Matthew J. Walton
Religion and Violence in Myanmar
Sitagu Sayadaw’s Case for Mass Killing
Foreign Affairs, 2017
What's inside?
Myanmar’s most revered monk has become complicit in violence against the country’s Rohingya minority.
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Many think of Buddhism as a religion of peace, but as events in Myanmar make clear, Buddhists, including monks, may willingly embrace violence if they believe that their religion is under threat. Indeed, Myanmar’s most revered Buddhist monk, Sitagu Sayadaw, preached a sermon offering explicit religious justification for the mass killing of the Muslim minority Rohingya. Political scientist Matthew J. Walton explains how nationalism and Buddhism intersect in Myanmar, complicating efforts by human rights groups and politicians to broker peace.
Summary
About the Author
Matthew J. Walton is Aung San Suu Kyi Senior Research Fellow in Modern Burmese Studies and director of the Asian Studies Center at the University of Oxford.
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