Dialogue answer to regional unrest
Myanmar and Sri Lanka might be far apart from each other geographically, but recent incidences of violence on Muslim lives and properties perpetrated by Buddhist monks in both the Buddhist majority nations have a common pattern.
The vicious anti-Muslim sentiment nurtured by a section of the Buddhist clergy is clearly out of sync with the basic tenets of Buddhism and its message of universal tolerance and kindness.
Vandalism of a Muslim-owned apparel store in the Colombo suburb of Pepiliyana is all the more intriguing given the fact that Sri Lankan Muslims were never known to have been involved in any genocidal attack on Buddhist monks in the island nation’s ethnic history marred by bitter strife between the majority Sinhala and minority Tamils. In fact the minuscule community of Muslims have kept a low profile all throughout the country’s prolonged civil war. But then the hatemongers have managed to successfully manufacture Islamophobia out of nowhere exploiting some fabricated allegations against the followers of Islam even as the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration remains in a state of inertia.
Similarly, the Thein Sein government in Myanmar is breathing life into some of the uglier forces hidden deep inside Myanmarese society who are up to purifying the country by getting rid of Muslims. These elements in monk robes are heroes of the saffron revolution, an intrinsic part of the pro-democracy movement led by the inimitable Aung San Suu Kyi.
Perhaps this is what binds Myanmar’s most acceptable political face internationally from contributing positively in any de-escalation bid despite the fact that mobs comprising of Buddhist bigots and extreme Rakhine nationalists show no inhibition in spewing venom at Muslims and the larger Islamic world as they march through towns, past the charred remains of Muslim properties as well as mosques. The clarion call for vengeance is not only against the Rohingyas who are incorrectly framed as illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh but it also targets the entire Muslim population of Myanmar.
Interestingly, apart from the surfacing of ethno-national prejudices, both Myanmar and Sri Lanka happens to be China’s strategic investment destination outside Beijing’s home shore with sizable contribution in the development of infrastructure and energy sector. Some analysts believe that this calculated spurt in hooliganism aimed at creating fear psychosis among ethnic minorities is linked to the larger strategic war going on in the south-east ofAsia against the backdrop of President Barack Obama’s new foreign policy dictum of rebalancing American interest and power. Moreover, Myanmar’s immediate eastern neighbor Thailand has traditionally been a secure strategic base for the United States to launch military-diplomatic initiative apart from covert intelligence operations in Far East while Sri Lanka offers a lucrative platform for the US Naval Forces to checkmate probable Chinese design of acquiring assets in the critical Indian Ocean corridor linking the oil rich west with east Asia.
Whatever the reasons, the worrying trend of using proxies to incite fratricidal violence can have far reaching regional consequences and will likely affect its unique multi-ethnic character adversely. More so because, in its rush to capitalize on the economic opportunities that strategically placed countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka offer, the international community might just be tempted to pay nothing more than lip service as the barbaric trend of ethic persecution continues to haunt the minority populace.
Worst still, a worst form of anarchy stares us in the face if the international complicity to such pandemonium continues unabated. It is good that the foreign ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states will gather in Jeddah on April 14 to discuss the deadly violence against Muslims in Myanmar. But merely taking the issue to the doorstep of the United Nations cannot alleviate the sufferings of the Muslims inMyanmar or for that matter in Sri Lanka. Since the option of peace enforcement is effectively closed, the UN at best can adopt a resolution which will have no impact whatsoever in achieving a durable solution. The international community must therefore strive to reach the root of the crisis, which is lack of trust and mutual respect for each other’s religious belief. This Muslim-Buddhist acrimony has its genesis in the abject failure to understand the importance of deriving a common ground on the basis of identical values inscribed in the religious scriptures.
A well coordinated interfaith dialogue involving a divine religion like Islam and the oriental faith of Buddhism will go a long way in establishing harmony and creating a sense of togetherness. Both India — a country where Buddhism was born and flourished for centuries — and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have crucial roles in fostering a cooperative mechanism that affirms the urgency of using the wisdom of the two widely revered faiths in solving sectarian issues including ethnic rivalries.
Conceiving an institutional framework for such inter-religious dialogue to focus on shared interest and objective in a rapidly evolving world order will become an important milestone in the pursuit of a genuine anti-racist strategy. Since, the positive results of such interaction can only be achieved over a long time horizon, a parallel political initiative is required not only to soothe the hurt feelings of the minorities but also rehabilitate and integrate them into the mainstream. New Delhi certainly has an effective role to play in the amendment of the infamous 1982 law in Myanmar that stripped the Rohingyas of their nationalities and also ensuring that the essential rights of the minorities in Sri Lanka are not trampled upon. All that the Indian foreign office mandarins need to do is leverage the country’s unique cultural connectedness with its sub-continental neighbors.
- Seema Sengupta is a Kolkata-based journalist and columnist.
