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03 November 2012 El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan Assalaamu Alaikum (Greetings of
Peace): Earlier this evening I gave a
short (approximately five minute) interview to Press
TV on the genocide facing our brothers and sisters in
Myanmar (aka, Burma). Even though it was brief (or
perhaps because it was brief), I was very
dissatisfied with how it went. There was a distracting
echo in the line, and I just wasn't as focused as I
like to be when I'm being interviewed on an important
topic. With that being said, in the
tradition of our beloved Prophet's instruction (may
peace be upon him) - to follow a bad deed with a
good one - I hope to follow a bad interview
with a good piece of commentary. After receiving the request for
the interview this evening, I pulled up the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights to see
which Articles the Myanmar government, and rogue
elements within the Buddhist population, were most in
violation of (in their genocidal campaign against
Myanmar's Muslim population). The Articles that are
clearly evident (in my humble opinion) are the
following: Article 3: Right to Life,
Liberty, and Personal Security. Article 9: Freedom from
Arbitrary Arrest and Exile. Article 18: Freedom of Belief
and Religion. Article 30: Freedom from State
or Personal Interference in the above Rights. The genocide against Muslims in
Burma/Myanmar is increasing at a rapid rate, while the
world looks the other way. The satellite images of
Human Rights Watch unquestionably document the
religious and ethnically-driven destruction taking
place to Rohingya lives and infrastructure. Reportedly, a source in Sittwe, a
city in the Rakhine state, has sent tweets which
indicate more attacks are being planned. One tweet
reads: "According to plan, Rakhine authority
and Myanmar military will burn all villages, mosques,
quarters, wards of Rohingya to make them refugees." The Burma Task Force USA
is calling on people to contact the U.S. Department of
State to demand that Secretary of State Clinton put
pressure on the president of Myanmar. (Please go to
the Burma Task Force USA website for more information:
www.BurmaMuslims.org ) We strongly advise that Muslims
in America genuinely concerned about this growing
crisis consider organizing a national demonstration in
Washington, DC (as was done late into the
Bosnian crisis) to demand an end to the genocide! Pressure should also be applied
on the most well known activist from that part of the
world, the Nobel laureat Aung San Suu Kyi,
who appears to be following in the footsteps of Elie
Wiesel. Mr. Wiesel has eloquently and
selectively raised the banner of human rights on
a number of fronts over the years - except where it
applies to his own brethren's heinous human rights
violations of the Palestinian people! If followed to
its illogical conclusion, It is a path that will soon
mar Suu Kyi's otherwise sterling reputation. A demonstration that draws
attention to the contradictions surrounding Buddhist
behavior in Myanmar (as regards Buddhism's non-violent
image) may also prick the conscience of prominent
American Buddhists (such as Richard Gere and
other actors, singers, and well known artists) into
taking some action to address these contradictions.
ALLAH knows best. And finally, something should be
done to SHAME (if necessary) Muslim governments
into taking action in a unified, substantive way. If a
serious call is made for such a demonstration it will
have our FULL SUPPORT, insha'Allah. In the struggle for peace thru
justice |
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