Dalai Lama Should Speak Out Against Killing Of Rohingyas – OpEd
By Arab News
By Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan
To most Saudis, Burma was almost an unknown country, until the news of massacre of Rohingya Muslims came out. In their vacation and on the street, Saudis run across men in orange attire, who are soft spoken and appear to be gentle and peaceful, with pamphlets and flyers in their hands about Buddhism, giving them away to pedestrians.
These Buddhists appear as if they cannot hurt a fly, while the pictures coming out from Burma are very graphic and heart wrenching. Children being grilled naked and alive; corpses amputated with hatchets; and dead bodies of men, women and children, young and old scattered everywhere.
This may indicate to some Saudis that killing thousands of Muslims in such a manner is not only a violent character of the heartless dictatorship that rules Myanmar, but also a quality of the Buddhist theocratic ideology. In other words, Buddhism could be seen by some people as a pretentious religion that appears peaceful, but in fact this religion disguises hateful, violent Buddhists in orange sheets.
Burma is in the limelight and has become the focus of attention of Saudis. Most Saudis have a vague knowledge of the geographical whereabouts of this country, and many were surprised to know that majority of the 56 million Burmese are Buddhists.
The religious break-up of the population is as follows: 53.42 million Buddhists, 2.98 million Christians, 2.27 million Muslims, 0.3 million Hindus and 0.79 million of those who believe in other religions. But why Rohingya Muslims are the only religious group repeatedly persecuted throughout Burma’s history.
Those previous and current massacres of Muslims in Burma are documented by UN agencies, and it was reported that the Rohingya Muslims are the most persecuted minority in the world. Despite these grave human rights violations neither the UN nor the international community took quick and tangible actions to stop them.
Being a minority, these Muslims stood against all odds over the centuries, specifically since 1550 AD until the present time. They were repeatedly massacred at the hands of the majority Buddhist population. Nonetheless, every time after repression they bounce back to their previous successes.
This killing of Muslims has been systematic and institutionalized throughout the history of Burma. These Muslims are Rohingyas, and they comprise different ethnic groups, including Indians, Bangladeshis, Chinese, Arabs, Persians and even Burmese. Despite their limited numbers, their greatest sin is that they are hardworking and so have achieved success in trade and education.
We call on the honorable Dalai Lama to interfere with the Myanmar government to stop the massacres of Muslims at the hands of Buddhists. No religion in the world approves of atrocities against the Burmese Muslims, and Buddhism is among the religions that also does not approve of such an act.
Muslims want the Dalai Lama to speak out against those atrocities to show the entire world in general, and the Muslim world in particular that Buddhism condemns these grave human rights violations against Muslims.
We need Dalai Lama in the spirit of this blessed month of Ramadan to send a message of love, peace, and comfort to the victims of those horrible incidents in Burma, their families and loved ones.
The world needs Dalai Lama to speak out.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan is a Saudi academician based in Riyadh.
I don’t understand why the Dalai Lama speaking out would have any benefit on the Burmese situation. The type of Buddhism practiced in Burma is very different from what is practiced by the Dalai Lama, and the Dalai Lama has zero influence over there. The author of this article clearly made no effort to do research Buddhism. He should probably refrain from forming or publishing opinions on this matter.
when tibetan are brutally killed by chineses army, why you guys dont speak against chinese govt. Mayanmar is not a Democratic govt. and they dont lession to dalai lama.
It is so sad what is going on in Burma in the hands of buddhist followers against minority muslims. Honestly, Dalai Lama is wanted to visit to other buddhist countries to give teachings and pilgrimages. Unfortunately, no one gave him a visa so far under the pressure of Communist China. Therefore, you must clearly try to understand his situations.
If they really respect to the Dalai Lama such a ugly action would not be happened in Myarma (Burma) because HH the Dalai Lamas messages are available at his website.
HH the Dalai Lama is more respected in the western world rather than Asian countries which are even buddhist nations.
Of course, Dalailam should because Rakhines are now in the face of the same threat of invasion as the Tibetan by the Chinese.
If it is so–the killing as it accused–any one can provide names, location, involved army infantrymen number and names of the officers? Lie over like cannot help at all. These propaganda is wrong and misleading. There is no one, Zero, killed in the Arakan State except 70 deaths during the riot in May and June. Period.
Little knowledge is very dangerous indeed. This author thinks Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Myanmar!! To get the fact straight, let us be clear that Dalai Lama has nothing what so ever to do with the buddhists in Myanmar. The concerned muslims should rather address this issue to Myanmar’s own Nobel Laureate Ann Sung Sukyi. If you still want the Dalai Lama to try his charm to abate the violence, just invite him, give him the required visa, arrange talk sessions. Dalai lama can’t say he wants visa for travel to Burma, to pakisthan, to Syria, to yemen, to Egypt, to Lebanon etc because muslims are getting killed!!! Use some common sense…although it is not very common !!!
@ Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan – why don’t you direct to Burmese regime ??????
If Dalai Lama should speak out against killing of ‘Rohingya’ Muslims in Burma, then Muslim leaders should speak out against the killing of Chakma Buddhists in Bangladesh.
First study Buddhism. Second give human-rights to your own country for muslim women. Third respect other cultures.
2.27 million Muslims minus 800,000 illegal immigrant Bengali Muslims =1.47million Myanmar Muslims.
We haven’t heard a word from 1.4million Myanmar Muslim yet.