@ascorrespondent
19th June 2017
CHIT TIN, a
55-year-old Muslim man has prayed at the same madrassa in eastern Yangon his
whole adult life, most of it spent under a junta that crushed opposition,
ruined Burma’s economy and turned it into an international pariah state.
But even as the father-of-four
endured poverty and isolation, the Muslim religious school, which doubles as a
mosque, had remained a focal point of his community – until a month ago, when
Buddhist nationalists raided it and forced authorities to shut it down on the
grounds it did not have a permit to operate as a place of worship.
When Ramadan, the
Muslim holy month, started some three weeks ago, hundreds of residents braved
the monsoon rain to join prayers organised in the street nearby. Local
authorities banned the event and threatened those attending with jail.
“I feel deeply sad,
as if the sky has fallen down,” said Chit Tin, one of the few Muslims from the neighborhoods
who agreed to speak to Reuters. Most residents refused to discuss the
restrictions, saying they feared repercussions.
SEE ALSO: Burma’s Muslims face restrictions on where to pray during
Ramadan – Rights group: http://po.st/EmtQPb
One of the youth
members of the community, Moe Zaw, now faces a fine or six months in jail for
not obtaining a permit to organise the prayers, according to a notification he
received from a court.
The closure of the
religious school is among a series of incidents that have stoked religious
tensions in the country’s commercial capital in recent weeks.
Although some of the
Buddhist hardliners involved were arrested, human rights monitors say the
incident shows how Aung San Suu Kyi’s 14-month-old civilian administration is
struggling to tackle discrimination against Muslims.
Suu Kyi’s ruling
party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) did not field any Muslim
candidates in the historic 2015 election that elevated it to power on pledges
of modernizing the country and democratization.
Tensions between the
two communities have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands
displaced in clashes between Buddhists and Muslims accompanying the start of
the country’s democratic transition in 2012 and 2013.
“Mosques and
madrassas that have been forcibly shuttered should be immediately re-opened,
and religious believers should not be threatened or criminally charged simply
for exercising their fundamental right to observe and practice their religion,”
said Phil Robertson from watchdog Human Rights Watch.
Local administrators
refused repeated requests for comment. Burma‘s government spokesman was not
available for comment, and two other government officials contacted by Reuters
declined to comment.
NO REPLY
The madrassa, opened
nearly half a century ago, typically attracted around 1,000 people on Friday
nights. Around 300 children between the ages of five and 12 studied Islam there
daily.
The two-story
building is now cordoned off by barbed wire and the gate is locked.
“The children were
about to sit exams, so we feel it’s a big loss for their education,” said Chit
Tin, whose two 6-year-old grandchildren started classes at the madrassa a year
ago.
He now attends
another mosque 20 minutes’ walk away, where the congregation has swelled from
5,000 to 8,000 in recent weeks due to the closure of his madrassa and another
nearby that was also targeted by Buddhist nationalists.
SEE ALSO: Burma: Suu Kyi govt to probe video allegedly showing
army’s torture of civilians: http://po.st/t7cuyK
In the city of
Meikhtila, 500 km (310 miles) north of Yangon in central Burma, three private
homes that have been used by about 150 people for prayers since mosques in the
city were destroyed in the 2013 violence were also ordered to close down by
local administrators.
The police has been
patrolling the neighborhood since last week, checking whether the houses have
stayed closed and whether the prayers have ceased during Ramadan.
“Since the
authorities don’t allow us to pray anymore, we requested them to arrange a
suitable place for us,” San Win Shein, an Islamic scholar and a secretary of a
local inter-faith group told Reuters by telephone. “There is no reply until
now.” – Reuters
Source: http://po.st/8j4jJh