Myanmar’s Extreme Buddhist nationalists

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“In a surprise move, Myanmar’s ruling military junta announced on 6 September the release from prison of Ashin Wirathu, a controversial Buddhist monk whose sermons have been blamed for inciting anti-Muslim violence over the last decade. In a statement, the military said it had dropped charges against Wirathu of sedition directed towards the previous Aung San Suu Kyi-led government.

“No reason was cited for his release. The monk had turned himself in for arrest last November, having been on the run for more than a year. Some reports claim the firebrand religious hardliner had been ‘pardoned’ following a concerted public pressure campaign orchestrated by his nationalist supporters in Myanmar in recent months. He had also reportedly contracted Covid-19 in prison and was ‘not in good health’.

“While Buddhism is rarely associated with extremism or violence, the 53-year-old Wirathu espouses a militant view that justifies the use of force against religious and cultural others, and supports authoritarian regimes. He rose to prominence in 2011, following deadly violence between Buddhist and ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims in the country’s restive western Rakhine state. Wirathu was accused of inciting hate speech against the Rohingyas, who are viewed as having immigrated from Bangladesh illegally, despite many of their families living in Myanmar for generations.”

Amresh Lavan Gunasingham writes for The Interpreter. Read more here.