Western Islamophobia, Root Cause of Conflicts in Myanmar
The presence of Muslims who have followed the path of Islamic Awakening to institutionalize Islamic teachings in Myanmar has caused Western countries to try to weaken Muslims’ position in this country by spreading Islamophobia.
The scope of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar is so widespread that President Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency in the northwestern part of the country.
In the meantime, military forces in the Rakhine State arrest protestors and force Muslim out of their homes.
They say these measures are implemented to ensure Muslims’ safety but there are indications that the current Western-friendly government of Myanmar sees the country’s one million Muslims as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who have endangered the country’s security.
Myanmar gained independence from Britain after World War II. A short time later in 1962 a British-orchestrated military coup by General Ne Win led to the fall of Prime Minister U Nu’s government and once again people fell victim to inequalities and prejudices caused by neocolonialism.
This process continued until 2011 when the West, fearing the spread of Islamic ideas in this strategic region, decided to take the power from the military and give it to politicians in order to help reduce protests.
The protests in Myanmar are special in that the protestors are from different races and ethnic and religious groups, each group opposing the status quo independently from others. Buddhist monks, who after Muslims have the main share of participation in anti-government protests, consider themselves as saviors of others and following a relative improvement in the situation are now seeking to purge other dissident groups.
Here, the role of some Western countries in fueling the clashes should not be ignored. They are well aware that Myanmar’s Muslims are seeking to institutionalize Islamic teachings in the country and this can lead to rise of Islam in the region, which will endanger the West’s equations. Hence, the West follows the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ in this country.
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In the meantime, military forces in the Rakhine State arrest protestors and force Muslim out of their homes.
They say these measures are implemented to ensure Muslims’ safety but there are indications that the current Western-friendly government of Myanmar sees the country’s one million Muslims as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who have endangered the country’s security.
Myanmar gained independence from Britain after World War II. A short time later in 1962 a British-orchestrated military coup by General Ne Win led to the fall of Prime Minister U Nu’s government and once again people fell victim to inequalities and prejudices caused by neocolonialism.
This process continued until 2011 when the West, fearing the spread of Islamic ideas in this strategic region, decided to take the power from the military and give it to politicians in order to help reduce protests.
The protests in Myanmar are special in that the protestors are from different races and ethnic and religious groups, each group opposing the status quo independently from others. Buddhist monks, who after Muslims have the main share of participation in anti-government protests, consider themselves as saviors of others and following a relative improvement in the situation are now seeking to purge other dissident groups.
Here, the role of some Western countries in fueling the clashes should not be ignored. They are well aware that Myanmar’s Muslims are seeking to institutionalize Islamic teachings in the country and this can lead to rise of Islam in the region, which will endanger the West’s equations. Hence, the West follows the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ in this country.
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