People must silence the voices of racial discord

By DMG 01 Jun 2019

Editorial | DMG

Generating hatred and bigotry is very dangerous, especially when it stems from religious differences or discrepancies between people of different racial backgrounds and faiths.

Some conflicts among people can be resolved through discussions and a mutual exchange of ideas, but arguments or disagreements that are rooted in religion or race cannot be resolved so easily because of the emotional sensitivity and personal convictions that people have about these institutions.

The relations between Muslims and Arakanese people in Arakan State have become very strained following a criminal case that occurred in 2012, each community is suspicious of other communities.

That situation cannot be resolved yet, but for now situations among communities are stabilized. So, everybody should make a concerted effort to tranquilize any feelings of prejudice and emotional hostility so relations among communities can be more harmonious and productive.

The clashes between the Tatmadaw and the AA in Arakan State are intensifying. While there is regional instability due to the armed conflict, some extremists are doing some activities to foment the tension between Muslims and Arakanese to create more instability in the region. They posted incitements of racial hatred on social networks such as Facebook.

They are behaving in a reprehensible manner by instigating Muslims and Arakanese people to hate each other and inciting enmity between them.

The ongoing armed conflict between the Tatmadaw and the AA has has gained full support of Arakanese people, some people wrote on social media that the AA is attacking the Tatmadaw in order to protect Arakanese people, and their hostility towards the Tatmadaw could turn Arakan State to “Muslim State”.

The fighting between the Tatmadaw and the AA is not about race or religion. The AA is fighting for political reasons. It’s a big mistake to mix political issues with racial or religious affairs because it could result in undesirable problems.

Authorities should monitor posts on the Internet relating to racial or religious dissention to prevent new conflicts from occurring. If their activities cannot be controlled, authorities should take swift action against perpetrators of inflammatory propaganda. Moreover, relevant social networks remove all hate speech.

Arakan State has currently faced difficult challenges, standards in education, health care and economics in the region are very low. Meanwhile, religious and racial issues have gained international attention. If new problems of this type break out in the future, Arakan State will end up with a negative reputation.

Unrest broke out in South Dagon Township in Yangon Region on May 15 it’s a situation all people across Myanmar should take an interest in. An extremist mob forced temporary prayer halls to shut down during Muslim’s holy month of Ramadan. The unrest was controlled in time. If it wasn’t, the results could have been unpredictable and precarious.

People need to be careful not to engage in dialogues that spark religious and racial antagonism. The President U Win Myint warned in his speech for Myanmar New Year that people need to be careful not to respond with emotion to incitements. He said it on April 17.

Some people try to instigate religious and racial conflict for their own personal interests or political interests. These kinds of people are viewed as “patriots”.

Those who really love their country, race and religion will not engage in such despicable activities that could impair the dignity of the country. We do not need to despise other races and only love our own. We need to respect other races and people of different creeds while we embrace our own race.

So, both Muslims and Arakanese need to be careful not to fall prey to arguments or denouncements that could lead to new religious and racial antagonisms. The DMG urges everyone to oppose instigators who are creating religious and racial antipathies.