In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

A Malaysian Islamic group Tuesday condemned anti-Muslim attacks in Burma last month, and called for an independent investigation into them. 

Anti-Muslim Campaign

In Burma today there are estimated to be approximately seven million Muslims.  Large numbers of Indians of both Muslim and Hindu faiths migrated to Burma ( Myanmar) during the colonial period.  Many were employed by the British in the colonial administration, while others became traders, landowners, and money lenders.  Generally accorded higher status by the British, the Indians were often resented by the Burmese population and frequently became targets of Burmese anti-colonialist actions. 

Muslims also began moving into Karen State at the time of Great Britain's annexation of Upper Burma in the 1880s.  The Muslim population in Karen State numbers in the thousands, with Muslims engaging in a range of professions from farming to shop-keeping.  Many Muslims in Karen State refer to themselves in Karen as Pwakanyaw Thu or Black Karen and consider Karen State as their homeland. Muslims from Karen State now, however, face a precarious future.  They have been told that they cannot become citizens of Burma unless they profess Buddhism as their religion.  Many have been ordered to leave Karen State and to return to India, although they have no connections to that country today. Buddhists make up some 89 percent of the population in Burma, with Muslims and Christians each representing four percent.

Burma Muslim Union (ABMU)

There are two Muslim organizations which were established in the early eighties and have worked with the KNU.  The All Burma Muslim Union (ABMU) maintains its own battalion of troops and has been fighting together with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU's military wing, against the SLORC since 1983. After an outbreak of anti-Muslim riots in Martaban, Moulmein and other towns in lower Burma in the early eighties, a number of internally displaced Muslims joined the ABMU.  On March 6, 1997, the ABMU issued a statement declaring that they would like the international community, and especially Muslim countries in ASEAN, to be more aware of the human rights abuses currently being perpetrated particularly against Muslims by the Burmese military.

Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB)

The second organization, the Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma (MLOB), is comprised of Muslims from different areas in Burma. In their letter to the Muslim countries of ASEAN of March 25th, they declared that:  ... the people are afraid that a SLORC led Burma would become a member of the ASEAN grouping, which would give legality and legitimacy to the SLORC to brutalise the people for longer. 

Both the ABMU and MLOB are active members of the DAB (Democratic Alliance of Burma), an umbrella organisation formed in 1988 to unite Burmese ethnic fronts and other pro-democracy opposition groups who are fighting against the SLORC using military and political means.  They are also both members of the National Coalition of the Union of Burma (NCUB), an alliance formed between DAB members and elected Members of Parliament who fled Burma due to repression following the 1990 elections.

The SLORC

The SLORC has been carrying out an anti-Muslim campaign during the 1997 offensive in Karen State. 

The SLORC has often tried to stir up religious and racial tensions in Burma in order to divide the population and divert attention from other political and economic concerns.  In 1988, the SLORC provoked anti-Muslim riots in Taunggyi and Prome during the pro-democracy movement.  In May 1996, anti-Muslim literature widely believed to have been written by the SLORC was distributed in four towns in Shan State, leading to violent incidents.  In September 1996, the SLORC razed a 600 year old mosque in Arakan State and used the rubble to pave paths between new military base camps in the area.  And in March 1997, SLORC officials were accused of instigating attacks against Muslims and of exacerbating existing tensions between the Muslim and Buddhist communities in Central Burma.

In Karen State, the SLORC has also tried to stir up anti-Muslim feelings.  In August 1996, a letter came from Dammaya town to some people in Kyaikdon, Karen State encouraging fighting between Muslims and Buddhists, it has been claimed. In the February 1997 SLORC offensive, the SLORC attacked the Muslim community directly. SLORC soldiers razed mosques and destroyed copies of the Koran, ordered conversions to Buddhism, and drove Muslims out of Karen State. 

Partial list of villages where mosques were destroyed:

Qu'orans Burned or Shredded by Buddhists

Each mosque has a special coffin for carrying the dead.  These were destroyed in all of the above villages, and in most cases the mosque's copy of the Qu'oran was also either burned or shredded. 

SLORC soldiers have made it known that they are targeting Muslims and have threatened to kill any Muslims that they see, it is reported.  There have also been confirmed reports of SLORC troops killing Muslims.  In Kyo Ta village, SLORC soldiers blindfolded 2 male Muslim villagers and cut their necks.  In Ti Dah Blu village, two Muslim villagers were also killed.  The first, Shan Bok (35 years old), was a Muslim member of the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) militia.  The second, Soe Win (approximately 30 years old), was a civilian. They threw the pieces of Qu'oran on the street.  When the Muslim women on the street saw this, they cried and felt such pain.  

The SLORC soldiers said, "Don't cry! This is not a Muslim country! This is a Buddhist country! Go away!"

Expulsion from the Village

An officer from the 202 TOC (Tactical Operation Command), 22nd LID (Light Infantry Division) has been quoted as having said:

"Muslims cannot stay.  If you are Muslim you must leave."

Another one said:  "Muslims cannot stay here, you must convert to Buddhism and put an altar in your house."

Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia

Abim, the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, which has 60,000 members, said there were unconfirmed reports that at least 10 Muslims were killed and several others injured in last month's clashes in the central town of Taungoo between Muslims and Buddhists on May 15. The cause was not known.

"We strongly urge the Burma junta to immediately intervene in the riot and further safeguard lives and property of Muslims and mosques in Burma from the anti-Muslim elements," it said in a statement.

The group also appealed to the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference to press Burma to allow an independent investigation. It has also called on the junta to rebuild mosques destroyed in the clashes.

The riots were the second involving Muslims and Buddhists in Burma in three months. In February, the junta declared a curfew in the western city of Sittwe after riots broke out between the two communities there.  

Muslim Students Tortured And Killed

Abim accused Burma's military intelligence service of instigating the February clashes in which it said many Muslims were killed. Previously in Burma it was reported that 17 university students who led peaceful and disciplined demonstrations in December 1996 were tortured and killed inside a military compound at Ye Mon town near Pegu. Most of these victims were from the Rangoon Institute of Technology and some are from the University of Rangoon. The military officer who administered these executions reportedly said that the authorities have executed the students without using firearms because Western countries do not want Myanmar to use bullets in order to quell student demonstrations. 

www.victorynewsmagazine.com