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Although human
rights activists groups have spoken out against the injustices by
Burma's military regime, SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration
Council), little awareness of the brutalities against Burmese Muslims
have concerned the Muslim world. Since the pro-democracy demonstrations
in 1988, and likewise the western interest for a new democratic state in
Asia, Burma has finally captured the attention of the media.
Even
then, however, the media's bias only reports the democratic progress by
Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, and falls way
short of covering the killings, rapes, and torturing of Burma's peaceful
inhabitants. To a lesser extent, if not non-existent, the atrocities
against Burmese Muslims are rarely mentioned.
Massacre
of Nearly 30,000 Muslims and Burning of 113 Mosques
Until shortly after Britain
colonized Burma in 1886, Muslims and Buddhists had lived peacefully.
Britain's creation of hostility for the Muslims led Buddhists to the
anti-Muslim riots in 1938 which resulted in the massacre of nearly
30,000 Muslims and the burning of 113 mosques. Further north in the
state of Arakan (Rakhine), Muslims were forced out of Burma to Bengal
after the slaughter of 100,000 Muslims. After independence in 1948 and
under UNU's Ministry, built up hostility towards Muslims created
operations like Naga Min and BTF (Burma Territorial Force) resulting in
deaths totalling over 80,000 Muslims.
Muslims Inhabiting
Northern Burma Considered Illegal Aliens
In 1961, U Nu declared
Buddhism as the state religion forcing Buddhist teaching and culture on
many of the Muslims. By a military coup, General Ne Win seized hold of
Burma in 1962 and declared her as a socialist country, thus lifting the
declaration of Buddhism as the state religion. In 1982, Ne Win redefined
citizenship so that the Rohingya, Muslims who had inhabited northern
Burma as early as 788, were considered illegal aliens. This made
northern Arakan grounds for ruthless killing sprees and as a result many
of the Rohingya were forced to flee to Bangladesh.
In 1988, the
anti-government and pro-democracy movements forced Ne Win to step down,
and after a few leadership changes, the power went back into the hands
of the military under General Saw Maung. In 1990, Burma had its first
free multi-party election in 30 years which resulted in the democracy
movement leader, Aung San Suu Kyi achieving victory. Refusing to relinquish
their power, the military regime, SLORC, placed Suu Kyi under house
arrest.
The current military regime
has tried to portray itself as the unifying factor of Burma by giving
themselves the title SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council).
However, what was once the richest nation in southeast Asia, since 1988
Burma has been declared by the UN as one of the world's least developed
countries. Likewise, while SLORC claims of its "restoration"
of Burma, SLORC spends 40 percent of the national budget on the military
aimed to combat its own people. Its claim to "law and order"
forces nearly a million people to slave labour, 40,000 women and girls
to prostitution, 300,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries, and
1.5 million to be displaced from their homes within Burma.
Rohingya Muslims that
year fled to Bangladesh
SLORC has shown no
tolerance of Muslims either. In 1992, SLORC went on an a rampage to
force, or kill, the Rohingya Muslims out of Burma. Youth were herded
into warehouses where reports of 700 Muslim youth suffocated.
During prayer, SLORC troops shot down a mosque martyring 200 Muslims.
The amount of Muslim women and girls raped during 1992 were higher than
any other minority group in Burma. Mosques were destroyed, looted, and
burned. Over 225,000 Rohingyas that year fled to Bangladesh.
The U.S. has had
hypocritical action against SLORC. The same day the U.S. State
Department condemned SLORC's killing and torture of political activists
and ethnic minorities, UNOCAL paid a $7 million bonus in a contract with
SLORC to expand their operations in Burma. American business support of
SLORC, such as UNOCAL's, could have easily been hindered had the U.S.
imposed stricter sanctions on SLORC. However, it would seem obvious that
the U.S.'s interest lies elsewhere, especially after Senator Feinstein,
who after consulting with Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Defence
Secretary Cohen, concluded that economic sanctions should only be
imposed in cases such as apartheid in South Africa because "the
only ones that are hurt are the people who need help." Yet, she
warned SLORC's generals that harming Suu Kyi would result in these
actions.
Many of the minority ethnic
groups in Burma have signed cease-fire agreements with SLORC. The
Rohingya Solidarity Alliance, the strongest unified Muslim military
front in Burma, has continued their struggle and has been fighting for
the independence of Arakan from SLORC's oppressive hand without signing
such treaties. The Muslim struggles in Burma have produced martyrs that
have fed the hearts of other Muslims with courage.
Muslimedia - March 16-31,
1997
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