Ethnic Hatred Tears Apart A Region Of Myanmar

During a recent visit by President Obama to Myanmar, the President stated that the current trend of violence in the country was worrying. According to him, violence will is not the solution but additional problem. The sentiments from the president came because of the current trend in the country. There has been violence based on religious grounds. Buddha that are the majority in the country are up against their Muslim neighbors. According to them, their religion does prohibit them from killing, but when threatened they have to retaliate. The threats they are referring to is the growth of the Muslim community in the country. According to them, the Muslim religion in the country is growing and more people are turning into the religion. They believe that Myanmar is their land and Muslims intruded the country with an aim of replacing Buddhist community.

The belief that Muslims are foreigners has led to violence against the Muslim. They have burned the temples that were within their rich and are killing innocent Muslims. The statistics now indicates that at more than 167 people are dead and more than 100,000 people are displaced in their own country. Buddha leaders state that the government should place Muslims in a camp and then send them to a country that is ready to accept them. There have been tensions existing, especially in Western Myanmar, between Muslims and Buddha. There has been a connection the two religions and facilitated harmonious coexistence despite the tensions. However, the connection broke this year, and now the country is facing religious violence. Leaders from the Muslim community echoed the president sentiments on the need to have harmony. In addition, the leaders said that Muslims are citizens of the country and were not leaving the country.

Work Cited

Fuller, Thomas. “Ethnic Hatred Tears Apart a Region of Myanmar” The New York Times 29 November 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/asia/muslims-face-expulsion-from-western-myanmar.html?hp