Buddhists are being killed in Myanmar.

[nekete]

Hi...

I really don't know in which sub/forum write this...

Do you know that buddhists (monks and lays) are being killed these days in places like Bangladesh and Myanmar by muslims? There is a facebook site where somebody is informin ng about all this. I'd like to know how all this madness has started, I have asked there but no answer to my question. You can check it here... https://www.facebook.com/BuddhistDefenceLeague

In the south of Thailand monks also are killed by muslims. In this case I think it's because muslims want a islamic state in Thailand. It's been for years that this is happening.

Does somebody knows something about all this? I'd like to know more and understand what's happening in Bangladesh or Myanmar, even in the south of Thailand.

Thank you.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The madness has been going on for ever, and even in the Buddha's time Buddhists were killing Buddhists before there were any Moslems or Christians.

The best way to avoid getting killed is to avoid getting born again, which is the main purpose of the Buddha's teaching.

[James the Giant]

There is a facebook site where somebody is informing about all this.
....https://www.facebook.com/BuddhistDefenceLeague

Hi Nekete, if you are going to research the topic, just be careful you read information from all sides of the conflict. That Buddhist Defense League page is propaganda, and strongly anti-Muslim. It does not present a balanced picture of the situation. For example, they will never tell you that more Muslims than Buddhists have been killed in the Myanmar violence.
It's a horrible situation. Don't add to it by becoming an anti-Muslim fanatic.

[Yana]

people kill each other everyday Buddhist or otherwise.

[Dmytro]

Hi Nekete,

The violence has a long history,

"In 1193, the Nalanda University complex was destroyed by Afghan Khilji-Ghilzai Muslims under Bakhtiyar Khalji; this event is seen as the final milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_con ... bcontinent

The question is rather why the violence has escalated now?

This is a part of larger tragedy. Bangladesh is prone to floods, and now, with the advent of global climate change, these floods have risen to unprecedented levels.

"In 1998, over 75% of the total area of the country was flooded. It was similar to the catastrophic flood of 1988 in terms of the extent of the flooding. A combination of heavy rainfall within and outside the country and synchronization of peak flows of the major rivers contributed to the river.

The 2004 flood was very similar to the 1988 and 1998 floods with two thirds of the country under water."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_Bangladesh

Since the key countries emitting CO2 - USA and China - still don't act on this issue, the floods will get even larger, which will lead to more illegal immigration to Myanmar (which has uncontrolled border sections), and to more ethnic tensions.

[tiltbillings]

. . .

You might want to actually make a connected point or two here as to why there is violence in Thailand and Burma directed at Muslims and from Muslims directed at Buddhists. Your msg makes no sense whatsoever. Please clarify.

[pilgrim]

Attacks on Buddhists are not always reported . It is not Muslims alone that attack Buddhists. There are inter-religious conflicts between Buddhists and other communities too. And with increasing population pressure and scarcity of water, land and other resources I expect this will continue if not increase. The following sites documents some of the attacks on Buddhists by Muslims and others.
http://jihadonbuddhists.org/
http://www.buddhapia.com/eng/tedesco/pic1/list.html

Having said that, we should also be aware that Buddhists are not always the victims, as in Rakhine state, Myanmar where Buddhists are as much to blame.

[Dmytro]

You might want to actually make a connected point or two here as to why there is violence in Thailand and Burma directed at Muslims and from Muslims directed at Buddhists. Your msg makes no sense whatsoever. Please clarify.

Don't you know that resource scarcity exacerbates any ethnical tensions and conflicts? Hungry people look for someone to blame. People without land to live on look for other people's land to take.

http://inec.usip.org/blog/2011/jun/10/h ... ate-change
http://news.discovery.com/earth/climate ... 11003.html
http://beyondwar.org/chapter/war-climat ... ainability
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/0 ... ?mobile=nc

[tiltbillings]

You might want to actually make a connected point or two here as to why there is violence in Thailand and Burma directed at Muslims and from Muslims directed at Buddhists. Your msg makes no sense whatsoever. Please clarify.

Don't you know that resource scarcity exacerbates any ethnical tensions and conflicts? Hungry people look for someone to blame. People without land to live on look for other people's land to take.

http://inec.usip.org/blog/2011/jun/10/h ... ate-change
http://news.discovery.com/earth/climate ... 11003.html
http://beyondwar.org/chapter/war-climat ... ainability
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/0 ... ?mobile=nc

But you have not shown that that is what is behind the violence in Burma or Thailand. And your finger pointing at the USA and China is interesting, but there is no real argument there. You seem to have a great of work left to do to make your point.

[pilgrim]

I don't see any ambiguity in Dmytro's post. Climate change will be a significant cause for more conflicts in the future and communities can be expected to align themselves according to their religious affiliation. Countries with large economies have been pointedly uncooperative in reducing pollutants that lead to climate change.

[Dmytro]

The description of recent ethnic violence in Assam, which also neighbours with Bangladesh, helps to gain the overall perspective:

http://www.ibtimes.com/rioting-assam-un ... dia-730144

"Bangladesh ranks first as the most vulnerable nation to the impacts of climate change in the coming decades."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_ch ... Bangladesh

The threat posed by climate change in Bangladesh – in pictures:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-develo ... 02&index=0

[tiltbillings]

I don't see any ambiguity in Dmytro's post. Climate change will be a significant cause for more conflicts in the future and communities can be expected to align themselves according to their religious affiliation. Countries with large economies have been pointedly uncooperative in reducing pollutants that lead to climate change.

Well, if one is going to make a statement that this or that is a cause, then one should be able to do so with some degree of proof to support the statement. That climate change can be a problem is understood, but what has not been actually shown here is that climate change is a major contributing factor here. The issues in both Burma and Thailand are long standing and deeply seated. Climate change might add to the tensions, but I have yet to see an actual argument in this thread that would support climate change as a major contributing factor. It might be, but merely asserting it without a reasoned argument is merely asserting it without a reasoned argument.

[tiltbillings]

. . .

You still have not connected the dots.

[Mr Man]

I don't see any ambiguity in Dmytro's post. Climate change will be a significant cause for more conflicts in the future and communities can be expected to align themselves according to their religious affiliation. Countries with large economies have been pointedly uncooperative in reducing pollutants that lead to climate change.

Dmytro also says "The violence has a long history".

[tiltbillings]

I don't see any ambiguity in Dmytro's post. Climate change will be a significant cause for more conflicts in the future and communities can be expected to align themselves according to their religious affiliation. Countries with large economies have been pointedly uncooperative in reducing pollutants that lead to climate change.

Dmytro also says "The violence has a long history".

And it there, more than anything, the causes are to be found from what I have read on the Web.

[Lazy_eye]

. . .

You might want to actually make a connected point or two here as to why there is violence in Thailand and Burma directed at Muslims and from Muslims directed at Buddhists. Your msg makes no sense whatsoever. Please clarify.

I'm not sure the dots can really be connected, as there isn't one overarching explanation. The various struggles have different reasons, from what I can see.

The violence in Thailand is in the far south. This is a Muslim majority area, which Thailand annexed in 1902 despite it not being culturally Thai. The people are ethnic Malays, they are poorer and less educated compared to Thai Buddhists and ethnic Chinese, and many resent rule from Bangkok, which has been both heavy-handed and inept.

The anti-Buddhist pogrom in Bangladesh was unusual. There hasn't been much of a problem between the majority Muslims and the Buddhist minority over the years. It has been reported in some places that the attacks were reprisals by Rohingya refugees angry about the situation in Burma. And they may have had some help from some local hardline Islamists who wanted to embarrass the secular government.

Not really the same set of issues at all.

[Dan74]

Hi...

I really don't know in which sub/forum write this...

Do you know that buddhists (monks and lays) are being killed these days in places like Bangladesh and Myanmar by muslims? There is a facebook site where somebody is informin ng about all this. I'd like to know how all this madness has started, I have asked there but no answer to my question. You can check it here... https://www.facebook.com/BuddhistDefenceLeague

In the south of Thailand monks also are killed by muslims. In this case I think it's because muslims want a islamic state in Thailand. It's been for years that this is happening.

Does somebody knows something about all this? I'd like to know more and understand what's happening in Bangladesh or Myanmar, even in the south of Thailand.

Thank you.

There are many good responses above, I would just like to add that we should be careful to avoid tribalistic thinking, the us versus them mentality and heed the Buddha's advice to cherish all living beings.

From all indications I have seen, in Myanmarit was the Muslims that were really victimized with entire villages destroyed.

[nekete]

The madness has been going on for ever, and even in the Buddha's time Buddhists were killing Buddhists before there were any Moslems or Christians.

The best way to avoid getting killed is to avoid getting born again, which is the main purpose of the Buddha's teaching.

Yes, my friend, but I wanted to know how all this has started in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Even in Thailand, but I think there it's because muslims want to have an islamic state.

[nekete]

There is a facebook site where somebody is informing about all this.
....https://www.facebook.com/BuddhistDefenceLeague

Hi Nekete, if you are going to research the topic, just be careful you read information from all sides of the conflict. That Buddhist Defense League page is propaganda, and strongly anti-Muslim. It does not present a balanced picture of the situation. For example, they will never tell you that more Muslims than Buddhists have been killed in the Myanmar violence.
It's a horrible situation. Don't add to it by becoming an anti-Muslim fanatic.

But were that muslims killed by buddhists? I mean monks. I'm not going to be an anti-muslim it's just that I want to know what and why it's happening.

[nekete]

people kill each other everyday Buddhist or otherwise.

Yes, I know, but I'm interested in this violence against buddhists in Myanmar, Thailand and Bangladesh.