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Findings and Conclusions This study highlighted a number of driving factors in the Buddhist/Muslim conflict, specifically focusing on Buddhist hate speech, including: anger towards the migration of Muslims during the last two centuries; the military governments failure to tend to the needs of Myanmar’s ethnic and religious diverse population; competition of resources between groups; and the combination of Buddhist religious fanaticism with Burmese nationalism. This highlights why peacebuilding initiatives need to acknowledge the complexity of the context it is dealing with. In this context, understanding the ethnic and religious diversity and the homogeneity of the Buddhist, Bamar state allows us to acknowledge the need for initiatives that encourage the acceptance of Myanmar as a multi faith, multi ethnic country. To co-exist in a wellordered society each group must accept that society is not just for them but for others too. Waldron does not suggest that we need to love or befriend those who differ on matters of religion, but rather that ‘they must be able to engage in ordinary dealings among people.’151 Chapter two examined the role of social media in the spread of hatred in Myanmar. Social media sites have changed the way news is disseminated and how people communicate their reaction to events in the news. People who have hate-based beliefs are given a platform where they can comfortably share these beliefs and find like-minded individuals or groups who affirm their convictions. To some it may seem innocent and harmless to simply ‘like’ a Facebook page or share racist Facebook statuses, but these acts can have serious consequences; Wirathu and likeminded individuals or groups can use hate speech to transport destructive ideologies which scapegoat and dehumanize the subordinate Other. The seemingly harmless acts can result in psychological changes, such as the devaluation of Myanmar’s Muslims, which makes further, more destructive acts possible.152 The normalisation of hatred towards 151 Waldron, J., (2012) The Harm in Hate Speech, Harvard University Press, p.219. 152 Straub, p.17. - 63 -

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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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