west of the country in June, the world body said Monday.
The punishments were handed down Friday in the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, said Aye Win, a U.N. spokesman based in Myanmar. One of those sentenced was an employee of the U.N. refugee agency and the other the U.N. World Food Program.
A spokesperson for the world body's refugee agency in Bangkok, Vivian Tan, called the verdicts "very disappointing."
Tan said a third aid worker employed by another unidentified humanitarian group partnered to the U.N. was also convicted.
U.N. officials said they had no details on the official charges.
The Myanmar independent Weekly Eleven newspaper reported that the staffers — all believed to be from the local Muslim community — were charged with various crimes, including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson attacks. The paper cited anonymous court sources in its report, and said the sentences ranged from two to six years.
Violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims exploded in June, leaving more 80 people dead and thousands of homes burned to the ground. Human rights groups say around 100,000 people were displaced during the conflict. They have accused the government over cracking down too harshly on Muslims, allegations the government has denied.
Humanitarian groups say that in all, at least 12 local staff employed by international aid groups were detained by the government in June for suspected involvement in the unrest. Six have so far been released.
Last week, Doctors Without Borders said that two of its employees were still being held, while the U.N. refugee agency said two Myanmar nationals on its staff were in custody. The World Food Program is also believed to have staff who have been detained, but it has given no details about them.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Myanmar-sentences-2-UN-staff-to-jail-for-violence-3817055.php#ixzz24kSHkLx3

[Ensapa]

Another article to be sad about: myanmar Buddhists burning down a mosque. The Buddha preached so much about tolerance and compassion, but yet these people act against the Buddha's advice. My question is, why? they are a very bad example to Buddhists everywhere and does not help anyone. Why do some Buddhists choose not to apply the Buddha's teachings and allow racial sentiments to take over them?

Buddhists burn down mosque in Myanmar's Rakhine state

Buddhists have burned down a mosque in Myanmar’s Rakhine state amid growing concerns over a state-sponsored ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in the country.

 
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Government-backed Buddhists on Friday continued burning Muslim villages and destroying their mosques.

The report comes as heavy army presence in the Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, has been reported and a curfew has been put in place.

The northern Rakhine state has been the scene of violence against Rohingyas since June 2011, leaving dozens dead and thousands homeless.

The Buddhist-majority government of Myanmar refuses to recognize Rohingyas, who it claims are not natives and classifies as illegal migrants, although the Rohingya are said to be Muslim descendants of Persian, Turkish, Bengali, and Pathan origin, who migrated to Myanmar as early as the 8th century.

Myanmar’s President Thein Sein said on July 19 that Rohingya Muslims must be expelled from the country and sent to refugee camps run by the United Nations.

Reports say some 650 Rohingyas have been killed in the Rakhine state in the west of the country in recent months. This is while 1,200 others are missing and 80,000 more have been displaced.

Last week, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Myanmar government for the killing of minority Rohingya Muslims during a recent wave of sectarian violence in the country.

The UN says decades of discrimination have left the Rohingyas stateless, with Myanmar implementing restrictions on their movement and withholding land rights, education, and public services from them.

[Manjushri]

How can world peace come about with monks still conducting themselves with acts of violence? Politics are temporary issues of samsara, why put one's spiritual practise aside and bother with politics? Monks definitely should not get involved with politics otherwise, people will have distorted views of monks. In many cases, monks are meant to be holy, meditating all the time, living in the monastery or in some forests, away from the woes of life. Of course there are Boddhisattvas like the great Chogyam Trungpa who totally destroyed the perception of how sangha members are meant to be/act, but they didn't turn people away from Buddhism but brought more into Buddhism.

When we start to go against one anohter's religion, monks show to lay people that it is okay to do so. Where's the kindness, the tolerance, the patience, the practice of the 8 verses? When we die, everything ends - so does the war, the politics, the violence, the betrayal. WHat remains is the legacy you leave behind, and how you have helped others.