A monk leading a nationalist movement challenging the “threat of Islam” in Burma is blamed for inspiring sectarian violence against the country’s Mulim minority.
Buddhist monk Wirathu in Yangon, Burma. The 46-year-old has been blamed for inspiring sectarian violence Photo: REUTERS/Telegraph
Radical buddhist nationalism is sweeping Burma, and at the forefront of the movement is a group more commonly associated with peace and tolerance: monks.
Read more in the Telegraph
M F Rasheed / July 14, 2013
The action of Wirathu can hurt Muslims but cannot destroy them. But the very of action of Wirathu had caused enough destruction to Buddhism. Thaliban too were very happy when they could destroy Bamyan statue but what happened next?
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Asanka / July 14, 2013
I think title should be changed to Burma’s ‘Muhammad Of Buddhism’. It insult monk Wirathu but it can show more extremism than current title regarding monk Wirathu.
What do you think ?
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ORUTTHAN / July 14, 2013
@Asanka,
already great name slogan given as “The face of terror” by worlds leading magazine, what else beyond that. it is shame that even follower of bhuddah never take his guidance and keep insulting and hatred to other religion leaders. simply spitting on air where are you heading for???
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Haam Putha / July 15, 2013
Ass ang
Boddhism a religion without a god. Siddatha was enjoyed family life as a prince upto 25 yeras he has no idea about desease, oldage, death and etc. Can you imagine what a wonderful life he would have. But he knows sex childbirth. Buddha had and tasted the full life. Todays monks do not have this experience. So thier life is only suffering, Free meals accommodation all provided but not ……. why you dont think changing thier life giving them a chance.
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MF Peer / July 15, 2013
I think you should change the speeling of your name to Ass …. and stop there.
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mama / July 19, 2013
ops…. somebody seems be hurt…. or poor lamb!
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faumi / July 26, 2013
No asanka it should chang as real colours of buddhism.
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / July 15, 2013
If you Worship another religion in Kingdom of Camels Saudi arbia they will Cut your Neck .
there are many on the queue for behedings, but never publish any news
about that.
and they The Extremist Muslims in Syria, killed some christians and prist without any mercy, last month, because they were helping Assad’s Supporters.
Everyday Bangladeses chasing hilltract Buddhist to boader country and burn their houses to avoid return back.
is it only for muslims and some cristian sects to ask for sanctions????
If so,defend your belief is not a sin,
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I am no Muslim / July 15, 2013
Taliban, Bin Laden and others of his elk interpreted the Quran transparently. They followed Muhammad’s footsteps. Muhammad organized 65 military campaigns in the last ten years of his life and personally led 27 of them.
Sura 9 and elsewhere in the Quran distinguishes the true Muslim from the pretender. It says, the true believer “strives and fights with their wealth and persons” while the hypocrites are those who “sit at home,” refusing to join the jihad against unbelievers in foreign lands.
After Muhammad’s death, his successor immediately went to war with former allied tribes which wanted to go their own way. Abu Bakr called them ‘apostates’ and slaughtered anyone who did not want to remain Muslim. Eventually, he was successful in holding the empire together through blood and violence.
The prophet of Islam’s most faithful followers and even his own family soon turned on each other as well. There were four caliphs (leaders) in the first twenty-five years, each of which was a trusted companion of his. Three of these four were murdered. The third caliph was murdered by those allied with the son of the first caliph. The fourth caliph was murdered in the midst of a conflict with the fifth caliph, who began a 100-year dynasty of excess and debauchery that was brought to an end in a gruesome, widespread bloodbath by descendents of Muhammad’s uncle (who was not even a Muslim).
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Jim softy / July 14, 2013
CT editorial board is Christian. that is why they pi44ed off with what is happening. When buddhists and Muslims fight it is party time for Christians.
Buddhists prosecuted for 2600 years all over Asia and persecution made buddhists vanished even from India. Now, buddhists are waking up for their slaughter and even though it is not very buddhist they have to protect their culture.
Christians publish this kind of head lines because it is party time for them.
They never concentrate on them how they destroyed the world and how they destroy the world even to date.
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w.m.k.samarasekara / July 15, 2013
I totally agreed upon with you. I think they are following the of farther (the Portuguese catholic farther in Portuguese in this country). That’s why they are making every attempt to harming Buddhism.
I am afraid they didn’t study the book written by venerable BENTHOTA ATHTHADASSI thero “kristhiyaani prachnapthiyta pilithuru” (this was written in year 1848)
It was the response of the book “christian precept which was written by father Gogerley
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Jim softy / July 14, 2013
Blame the monk. Forget how buddhists were silent for 2600 years.
Forget the world wide sexual abuse and rapes of minors by the cleargy. Forget numerous crusade wars . Those wars are continuing even to date in other forms.
Propaganda is one such method.
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Lanka Liar / July 14, 2013
Who is Lanka Binladan and Lanka Alkaiedah
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Asanka / July 14, 2013
Islam and Muhammad
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ORUTTHAN / July 14, 2013
Asanka
question is lankan binladin…..
answer should be people who born in lanka with racist viwe like
ANAGARIKA DHARMAPALA
GALAGODA GNASARA
DONT KEEP ON ANSWERING ISLAM FOR EVERY QUESTION. CAN YOU READ ENGLISH HA?
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Anagarika / July 15, 2013
Asanka is a mentally sick person, you should not responce to him. I pray for his mental health, at this stage he he dies! rest in Peace.
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w.m.k.samarasekara / July 15, 2013
@ ORUTTHAN
ANAGAARIKA DHARMAPAALA (VENARABLE SIRIDEVAMITHTHA THERO) is the the national hero of this country. If you really don’t know about him or what he had done it is the high time to study the relevant context.
In order to constructing good Sinhalese buddhists in the country ven. GANGODAEILA SOMA thero too took a significant work load.
It is obvious that both of these venerable monk’s tasks do not agreed upon with your ideology. therefore you are trying to blame them.
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Asanka / July 16, 2013
OK, then Anwar Manathunga and Dawah Corner sri lanka
for worldwide Islam and Muhammad
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Vdrn / February 4, 2014
islam is the begin of the world terrorism.they know only invade other religions by terrorism.islam is the most terror thing in the world.who destroy borobudur .we should protect our Buddhism from this mentally ill islmic lunatics. destruction of islam will coming soon.
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Sri Lankan / July 14, 2013
Bin Ledan not a Terrorist.But Miyanmar Monks are Animals.
“They have indeed rejected ( The Message ) : So they will Know soon ( enough )the truth of what they Mocked at” !( Al Quran-19:26: )
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Asanka / July 14, 2013
Well done, we want Muslims like you. keep it up be a true a Muslim like Mr Bin
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Dhaksha / July 14, 2013
Wirathu and the BBS are all Islamaphobes and haters….if you follow the money trail you will find them aided by the same evil forces that obviously want the Muslims under threat. The same bull crap about marrying Buddhist girls, not shopping at Muslim businesses, and Muslims taking over a Buddhist dominated country.
Not only are they mathematically challenged, they also do not have the intelligence to realize they are mindless pawns in a far more dangerous game. Right now it seems apart from their corrupt governments, the rest of the world does not agree with these hate games. Buddhism, once regarded as the most peaceful religions in the world, is getting tarnished, not because of what people of other religions do, but because of what their own representatives in saffron robes are doing.
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Jim softy / July 14, 2013
what you people don’t want to understand is that every culture is intertwined with it’s majority religion.
Westernculture and thinking are intertwined with the Christianity what ever the version of christianity it is.
Similarly, culture of the middle east and arab countries are intertwined with their Quran. That is why Saudi arabian men think that every maid is a slave therefore they can be raped.
See how Christianity is destroying buddhism in south Korea. Christians destroy buddhist places and they it is SATAN who did and they were under Satan.
So, buddhists were silent for some time. Now, they have to water up. Otherwise it is like Middle east, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldive Island.
What ever it is, at the end, people refuse Christianity because it is a business and Bible is Fiction. See what has happened in the Europe and what is happening in North America.
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justice seeker / July 14, 2013
Mr Jim Softy
Can you understand simple facts. Buddhism spread in Sri Lanka when Arahat Mahinda converted the King of that time Devanambiya Tissa. When the King adopted the religion of Buddhism, the subjects adopted the same religion. When Islamic Missionaries preached to the Kings of Malaysia, Indonesia , Maldives etc they became Muslims and their subjects became Muslims abandoning their former relgions. In South Korea, the elite became Christians and the people followed suit. So what are you harping about? It seems your common sense has left you in your rabid anti-Muslim and anti-Christian myopia
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Vdrn / February 4, 2014
King devanampiyathissa adopt Buddhism according to Knowledge.Mihindu thero didn’t force to him.but islams do it by terrorism.
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Marwan / July 15, 2013
@Jim Softy, what is it that Buddhism has to attract people to its faith? They start with ‘Life is suffering’ no wonder it is not an attractive start to start with. Whereas Islam starts with ‘I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and I also bear witness that Prophet Muhammed is an Apostle of Allah’. About this slave business that you are harping upon, you need to realize that was not unique to Islam only. It is very much alive even today. Nowadays they are referred to as ‘servants’, ‘housemaids’ and even as ‘domestic helpers’. The word slave is used in historical context, where slave trade was an accepted norm. Muslims (slave owners) were taught that they could marry their slave women, to indicate equality in God’s view, and that they were also human, and had no difference in class or social standing. As for the rape that you refer to, as committed by Saaudi men, are criminal, and punishable offenses, if proven guilty. Matter ends there. There is nothing offensive or evasive in Islam nor the teachings of the Prophet of Islam.
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Heart Break Kid / July 14, 2013
Everything comes to an end, and when it does, justice finds a way to win. If anyone has to say anything about Islam or its prophet, I would ask them to read the Quran and understand what Islam really says rather than believing what the West has to say. #LiveAndLetLive (period)
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Piranha / July 14, 2013
Wirathu is not only the face of terror or the Bin Laden of Buddhism but he is also the face of evil. The evil against which the Buddhism he professes to follow taught him. His followers, like the followers of the BBS of Sri Lanka are ungodly evil and despicable criminals.
The fact that the higher Buddhist authorities in Burma are keeping mum about the activities of Wirathu says a lot about how Buddhist these monks are. The same situation prevails in Sri Lanka also where the maha sangha and the mahanayake theros are providing tacit support to these violent and racist monks by their silence.
Lord Buddha must be spinning in his grave seeing how his teachings and religion have been hijacked by these intolerant pseudo monks who are nothing but murderous racist thugs and criminals.
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Rod Atkins / July 14, 2013
Nothing would happen when they are married….
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Clown / July 14, 2013
I am Muslim and f#{€{> numerous number of Buddhists girls.. Ha ha for free
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Danelle Marvin / July 15, 2013
Atrocious manners and comment. But the name you chose for yourself is perfect for you. Hurt no one in your life from now on, and you still will have much to make up for. Mind your manners. Nana
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thiscantbhappening / July 14, 2013
Gandassara came from nowhere promoted by the regime and just as Burma has arrested 25 people for inciting violence against muslims,just as the grease yakkas became such a big deal (and died a instant death)just as it was imminent that Mervin may be arrested in 2012 (and basil came to save him)gandassara and his CEO will disappear soon,followed by his promoter family
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Safa / July 15, 2013
Bin Laden waged a terrorist war against the US for political reasons. On the other hand this so called Buddhist Bin Laden is driven by racial and religous hatred similiar to Hitler who killed millions of Jews.
Wirathu and Gnanasara are driven by similiar motivation to attack the Muslims, viz a phobia that Muslims are responsible for the decline of Buddhism. Whether it is out of sheer ignorance or a deliberate ploy backed by unseen forces is the question? In the case of Wirathu it seems to part of a long term Nationalist agenda since he was at one time arrested by the Govt. Gnanasara on the other hand enjoys govt patronage and immunity.
In Sri Lanka the efforts of Gnanasara and his ilk have been effectively countered by the educated muslim community and secular society by paeceful means. Despite efforts to rouse religous hatred the govt and people have realised the dangers and Gnanasara and ilk are becoming a bad joke.
It is obnoxious to see supposedly religous monks parading the streets, gesturing violently and shouting slogans. These hooliganistic monks will be the very reason for the decline of Buddhism as they desecrate the holy principles and tenets of their religon much to the disgust of the true peace loving Buddhist of this country.
Their efforts to kill the Islamic faith by derogatory and insulting behaviour only serves to cast themselves in a poor light. It has no effect on Muslims and Islam other than being a minor distraction and nuisance. As they say in Sinhala -‘Uda Balagana Kele Gaseema'(looking upwards and spitting). Whether theri antics save or destroy buddhism is the question they must answer.
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deen / July 15, 2013
punchiborella roundabout is blocked by a temple that causes great traffic block including the ambulances. many patients have died because of the traffic block created by this temple.
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Marusira / July 16, 2013
Bebadu sena bumchumpuka gommanpilila plus all other sunakayas only worried about saving cows for just one reason, otherwise they dont care about any one.
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mahela / July 20, 2013
There’s no difference between this monk Wirathu and our BBS, Rawana and Rawaya Balaya.
Ninety percent (90%) of these yellow robe monks come from Lower middle class families, who are finding difficult to raise their children send them to Pansalas, who join without knowing what Buddhism or the world is.
Remember Lord Buddha who was a King had a harem, wanted to seek life after getting married and after having two children. How come a seven year old infant know about life to become a monk.
Most of them Join at age of seven years (7) on economic reasons. Getting free board and lodging, health care, free travel both local and abroad, free scholarships, and free education are few of the perks.
According to Higher education Minister S.B.Dissanayake Eighty Percent (80%) of these monks leave their robes once they graduate from a university.
The ones who are left overs are the BBS,Rawaya and Rawana Balaya now acquiring mega land, building 300 million rupee buildings, free Buffet and liquor and driving BMW SUV’s.
What else one could expect from being a monk.
Did anybody see today’s world news. Read the following web.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/18/world/thailand-corrupt-jet-set-monk/index.html?hpt=hp_mid
lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=13768
It’s time to take these BBS, Rawaya and Rawana Balakaya to international criminal court and get them banned as a Terrorist organization with arrest warrents. Also get them ban from travelling abroad.
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maartaan / July 27, 2013
DEAR SINHALA BROTHERS AND SISTERS, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND OTHER’S TIME. DON’T TALK THIS AND THAT AGAINST MUSLIMS AND ISLAM. IF YOU DON’T WANT MUSLIMS IN SL. TELL THEM STRAIGHT AWAY TO LEAVE SL AND IF U DON’T WANT MOSQUES IN SL, DEMOLISH THEM STRAIGHT AWAY. IF U HAVE GUTS DO THIS. YOUR MONKS OR YOU DON’T HAVE ANY QUALIFICATION OR ANY KNOWLEDGE TO CRITIZE ISLAM AND MUSLIMS. WHO ARE YOU TO CRITICISE QURAN AND ISLAM???. FIRST OF ALL YOU DON’T KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BUDDHISM AND YOU DON’T FOLLOW IT. YOU ARE NO. 01 DRUNKARDS. MORE THAN 500,000 LADIES ARE WASHING TOILTES IN MIDDLE EAST. EVERY 90 MINUTES, ONE RAPE IN SRI LANKA…. THIS LIST GOES ON….
YOU ALL HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, THERE ARE 1.6 BILLION MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD AND ISLAM IS SECOND LARGEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD. 23% OF WORLD POPULATION. YOU ARE SITTING IN ONE CORNER OF THE WORLD AND CRITICISING QURAN AND ISLAM.
YOU SHOULD BE SHAME OF YOU AND YOUR COUNTRY. NO. 01 CORRUPTED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. YOU KNOW WELL STATUS OF THE ECONOMY OF SL. CURRENCY VALUE IS WORSTER THAN BANGALADESH. GO TO GOOGLE AND SEE, WHAT IS THE ALCHOHOL CONSUMPTION IN SL. IF THERE IS REAL BUDDHISM IN SL, WHY THIS COUNTRY IS LIKE THIS????!!!! ONLY BUDDHISM NAME AND BUDDHA STATURE IS THERE IN SL. THERE IS NO FOLLOWERS.
TODYA VEDDA LEADER HAS TALKED ABOUT MAHIYANGHANA MOSQUE. AS PER HIM, THIS MOSQUE IS NOT SUITABLE IN MAHI… BETWEEN TWO TEMPLES. SO WHAT ABOUT MOSQUES IN KANDY????
BUDDHIST MONKS ARE TALKING AGAINST SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS FOR BEEF. WHO ARE THESE MONKS TO TELL MUSLIMS EAT THIS AND DON’T EAT THIS. THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD HAS ALLOWED EATING NON-VEG. EVEN YOU ARE EATING ALL NON-VEG AND YOU NEED BEEF, AFTER ALCHOHOL. VERY SHAME IS, ANINAL SKINS ARE USED FOR DRUMS IN YOUR TEMPLES.
WE AGREE TO STOP SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS. IT IS NOT A COMPLUSORY RELIGIOUS OBLIGATON. FIRST OF ALL, YOU STOP EATING FISH AND DRY FISH. YOU AE KILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND FISHES IN SL? SO BUDDHA HAS ALLOWED TO KILL FISH???? WHAT IS THIS LOGIC???
I AM SICK AND FED UP TO SEE YOUR COMMENTS AND SPEECHES OF YOUR MONKS ABOUT MUSLIMS AND ISLAM. I AM VERY SURPRISE TO SEE, WHY STILL YOU ARE NOT CIVILISED. IT IS VERY CLEAR, NOTHING TO HIDE, EVERY WHERE YOU ARE VOMITING RACISM. YOU HAVE BECOME NO. 01, RACIST IN THE WORLD.
YOU ALL WAIT AND SEE, YOU ALL ARE DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVE. THIS IS THE END.
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khadija / July 7, 2015
create awareness about the persecution of Rohingya Muslims, & the Buddhist monks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeWEXyR70nU Do share to create awareness!
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