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8 BHRN interviewees described restrictions on mosque construction and repair as longstanding and continuing across successive governments and military regimes. While some renovation was permitted, rebuilding, structural additions, and major repairs faced tighter restrictions and approval processes that were neither clear nor predictable.7 Myanmar has no single national law establishing a uniform process for mosque construction or renovation. Lawyers and construction professionals interviewed by BHRN described overlapping municipal, land, General Administration Department, and religious-affairs procedures that differed by location. Historic mosques could face particular obstacles when officials demanded land status or documents that older religious properties did not possess.8 BHRN documented communities that pursued formal recognition of mosque land for years without obtaining it, leaving them unable to satisfy documentation requirements later used in repair or reconstruction applications.9 Restrictions on mosque construction and repair have also occurred amid recurrent anti-Muslim violence and Buddhist nationalist mobilisation. Human rights reporting has documented mosques destroyed, closed, sealed, or confiscated during successive periods of violence and repression.10 Successive governments and military regimes also prevented some damaged or closed mosques from reopening or rebuilding, depriving Muslim communities of access to longstanding places of worship.11 On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military seized power, detained members of the elected civilian government, and established a military junta. The coup intensified repression nationwide and returned administrative control over mosque permits and other local approvals to institutions operating under military rule.12 A construction professional interviewed by BHRN said restrictions on rebuilding or substantially altering mosques became more severe after the coup. Rebuilding was not permitted, renovations were required to preserve the original design, and extensions or structural additions were prohibited.13 When the March 2025 earthquake struck, some Muslim communities were worshipping in ageing mosques after years of restrictions had obstructed necessary repair and structural work. Recurrent anti-Muslim violence and unresolved land-registration barriers further constrained communities’ ability to maintain, strengthen, or rebuild religious sites.14 BHRN Interview 5, Myanmar, 13 April 2025. BHRN Interview 6, Myanmar, 13 April 2025. BHRN Interview 7, Myanmar, 13 April 2025. BHRN Interview 10, Myanmar, 13 May 2025. BHRN Interview 13, Myanmar, 19 June 2025. BHRN Interview 14, Myanmar, 19 June 2025. 8 BHRN Interview 10, Myanmar, 13 May 2025. BHRN Interview 11, Myanmar, 16 May 2025. 9 BHRN Interview 11, Myanmar, 16 May 2025. U.S. Department of State, “2019 Report on International Religious Freedom. Burma,” 10 June 2020. 10 Human Rights Watch, “Burma. Two Islamic Schools Shuttered in Rangoon,” 8 May 2017. U.S. Department of State, “2006 Report on International Religious Freedom. Burma,” 15 September 2006. U.S. Department of State, “2019 Report on International Religious Freedom. Burma,” 10 June 2020. 11 U.S. Department of State, “2019 Report on International Religious Freedom. Burma,” 10 June 2020. U.S. Department of State, “2010 Report on International Religious Freedom. Burma,” 17 November 2010. 12 International Labour Organization, “Riding out the storm. Organizational resilience of trade unions and civil society organizations following the military takeover in Myanmar,” 24 August 2022. 13 BHRN Interview 10, Myanmar, 13 May 2025. 14 BHRN Interview 10, Myanmar, 13 May 2025. BHRN Interview 11, Myanmar, 16 May 2025. Reuters, “Myanmar quake struck mosques as minority Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers,” 29 March 2025. 7

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Blocked From Rebuilding: Myanmar Junta Restrictions on Mosque Repair and Reconstruction

Report

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Language

English

Topic

Earthquake
Military Coup
Rohingya Crisis

Author(s)

Burma Human Rights Network

Date Published: Oct 7, 2026

Abstract: On March 28, 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar as Muslims gathered for Friday prayers, killing large numbers of worshippers and damaging or destroying mosques. BHRN documented at least 180 earthquake-affected mosques and other Islamic religious buildings in 29 townships across Mandalay Region, Sagaing Region, Naypyidaw Union Territory, Bago Region, and southern Shan State, and at least 670 deaths among Muslims when mosques and other Islamic religious buildings collapsed. This report documents how decades of restrictions on mosque construction, repair, and renovation prevented or deterred some Muslim communities from addressing known structural risks before the disaster and continued to obstruct demolition, repair, and reconstruction afterward. Before the earthquake, Muslim communities faced years-long delays and unclear approval procedures for major repairs and structural work. Some communities repeatedly sought permission without receiving a formal permit. At one Mandalay mosque, an engineer identified cracks in supporting pillars beneath an excessively heavy roof, but the trustee feared that a formal application would create further problems over the mosque’s land and ownership. The community carried out the urgent work discreetly while watching for police and municipal officials. Other interviewees described leaking roofs, weakened pillars, deteriorating brickwork, and other repairs that could not be completed through a clear and predictable process. After the earthquake, the Myanmar military junta continued to restrict the demolition, repair, and reconstruction of damaged mosques. BHRN documented communities waiting for permission to demolish unsafe structures, clear damaged sites, repair buildings, or rebuild destroyed mosques. In Bone Oh Village, none of the damaged mosques had received demolition permission three months after the earthquake. By September 2026, some applications had advanced, but many remained unresolved. One Mandalay trustee said that more than 70 mosques had submitted applications, while only four had received repair permission and Panthay Mosque was the only mosque he knew to have received permission to rebuild from scratch. In Bago Region, a mosque received a demolition order two months after the earthquake but later obtained a construction permit. Some communities were still using temporary prayer spaces more than a year after the earthquake. BHRN found no clear, uniform legal framework governing mosque repair and reconstruction. Instead, communities described a system shaped by differing local requirements, official discretion, and informal practices. Lawyers, mosque trustees, and construction professionals said applications could pass through religious-affairs offices, municipal departments, land offices, the General Administration Department, and other junta-controlled offices, with requirements varying by location. One trustee who obtained approval said personal relationships and local influence were important and that mosques without such connections faced considerable difficulties. BHRN also documented allegations of payments connected to mosque repair and construction, although the available evidence did not establish whether every payment was an official fee or an unofficial payment. Land and documentation requirements created further barriers. Some longstanding mosque compounds lack the ownership or land-registration documents demanded during permit processes because they pre-date current registration systems. BHRN found that recognised religious-land status did not guarantee reconstruction permission, while communities without that status could be required to obtain land documents before a building application would be considered. The requirements varied between locations, leaving Muslim communities without a consistent route to repair or rebuild their places of worship. The restrictions documented in this report interfere with the right to freedom of religion or belief, including the ability of Muslim communities to establish, maintain, and use places of worship. Restrictions imposed because a site is Muslim, or applied more restrictively to Muslim places of worship than to comparable religious sites without objective and reasonable justification, constitute religious discrimination. The earthquake triggered the collapses, but BHRN documented how discriminatory restrictions prevented or deterred some Muslim communities from addressing known structural risks before the disaster and delayed work needed to make damaged sites safe afterward. Governments, ASEAN, the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, donors, and United Nations agencies should support affected Muslim communities through independent and locally led channels, strengthen targeted measures against those responsible for serious human rights violations, and support international and domestic accountability efforts. Assistance should not strengthen junta-controlled institutions or force affected communities to rely on discriminatory administrative systems where alternative channels are available.

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Blocked From Rebuilding: Myanmar Junta Restrictions on Mosque Repair and Reconstruction

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