84 Hate Speech Ignited: Understanding Hate Speech in Myanmar response to current events, CSO representatives noted, individuals have retreated further into their own communities, an impulse to which activists have not been immune.563 Activists also mentioned that CSOs have been self-censoring themselves in choosing what is- sues they should cover and be vocal about.564 Certain news agencies, some noted, have used the word “Bengali” in their Burmese-language coverage, and only used the term “Rohingya,” which is politically charged inside Myanmar, in their English-language reporting.565 Members of Muslim communities in particular said they have had a palpable fear of speaking out and engaging in human rights activities. “We are Muslim, so if we collect data and things, the Government will arrest us on fake charges like rape,” one activist reported.566 As a result, they explained, some Muslim organizations and leaders have thought “silence is the best possible way for Myanmar, for security. If we speak out or if we work on this issue, the military or Ma Ba Tha will try to incite violence, so silence . . . is the choosing of Muslim society.”567 Beyond violence, some interviewees cited being ostracized from the community as a distinct disincentive to engage with community activism.568 “For some people, they fear being kicked out of their society more than being physically attacked,” one interviewee described. “So even if people disagree with ultranationalism, they prefer to stay silent.”569 Many interviewees mentioned feeling psychological effects of the hate speech and racism they have encountered.570 Some reported having lost friends for standing up for their principles, and a few described having tense relationships with their family members.571 According to one activist, explained the mental toll that hate speech has taken: [It’s] torturing people’s mind and spirits. Some people have suffered from this dis- crimination and the use of kalar to describe Muslims. They have separated from the society, like being alienated. For us who are working to build a diverse community, that’s a big challenge.572 A related challenge, one activist stressed, has been “to stay strong among these struggles, be- cause many activists break down actually. They don’t have any places to go and get psychosocial sup- port. . . . It is really hard for the young activists. They don’t want to do anything anymore.”573 Other interviewees shared this concern, noting “situations where our staff refuse to go to the field because they don’t want to deal with hate speech. When they only hear about people being beaten, burned, or discriminated against, it has a negative impact on their mind and drains their energy.”574 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 FGD (January 2019 and December 2019). Ibid. Ibid. 001-R1-01, 2. Ibid., 3. FGD (January 2019); See, e.g., MS-R3-02. 002-R3-02, 2. FGD (January 2019 and December 2019); 002-R1-01; 002-R3-02. Ibid.; MS-R3-04. 002-R3-01, 8. 002-R1-01, 9. Ibid., 9.