Neo-Racism in Myanmar

           A wise man's guess is better than an eyewitness account.

I studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Humanism, and atheism.  As the physical features are diverse, there is biodiversity; there are human cultural and religious diversity. Beginning of human history, human being has been trying to represent as the best creature in the Universe. There are some ideological, political, cultural, and social conflicts in the world history such as Communism, Socialism, Fascism, Racism, Crusades, and Concentration Camps. But all those conflicts were caused by some people’s attitudes; neither a religion’s defect nor a system’s mistake. In modern world, Democracy is the best system even it also has some disadvantages. The world looks it as a solution for the peaceful approaches. 

            Nearly 5 months, Burmese Media, and Foreign Media in Burmese version, have been deceiving the Myanmar people and the world in such a hatred way that no nation in the human history did such injustice blame. I hate Al Qaeda and terrorists whoever kills an innocent person because I believe that killing a human seems like killing the whole humanity. But now, I have a doubt that there is justice in this world. I am not a writer, nor a Politician, nor a priest, I am a simple person, ordinary peace-minded person but I don’t like injustice, I would like to scarify my life in order to implement justice in Myanmar. Could you please don’t mind my words and be patient. I would appreciate you if you could answer my questions.

Rohingya, the most persecuted minority in the world, have been depriving continuously, and violently their rights of attending to school, any kind of social movement, moving from one place to another, rights of birth certifies, and rights of national registration cards by the State authority of Rakhine, border security forces called Na Sa Ka, and Burmese government. Could you please imagine when a nation was deprived from every fundamental human right for many decades, what would be the result of that nation, those people? Surely, they might be uneducated, lack of language, culture, tradition, and social development.

There are Buddhist Rakhines in Bagladesh who also claim that Bagladesh government persecutes them. In Myanmar side, Rakhine  have full national right since 1974, there are Rakhine polices, Rakhine immigrations, Rakhine authority; Rakhine have everything like other Bumese nationals. On the other hand, Rohingyas have no right at all, even they can not say that they are Rohingya themselves . The name Rohingya was approved by Parliament Democratic government of Burma. Rohingya had right to announce their broadcast in their own language approved by Parliament Democratic government of Burma from 1960 to 1965. 

After nationalization, the government changed its policy. In 1974, the government promoted Rakhine State, and gave them national right. There was no Rakhine before 1974, Rakhine state was called Arakan State, Sittwe was called Akyab.  Magh became Rakhine after independence, they gave them their name Rakhine which you could not find in Arkanese history.  The words Arakan and Akyab are neither Myanmar words nor Rakhine words, they are Persian words. When Rakhine got their State right, a lot of Buddhist Rakhine  entered into Arakan State illegally who were legalized by Rakhine authority later . Original Rakhine call them Awakyunetha, there was a conflict between these two groups of Buddhist Rakhine, as their cultures different, their monasteries also separated. That was a reality. 

 Could you please tell me in that situation, who would enter Burma, Bangali Muslims or Bangali Rakhine? Any little children can answer this question. Every secondary student knows the reasons for the growth of birth rate, and natural rate; the people who don’t know family planning because of depriving education by the authority, does that population increase or decrease? Every secondary student in the world can answer. Myanmar government received thousands of Rohingyas Refugees several time from 1978 to 1996 as Mynamar nationals, after then claims that Rohingya are not Myanmar nationals knowingly. Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

The one who negates or denies, however, does not refer to something that actually exists, and it is a well-known principle that “The denial of something which is not possible to specify in a particular place or position cannot be established.” For example, if I affirm the existence of something and you deny it, I can easily establish its existence by merely producing an example of it. But in order to establish the non-existence of the same thing, you will have to scour the entire world in  order to deny it, even going so far as to examine the past thoroughly. Only when you have done this can you say: “It does not exist and has never existed.”

            One of  my Rohingya friends told me that they are not allowed to claim themselves as Rohingya, immigration came and wrote themselves Bangalis without asking their race, telling the real race is the biggest crime in Arakan state, now Rohingya’s new generation don’t know who are they. I think, not only in Arakan State, in Yangon also, it is a crime. The world has thousands of races; God did not give them their names. In India, there are more than 700 races, nobody ask why did they name that names, and as a human nature you can give your child a name, your race a name. If  a person whose national law allows him to give  a name  of his own race as he wish, then bitterly response another as a crime, is it not a racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

Not only Muslim can claim Rohingya as his  rights, even no Buddhist has right to call Rohingya according to his right. Captain Tun Kyaw Oo, a Rakhine Buddhist wrote a booklet regarding Rohingya , he had to live in the prison many years, you could get detail information from UNHCR office, and from him; he is still alive. When Daw Aung San Su Kyi faced a hardest situation before the house arrest, only ten people were around her to support; U Kyaw Myint, a Rohingya leader  was one of them, all Burmese media focused on political prisoners, how many of Burmese media told about U Kyaw Myint  as they gave favor to other political prisoners , why? Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons? 

There were hundreds of Mynamar Muslims who contributed  for the country like Mr.Razak but their names were erased from Mynamar history. Not only Mynamar Government deprives Muslim right; there are a lot of WebPages in which Buddhist Rakhine, Awakyunetha showed their attitude toward Muslims of Burma such as “Kala beheading gang”. For Dr. Aye Chan , Muslims of Arakan are dangerous viruses, Mynamar government is also announcing the same idea in order to increase hatred against  Arakanese Muslims among the nations. There are thousands of rape cases in the crime journals of Myanmar, for those cases, no Buddhist monk pray, why did thousands of monks gathered together and prayed nation wide for Thida Htwe only? Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

I never criticized any religion, I believe that Gautama was a Prophet like our messenger Mohammed, may peace be on him, because I read in the Buddhist scripture regarding Gautama’s saying. Siddhartha Gautama said “ I am not first Buddha, nor last Buddha, there were many Buddha before me, there will be many Buddha after me, the last Buddha might be Arimitiya, mercy for the worlds, it is exact  Arabic word of “Rahamatul Lil Aalamin “.I found eight fold paths of  Buddhism in the Quranic verses, holy book of Islam. I believe that every Muslim could accept Gautama as a Prophet like we believe in Moses, Jesus, and Abraham. Buddhism is a peaceful religion, Buddhist must pray for every creature in the Universe in the morning and evening same as Muslims. Buddhism does not encourage people to hate in the name of religion, so how did this hatred idea come ? I think it is the result of Awakyunethas’propaganda. Or, it is racism, or extreme nationalism, or a bitter truth. If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

Dr. Aye Maung , Ko Ko Gyi ,Bo Bo Kyaw Ngin ,and all those who accept their ideas are racists, or extreme nationalists. They know history of Rohingya and they watched how did Rakhine Buddhists kill Muslims of Arakan violently, again they figure out as if Muslims killed Rakhines; there was no two groups’ fighting ,Muslims tried to offend their lives, actual killers are Rakhine Buddhists. Among the Muslims dead body, there was a University Teacher, Daw Khine Shwe, a most dedicated Muslim lady, but Myanmar Media wrote her as a Bangali terrorist. Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

Everyone who studies Singapore’s history, constitutions, and its national anthem,  know the value of democracy. Among the Asian nations, no one use such a hatred policy regarding the religions; very recently, Malaysia gave permissions to build a Buddhist temple. In Myanmar, Muslims and Christians have been prohibited to build their religious worship houses, even Muslims are not allowed to pray five times in New towns such  as Dagon, Hlainthaya, Shwe Phaytha etc; some of them were arrested when they gathered and prayed in their houses but for the Buddhists, in every street and in every school there is one Buddhist worship house. According to Myanmar law, religious lectures in order to dominate are prohibited. Why do Buddhists have this religious right and why do the other religions have no right for their worshipping freely?  Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

Ancient monuments are essential for human development.  Anthropologists, Archeologists, Historians, and Sociologists agree that statement. Destroying the ancient monument is a crime, but Mynamar criminals have been continuously destroying Muslims monuments, no one opposed them not to do it. Not only Myanmar government deprive religious rights except Buddhism but also clearing other religions’ history especially Islam. Is it not racism, is it not extreme nationalism, or is not a bitter truth? If it is not like what I said then could you please explain me the reasons?

My dear human fellows in the world, if there is no human being, the Universe will be meaningless, religions came into existence after human development, human civilization, don’t you think that clearing a race and its history is a biggest crime? Could you please consider the Rohingya’s case seriously? I would like to beg the whole world, either Muslims or other religions, to encourage Myanmar to stop racism, and extreme nationalism immediately. Selfish China may support for her benefits only, basically, Chinese doesn’t love Myanmar people, and you could realize it by looking their contributions in Myanmar history. You could find every race’s contributions in Myanmar except Chinese. My intention is not to hate Chinese but to educate them for social development. We shouldn’t discriminate each other; we should support each other as the same human fellowships. It doesn’t matter whatever our races, or colors, or languages are; we are the world, we are the same human being, we should heal the world. The world should involve in Myanmar democratic process, the world should stop China’s selfishness. Could you please consider the Rohingya issue not as Muslims but as human being? I hope the world has enough power to do.

Saw Hla (Sittwe)