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Rohingya Muslims. Ethnic conflict involved resource deprivation and decades of land confiscation; arbitrary taxes have left many landless, which has resulted in a competition of resources and land between these ethnic groups.58 Though this intrastate conflict is fuelled by more than just religion, it has become a gateway to Myanmar’s Islamophobic attitude towards the rest of the country’s Muslim community. Religious traditions can change drastically depending on the influence of leadership as displayed Wirathu, a Buddhist monk with support from members of his sangha and many Buddhists across Myanmar. It is important to acknowledge that this influence can be positive, however. Gopin notes that activists should examine ways of coexistence within the sacred texts and histories of religion, and use this as a basis to promote reconciliation among conflicting groups such as Myanmar’s Muslims and Buddhists.59 Religion can be a driver for peace as much as it can be used to influence hatred. Conclusion This chapter has analysed the different factors that contribute to Buddhist/Muslim conflict in Myanmar and assessed the significant role of religion in driving conflict and peace. The military and their government’s repressive regime which fuelled ethnic tensions, the competition of natural resources, and the hierarchy of the Bamar Buddhist majority have created opportunities for violent confrontations between Buddhists and Muslims. Wirathu, the 969 movement, and Ma Ba Tha have exploited the tensions between Myanmar Buddhists and Muslims for their own political gain. Stimulating fear by displaying Muslims as criminals and suggesting they have an agenda to take over Myanmar has influenced mistrust and, consequently, has allowed laws to pass which aim to protect the ‘Burman race’. Both the Rohingya Muslims who 58 Masood, A., (2013) ‘Myanmar: Ethno-Resource Conflict in Rakhine State?’, Foreign Policy Journal, available at: http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2013/08/05/myanmar-ethno-resource-conflictin-rakhine-state/ [November 2015]. 59 Gopin, (2002) p.8. - 28 -

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Religion, hate speech and social media in Myanmar: Analysing methods of intervention

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English

Topic

Hate Speech
Rohingya Crisis

Author(s)

Bethany Davis

Date Published: Dec 1, 2015

Abstract: Myanmar is home to one of the longest running intrastate conflicts in the world, involving a series of ethnic and religious clashes that have caused harm to all parties involved. The ideology of a homogeneity based on Buddhism and the Bamar ethnicity has marginalized minority groups, which make up a third of the population, and has particularly affected the Rakhine state’s Buddhist and Muslim communities, the latter of which are subject to what international human rights organizations are calling an ethnic cleansing. Since the government relaxed restrictions to the access of foreign websites, the social media site Facebook has become a popular means to disseminate misinformation and rumours, and this has created mistrust and hatred against Muslims across the country, heightening the polarization between Buddhist and Muslim groups. This study will combine conflict analysis with the assessment of different approaches of countering hate speech to propose which methods of intervention are most suitable for this situation in Myanmar. Lederach argues that to counter hatred and avoid reoccurrence of violence, deep alterations of the parties’ relationships is needed. This idea forms the basis for chapter three which examines educational methods, interfaith projects and social media campaigns to both prevent and change negative attitudes towards the religious ‘Other’. It argues that education and awareness campaigns are more effective than the implementation of legal regulation as we need to combat the underlying issue. In addition to secondary sources, this study involved field research to collect information about how the youth are influence by hate speech and counter hate campaigns in Myanmar.

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Religion, hate speech and social media in Myanmar: Analysing methods of intervention

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