Myanmar Muslims: Centuries of Persecution Under Scrutiny

Picture credit: By Albert Mestre, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6957560

Yangon – The persecution of Muslims in Myanmar is not a recent phenomenon. From royal decrees in the 16th century to modern-day riots, Myanmar’s Muslim communities have faced waves of discrimination and violence. Rights groups and historians say these patterns reveal a long-standing hostility that continues to shape the country’s politics and society.

Historical Roots

Muslims first appeared in Burmese chronicles in the 11th century. They served kings and integrated into society, but rulers often imposed restrictions. King Bayinnaung banned Islamic rituals in the 16th century, while King Bodawpaya executed imams who resisted forced assimilation.

The Shrine of the Four Martyr Saints of Shwebo

“These episodes show that intolerance was embedded in state policy long before colonial times,” notes historian Carl L. Bankston III, who has studied Myanmar’s religious conflicts.

Colonial Tensions

Under British rule, Muslims were often lumped together with Indian migrants and branded “kala” (foreigners). Economic competition and nationalist agitation led to riots in 1930 and 1938.

According to the Minority Rights Group, “Muslims who had lived in Burma for centuries were suddenly treated as outsiders, stripped of recognition, and targeted in violent campaigns.”

Military Rule and Citizenship Stripped

The 1962 coup by General Ne Win marked a turning point. Muslims were expelled from the army, marginalized politically, and disenfranchised under the 1982 Citizenship Law.

Human Rights Watch has documented how “the denial of citizenship effectively rendered many Muslims stateless, cutting them off from education, healthcare, and employment.”

Violence in the Modern Era

Riots in Mandalay (1997) and Taungoo (2001) saw mobs attack mosques and burn Qur’ans, often with authorities standing by. Nationalist movements like the 969 campaign entrenched hostility, framing Muslims as outsiders despite centuries of presence.

The UN Human Rights Office has warned that “systematic persecution of Muslims in Myanmar is not isolated—it is part of a broader pattern of ethnic cleansing and denial of basic rights.”

International Spotlight

While Myanmar’s broader Muslim community has endured waves of persecution, the plight of the Rohingya has drawn global attention. Genocide allegations are now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with cases also filed in Indonesia and Argentina.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described the violence as “a catastrophic humanitarian situation that demands accountability.”

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Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar

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