The aim of this article is to present contemporary conflict between Muslims and - Buddhists in Burma. Understanding the problem is not possible without presenting the colonial past of this country and its ethnic diversity. Burma is inhabited by over 100 nationalities and social divisions date back to the creation of the first Burmese Empire. In addition, today we can observe radicalization of Theravada Buddhists Theravada world, for example by symposia and conferences published by radical monks, warning against the threat of Islam. In Burma leading figure objecting to the presence of Muslims is a monk U Wirathu. His nationalist "969 Movement" is known for its acts of vandalism against religious minorities. Writing about the situation of Muslims in Burma we can not forget about the situation Rohingya, which the UN has described as "the most persecuted ethnic group in the world".
erception of Burmese Buddhism by the Western world since 1988 has been largely associated with pacifism and democracy through the leader of the opposition and the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the current Rohingya refugee crisis is changing that positive perception. The aim of the following presentation is to analyze the contemporary conflict between Muslims and Buddhist nationalists in Burma. To get a deeper understanding of the problem, it is essential to connect it with Burma’s pre-colonial and colonial past as well as the country’s ethnic diversity. Radicalization of the attitudes of Theravada Buddhists and the rise of xenophobic sentiments in Burma are connected with Burmese national identity, which is largely based on ethnicity and tends to exclude the rest, including Muslims. However, due to historical, cultural and cosmological differences, Islam especially is a target. The aim of the paper is to explain why Myanmar’s Islamophobia has its roots in Buddhist nationalism and why opposition to Islam is a part of it.
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