Racist Monks Widen Campaign Against Muslims & Christians

Buddhist nationalist monks are continuing their racist and violent campaign against minorities in Burma once again. A Facebook post by John Kanyaw Say from April 22, 2016, relayed that a 500-strong group of racist monks and laymen forced their way into a Karen state Church of England compound, in order to build a Buddhist Zedi (Jedi).

In Mandalay the Patriotic Myanmar Monks Union (PMMU), stepped up its Islamophobic campaign to intimidate and harass Muslim shop owners and vendors. The PMMU issued an official three-point statement that openly calls for discriminating against Muslims. (Credit: Maung Zarni):

1) around the world Muslims are attacking and destroying ancient non-Islamic sites, ruins and buildings;

2) Mandalay’s Patriotic Myanmar Monks Union (PMMU) fully endorse the forcible removal (and beating up) of Muslim vendors found on the Buddhist religious premises as was carried out by the Rangoon branch on 17 Apr (Myanmar New Year Day);

and 3) Mandalay branch will ban the presence of any Muslim vendors from the premises of Mandalay’s famous temples and pagodas such as Mahamuni (Rakhine pagoda) and Jade Pagoda.

Recall that monks from the PMMU were involved in the beating and banning of three Muslim street vendors. Such statements have real world consequences and the authorities must respond urgently and appropriately to rein-in the extremist monks.