Since after the June 2015 annual convention, the Ma Ba Tha Central Committee has aggressively targeted the issue and released a statement on Facebook calling on the government to ban Muslims from slaughtering animals at religious events.138 Additionally, according to an exposé by investigative journalists with Myanmar Now, local Ma Ba Tha chapters have been actively waging a successful campaign to pressure the closure of Muslim businesses, most prominently meat factories and slaughterhouses. 139 In particular, Ma Ba Tha monks have reportedly been buying up slaughterhouse licenses assisted by a sympathetic local government that offered them a 50 percent discount.140 Ma Ba Tha monks have also begun ‘investigating’ Muslim businesses to uncover violations that could lead to their closing.141 Even Central Committee monks have joined in; for instance, on September 24, 2015 Wirathu on his purported personal Facebook account accused Muslims of “breaking laws” by slaughtering cows for Eid at “unauthorized places”, such as inside mosques.142 The Ma Ba Tha campaign has allegedly led to the confiscation of thousands of Muslim-owned cows, causing significant financial strain for many Muslim businesses.143 Several local authorities have begun to cave to Ma Ba Tha demands; the Mandalay government, for example, recently ordered the use of goats instead of cows this Eid.144 Other Social Markers The Ma Ba Tha monks highlight other social markers in their messaging. Some are borderline ludicrous. One senior Ma Ba Tha monk from the Bahan chapter township, for example, was profiled in Tharki-thwe in October 2015 and spoke about nine ways to “protect” Buddhism. One of his suggestions on his purported personal Facebook account included boycotting biryani, a popular dish across the country, due to its ostensibly ‘Muslim’ origin.145 Others are more serious and touch at key facets of Muslim society. In particular, the issue of the veil as a security concern has grown increasingly prominent in late 2015. In justifying this threat, Wirathu stated, “[Muslims] use the robes in suicide bombings, helping men to pretend they are women… It is a security concern and a threat to the 146 sovereignty of the country. We will make that tradition stop." Lay followers of these monks have taken these messages much further. One key theme is a targeted attack on mosques as the ‘headquarters’ for the Muslim threat. This theme can crosses into direct hate and dangerous speech, including incitements and gloating over violence. One such example is the Facebook post by “Zaw Win,” an activist who has spoken at Ma Ba Tha events and was one of the supporters recognized for his contributions with an honorary plaque.147 On November 25, 2015, he posted a Facebook photo of the burning ruins of Meiktila, captioned, “We didn’t just burn U Ko Ni’s heart. We, in fact, cremated his heart.”148 U Ko Ni is a NLD lawyer who had once stated in an interview that “Burning a mosque is like burning a Muslim’s heart.” Image 20: Zaw Win’s Facebook post with Meiktila’s mosques burning; “We didn’t just burn U Ko Ni’s heart. We, cremated his heart.” 22