A Reluctant Royal
By Gretchen Shelby, For The Miami Student,
“They’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.”
“They would like to occupy our country, but I won’t let them.”
“If I win, they’re going back.”
“President Barack Obama has been tainted by black Muslim blood.”
What do the above remarks have in common? Xenophobia, Islamophobia and the questioning of President Obama’s religious affiliation are certainly obvious. One might even assume that the same person said them.
The above quotes could easily be mistaken for presidential candidate Donald Trump and his outlandish, xenophobic attitudes. Of the four quotes: one statement was made by Trump alone, another is a shared sentiment, and two are actually quotes taken from the leader of Myanmar’s ‘969 Movement,’ Ashin Wirathu, who has also been called the ‘Buddhist Osama bin Laden.’
There exists a fine line between what is said and what is acted upon, and while each man is afforded freedom of speech, the plight facing Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya people is inexcusable and the actions of Wirathu should not be taken lightly.
Perhaps a symptom of the post-9/11 era, the discrimination and violence against Muslims across the globe has gone widely unaddressed by the international community.
From Palestine to Syria to Myanmar, these human beings are faced with the prospect of being sold into modern-day slavery, living in poverty as a refugee or dying at home.
Following an outburst of violent riots between June and October 2012, the Rakhine State of western Myanmar experienced significant increases in ethnic tensions between the Muslim Rohingya and the Buddhist Rakhine. According to Genocide Watch, the resulting destruction of communities and villages resulted in the internal displacement of over 140,000 and 200 deaths. (Courtesy of The Miami Student)
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