48 Matthew J. Walton and Susan Hayward understanding and grant them more control over narratives regarding Islamic practice. The intention here is not to blame the victims, but to recognize that increased understanding of what other religious traditions practice or believe will be an important part of contesting rumor, challenging prejudice, and eventually building trust between communities. Both increased transparency in teaching and preaching and curriculum reform will be important for all religions in Myanmar, both to foster mutual understanding and respect and to avoid targeting National curriculum for Buddhist only Islam as the source of current monastic schools could offer conflicts. A standardized national curriculum for Buddhist monasmessages of tolerance and peace tic schools, for example, could include accurate information on other religions in Myanmar and their history in the country, and could offer messages of tolerance and peace rooted in Buddhist teachings. An important element of this curriculum could be the cultivation of a deeper awareness of the structural links between language that demeans other groups of people and language that incites violence against them. Rule of Law Rule of law has been a mantra repeated by political figures inside Myanmar and by much of the international community, but it is in danger of becoming an empty signifier, if not already so. Implementing an impartial legal system with publicly known and understood processes and clear channels for appeal is undoubtedly a critically important step in Myanmar’s political development. But it is also important to recognize that Myanmar is currently in the earliest stages of transitioning from an arbitrary legal system in which informal mechanisms outside the justice system have become the norm, to a more formalized system where citizens would be expected to respect the law and work within its confines, and could also expect fair treatment from legal institutions. A slavish insistence on instituting rule of law without attention to this context risks marshaling the power of the state against already marginalized and repressed communities, which have merely adapted to the arbitrary nature of the previous system and are not as well-positioned as