Our media has been showing footage from a horrific video, initially aired by the British media, about the massacre of the Burmese Muslims – a tragedy that could not catch international attention earlier. Violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Rakhine region erupted in June 2012 and led to scores of deaths and mass displacement of hundreds of people. The entry of Burma’s security forces into the province after the declaration of emergency worsened the conflict instead of containing it.
The Myanmar massacre, a classic example of state-sponsored terrorism, was largely and conveniently ignored by the champions of human rights. Only recently, President Obama visited Myanmar and the US established ties with the country’s dictatorial regime. The international and national media are quick to report and show images of Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan but they are silent on the persecution going on in Myanmar. The UN, the OIC and the international community needs to wake up and take immediate steps to halt the bloodbath.
Muhammad Nawaz
Lahore
