Discourage rumours on Bodh Gaya blasts, urge religious leaders, activists

July 9,2013

The Hindu

The attack could be used to target Muslims in the country in order to gain political polarisation before the coming general election, and unleash a new wave of violence against Muslims in Myanmar

Religious leaders and peace activists across the country have appealed to people to view the terror attack in Bodh Gaya as an act of misguided criminals and not to speculate — that it could have been a retaliation to attacks on Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims — until a proper probe is completed.

Condemning the bomb blasts, in which three persons were injured, the signatories to a statement on Tuesday said they were deeply pained and shocked by the heinous terror attack targeting innocent people at a place of great spiritual and historical significance and unequivocally condemned the dastardly act of crime against humanity.

Referring to speculation that the attack could be in retaliation to attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, they said all such speculations should be discouraged till proper investigation was conducted and the identity of culprits firmly established.

The attack, they felt, could be used to target Muslims in the country in order to gain political polarisation before the coming general election, and unleash a new wave of violence against Muslims in Myanmar, who were already suffering grave violence and untold sufferings for years.

Lakhs had to flee Myanmar to save their lives over the past years. This mindless action, the signatories to the appeal said, might also make scores of Rohingya refugees around the world vulnerable and open to retaliatory attacks in different countries where they had taken refuge.

The statement urged the government to initiate a speedy, professional and thorough probe to apprehend the culprits and expose and punish both the perpetrators and conspirators behind the dreadful act.

The signatories to the statement were film maker Mahesh Bhatt; Swami Agnivesh, Arya Samaj, New Delhi; Mazher Hussain and Sardar Nanak Singh Nishtar, Confederation of Voluntary Associations, Hyderabad; D. Yadiah, Boudhik Pramukh, All India Samata Sainik Dal; Binayak Sen, People’s Union for Civil Liberties; Kamla Bhasin, New Delhi; Maulana Syed Shah Hamid Hussain Shutari, All India Sunni Ulema Board; Fr. Dominic Emmanuel, Delhi Catholic Church, New Delhi; Ram Punyani, All India Secular Forum, Mumbai; Zafar Mahmood, Zakat Foundation, New Delhi; Ilina Sen, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; Hasan Mansoor, PUCL, Bangalore; Sandeep Panday, ASHA, Lucknow; A. Faizur Rahman, Islamic Forum for Promotion of Moderate Thought, Chennai, and Iqbal Ahmad Engineer, Centre for Peace and True Message, Hyderabad.

No need to change law on Rohingya citizenship: Myanmar panel

(Photo: Reuters)

(Photo: Reuters)

April 29, 2013

The Hindu

Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law that made a Muslim ethnic minority stateless does not need to be amended, but should be applied fairly, a commission set up to assess last year’s sectarian violence in the Rakhine State said Monday.

Fighting that broke out between Buddhist and Rohingya communities in the state killed at least 192 and left about 1,25,000 homeless.

The government-appointed commission called for improved law enforcement, protection of human rights and a ban on “hate language” and “extremist teachings.” It stopped short of recommending an amendment to the law that many claim is at the heart of the problem.

“International organizations are trying to criticize the 1982 citizenship law regarding the Bengalis but the law is very suitable for us,” commission member Yin Yin Nwe said.

“But the enforcement of the law is not clear because of the corruption of the local immigration officials,” he added.

The law classified eight races and more than 130 ethnic minority groups which could qualify as Myanmar nationals, but excluded the Rohingyas from the list.

The latter insist they are a separate ethnic minority whose ancestors have lived in the country for generations. The government views the Rohingya as Bengali migrants who were brought to the western state by the British colonialists as farmers.

The commission pointedly referred to the Rohingyas as Bengalis.

“It was not because of government pressure,” commission member Kyaw Yin Hlaing said . “Our intention is to bring about reconciliation and if we use Rohingya, we can’t achieve that goal because of the high emotions of the people, not only in the Rakhine but also in the other parts of the country.” Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country, in which Muslims are a small minority.

Much of the violence against the Rohingyas, along with attacks last month against Muslims in central Myanmar, was allegedly orchestrated by militant Buddhist groups.

“The government needs to ban the use of hate language against any religion,” the commission’s report said. “In particular, it needs to ban extremist teachings and activities.”