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Spreading hatred against Buddhists ‘worsens Rohingya conflict’
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Burma Human Rights Network executive director Kyaw Win gives a media statement during an interview with The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Nov. 25. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
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Burmese and Muslim human rights advocate, Kyaw Win, has called on Indonesian Muslims to stop spreading hatred against Burmese Buddhists, arguing that it only fuels the escalating tension and further endangers Muslims in the country.
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) executive director Kyaw Win told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the use of hateful language conveyed the wrong message and incited negative reactions in Myanmar, as it provided sound-bytes for Buddhist extremists to use to justify the killing of Muslims in the country.
“We suffered a lot from this,” he said, referring to a viral social media post shared by Indonesian users that called for the killing of Buddhists.
“People don't realize how bad the consequences are in Burma. If you want to help us, please help us properly,” he added.
Muslims in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, have expressed their concerns over the devastating conflict in the Rakhine state, where Muslims, including women, children and elders, have been killed.
Separately, a number of Muslim organizations staged a peaceful rally in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Gondangdia, Menteng, Central Jakarta, demanding that the country's representatives urge their government to stop the alleged mass killings and persistent oppression against members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.
They also demanded the Indonesian government to press the Myanmar government to stop what they called “genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority”.
Kyaw Win said that such action to pressure the government to address the issue was the solution expected by the Muslims in Myanmar, which make up around four percent of the Buddhist-majority country's total population. (fac/evi)
