PEACEWORKS 92 Table 3.   Intercommunal Violence: Problems and Outcomes Knowledge Existing Problem Desired Outcome Conflation of economic, population, and religious conflict drivers (religionification of the conflict) Better understanding of each other’s religions and appreciation of peaceful elements Improved understanding of different conflict drivers Attitude False information about Islamic values, traditions, history, culture, and intentions Credibility of information sources valued Global war on terror narrative permeated into public consciousness Belief that jihadists operate in Myanmar exposed as false False belief that received information is credible Awareness that some information cannot be trusted Buddhist belief in anti-Islamic stereotypes Greater mutual Buddhist and Muslim tolerance Belief in superiority and centrality of Buddhism in Myanmar identity Broad acceptance of Myanmar as a multifaith country Fear of Islamification Behavior Culture of violence Greater mutual Buddhist and Muslim tolerance Buddhist boycotting of Muslim businesses Boycotting ceases Viral spreading of anti-Islamic information Hate speech monitored, not tolerated, and shut down Attacking and looting of Muslim businesses, places of worship, people, and Muslim retaliatory attacks Stronger police enforcement Buddhist nationalist sermonizing and rumormongering Stronger monitoring The war on terror or clash of civilizations narrative has permeated the community, arousing fears of terrorism and the spread of values inconsistent with Buddhism. tions, and financiers that have taken interest in the cause, conducting visits, establishing offices and programs, and offering political and financial support to Myanmar’s embattled Muslim communities. Similarly, the perceived persecution and abject situation of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State has for some time pulled disproportionate international support in their direction, fueling Buddhist Rakhine grievance and threat perception. These responses to the BuddhistMuslim conflict, though justifiable, add to Buddhist fears of Islamification and so-called jihadist agendas. In this way, what started as a largely ungrounded fear has the potential to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, whereby the defensive actions of Buddhist nationalists against perceived Islamification generates the threats that motivated their actions in the first place. The knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with communal violence are summarized in table 3, as are the intended outcomes that the proposed media initiatives will target. Myanmar’s Buddhists are aware that other countries in the region, most notably Indonesia and Malaysia, have transitioned from majority Buddhist or Hindu to majority Muslim in the last century. The war on terror or clash of civilizations narrative has permeated the community, arousing fears of terrorism and the spread of values inconsistent with Buddhism. Islamic beliefs can encourage behaviors that close off Muslim communities from other citizens, sometimes inviting suspicion. Experience of scripture has taught both Buddhists and Muslims to defend the faith as a religious imperative. Furthermore, many citizens have long been conditioned to associate Buddhism with national solidarity and fear of disintegration. Negative stereotypes about Muslims are prevalent, and there is a high degree of misunderstanding of Islamic values and practices. Buddhist sermons, which are distributed en masse, feed attitudes about other groups, even if the recordings have been distorted postproduction to confer Buddhist nationalist or anti-Islamic sentiment. It is widely seen as blasphemous to criticize publically these sermons or the monks who offer them. 14  USIP.ORG