Who is Ashin Wirathu and why is he called Bin Laden of Myanmar? The Rohingya Crisis of Burma is once again deepening. Burmese refugees also have different views of Burma’s neighbouring countries. On one hand, India has closed its doors for Rohingya Muslims, while Bangladesh has somehow reluctantly offered them shelter, even though more than 100,000 refugees remain trapped in the hills. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a tour of Burma and it is believed that this issue can be discussed between the two countries.
Ashin Wirathu the Bin-Laden of Burma?
The radical Buddhist monk of Burma, Ashin Wirathu who is once again in the news about the violence against Rohingya Muslims in Burma. Myanmar’s fundamentalist Buddhist monk, Ashin Wirathu, is known for his fundamentalist speeches. Virathu seems to have been charged that he makes an atmosphere of protest against Muslim minorities with his speeches.
Who is Ashin Wirathu?
Until a decade ago, very few people had heard about this Buddhist monk from Mandalay. Born in 1968, Asan Virathu left school at the age of 14 and took the life of a monk. Virathu was known only by people when they joined the Nationalist and anti-Muslim factions in 2001. This organization is considered radical group in Myanmar, but its supporters deny these accusations. In 2003, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but in 2010 he was released along with other political prisoners
What does Ashin Wirathu say?
In 2012, when violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists raged in the city of Rakhine, they became attached to the feelings of the people with their provocative speeches. Their discourse begins in this genre, “Whatever you do, do as a nationalist.” But in the political circles, the speech of Ashin Wirathu is much more. When he was asked whether he was ‘bin Laden of Burma’, he said that he would not deny it. In some reports, he said that he works for peace.
What does Ashin Wirathu want?
On July 2013, Time Magazine rated him on the cover page and its headline was ‘The Face of Buddhist Terror’. His teachings are a matter of hostility and his aim is to end the Muslim community in Myanmar, especially the Rohingya people. He also led rallies in which Rohingya Muslims were asked to send them to a third country.
They held Muslims responsible for the skirmishes and made unfounded claims regarding their reproductive rate. They also claimed that Rohingya Muslim were forcibly converting Buddhist women. What drew the global attention were the pictures of the burning of more than 700 houses of Rohingya Muslims and their subsequent killings. The Ministry of Religious Affairs then confirmed that they will not take action against Ashin Wirathu until they get a complaint. Virathu is also known for her anti-female views. They were accused of advocating the law related to the marriage of women, which were believed to suppress women rights.
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