BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

RADICAL BUDDHIST MOVEMENTS IN MYANMAR: ROOTS, TRANSFORMATIONS AND POLITICAL IMPACTS

Author: Abu Salah Md Yousuf, Bibhuti Bhusan Biswas

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2022v43n4a1

ABSTRACT

Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country with exceptional ethnic diversity, is a classic example and strong footprint of Buddhist radical movements. Over time, the doctrine of “us versus them” has dominated the politics of Myanmar, where the Bamar nationalism aims to “protect and promote” the Buddhist land from “foreign” incursions. Radical nationalist monks spurred aggression and violent acts toward people of different religions. Against this backdrop, the present study is an endeavour to understand the roots, transformations and political impacts of Buddhist radicalism in Myanmar. The study finds that after the British occupation of Myanmar, the Buddhist monks found their race and religion under threat and the first anti-British movements started by them. They were also against Indian immigrants in Myanmar. However, after the country’s independence in 1948, there was a strong influence of Buddhist monks to ensure supremacy in the constitution of Myanmar and they were very vocal about expelling foreign immigrants from the country. In the recent years, the newly emerged Buddhist movements, i. e., Ma Ba Tha and the Movement 969, have developed new narratives identifying the Muslims as a threat to the security of their state and religion. While tolerance is one of the core values of the Buddhist religion, the radical groups developed a narrative that has affected Myanmar’s socio-political sphere and has led the country towards violence and conflict. They have made substantial impacts in the political sphere of the country and influenced the government to develop anti-minority laws.