8/13/2019 Monk Conference Backs Bills to Restrict Interfaith Marriage, Rohingya Voting

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Monk Conference Backs Bills to Restrict

Interfaith Marriage, Rohingya Voting

 A banner promoting the new Upper Burma chapter of the Group to ProtectNationality, Religion and the Buddhist Mission is seen at a monastery in Mandalay.

Photo! "e#a $laing % "he &rrawaddy'

By ZARNI MANN / THE IRRAWADDY( "hursday, )anuary *+, -*MAN/A0A1 2 "housands of Buddhist mon3s who gathered at a conference inMandalay will continue to submit signatures to Parliament in support of a proposedlaw that would restrict interfaith marriages between Buddhist women and men ofother faiths.

"he mon3s also said they supported proposed legislation that would restrict the rightsof ethnic Rohingya Muslims in west Burma to form political parties or 4ote.

More than *-,--- mon3s attended the conference at A "u Ma 5hi monastery on 6ednesday. "hey said the draft interfaith marriage law, which emerged after a mon3s7conference in Rangoon last year, would be sent to Parliament with help from theNational /emocratic 8ront N/8'. &f passed, the law would force Buddhist women toget permission from their parents and local go4ernment officials before marrying aman of any other faith. A non9Buddhist man wishing to marry a Buddhist woman

8/13/2019 Monk Conference Backs Bills to Restrict Interfaith Marriage, Rohingya Voting

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 would be re:uired to con4ert to Buddhism.

“/aw ;hin 6ine ;yi from the N/8 party promised to help with the law,< said U 1attha, a leading mon3. =6e are not actually in4ol4ed in drafting this law, althoughsome people ha4e accused us of getting in4ol4ed in politics as mon3s. 6e are >usthelping because it is 4ery important for this law to be enacted, as the marriage law of

*?@ is not enough to protect women and children from being con4erted to otherreligions or nationalities.<

 After Buddhist mon3s first proposed the idea for the draft law last year, they hiredlawyers to ta3e care of writing it. At the time, the bill was promoted as a way to protectBuddhist women from marrying Muslim men and potentially being forced to con4ertto &slam.

"he proposal came amid heightened religious tensions in Buddhist9ma>ority Burma,following a number of anti9Muslim riots across the country that left hundreds deadand nearly ,--- people displaced. "he ma>ority of 4ictims were Muslims, especiallyRohingyas in the western state of Ara3an.

 A nationalist anti9Muslim group 3nown as ?+? also collected signatures last year tosupport the draft interfaith marriage law. "he group calls on Buddhists to shunMuslim9run businesses and is led by nationalist mon3 6irathu, who resides at amonastery in Mandalay and also attended the conference on 6ednesday.

 At the conference, leading mon3s said about million signatures from across thecountry had been gi4en to N/8 lawma3ers, for submission together with the draft law, while another * million signatures would be sent to the party soon.

“ 6e belie4e more signatures will come, and of course we will submit them toParliament,< U 1attha said. =6e will continue pushing for the passage of the interfaithmarriage draft law2we will not stop until the law is enacted.<

U ainda 5a33a Biwuntha said the goal was not to single out any particular faith.

“"he marriage law is not only to protect Buddhists. Cther religions will also ha4e legalprotections from this law as well,< he said.

“ 6e do not 3now why only Muslims ha4e raised concerns and ta3en this proposal as athreat, while others, the $indus and Dhristians, are silent. "his is a :uestion we wantto ha4e answered.<

&n a statement released at the conference, the mon3s said they also supported a

separate bill to restrict the rights of temporary &/ holders to forming political partiesor 4oting. "he bill, eEpected to be put forward in Parliament in the coming wee3s, isseen as targeting Muslims because thousands of Rohingyas were gi4en temporary &/s,or =white cards,< before the -*- elections, enabling them to 4ote.

"he statement also encouraged media to report impartially on religious conflicts.

“5ome of the reporting about the clashes between Buddhists and Muslims has been biased, creating more tension between the two groups,< U ainda 5a33a Biwuntha

8/13/2019 Monk Conference Backs Bills to Restrict Interfaith Marriage, Rohingya Voting

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said. =8or this conference, too, if the media reports in a biased way, or if they :uotemon3s who are not spo3espersons, we will sue them.<

"he mon3s urged reporters to use the term =Bengali< when referring to the F--,--- orso people in Ara3an 5tate 3nown internationally as Rohingyas. Many Buddhists in thestate accuse the Rohingyas of being illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh,

and the go4ernment also calls them as Bengalis while largely denying them citi#enship."he mon3s at the conference formed an Upper Burma chapter of the Group to ProtectNationality, Religion and the Buddhist Mission, a nationwide non9go4ernmentorgani#ation that was established last year.

"he group says it see3s to support the draft interfaith marriage law, to pre4entreligious con4ersions, and to dispel rumors that can enflame religious tensions. =8oreEample, the recent incident in Mei3htila was based on rumors about the fighting between Buddhists and Muslims,< U ainda 5a33a Biwuntha said, referring to anti9Muslim riots that left o4er - people dead last year in March. ="he situation was eased because our group members rushed to the area, in4estigated the reality and spread the

truth to the public. "hat7s one acti4ity our group will continue to do in the future, forthe stability of the country.<

"he Upper Burma chapter said it would educate children about Buddhism,encouraging them to respect and maintain their own religion and nationalism.

Cther well93nown senior mon3s at the conference included 5ayadaw &nsein 1wama,5ayadaw 5itagu, 5ayadaw 5hwe Nya 6ar, 5ayadaw Galone Ni, and abbots from 5hwe;yin monastery.

5ome mon3s emphasi#ed the need for peace in efforts to protect Buddhism.

“&t is important to be patient and wor3 with forgi4eness in order to maintain the5asana HBuddhist missionI,< said 5ayadaw 5itagu, also 3nown as U Nyar Neitthara.