{"id":6272,"date":"2026-06-14T05:57:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T05:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=6272"},"modified":"2026-06-14T05:57:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T05:57:29","slug":"putting-green-sunglasses-on-other-peoples-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/06\/14\/putting-green-sunglasses-on-other-peoples-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting Green Sunglasses on Other People’s Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Propaganda, Defamation and Repetition Can Turn Lies into “Truth”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Dr. Ko Ko Gyi Abdul Rahman Zafrudin<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an old saying that if you repeat a lie often enough, many people will eventually believe it to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Myanmar, we have witnessed this phenomenon for decades. Governments, political organizations, extremists, propagandists and online cyber-troopers have repeatedly attempted to place what I call “green sunglasses” on the eyes of the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When someone wears green sunglasses, everything they see appears green. The world itself has not changed, but their perception has been altered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same thing happens in politics, religion and social conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If people repeatedly hear that a certain ethnic group is dangerous, they begin to see danger everywhere. If they repeatedly hear that a religious minority is disloyal, they begin to suspect every member of that community. If they repeatedly hear that a person is a criminal, a traitor, or an extremist, many will accept those accusations without demanding evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of propaganda is not to prove something. The purpose is to shape perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Age of Social Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the past, rumors spread slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, social media can spread a lie to hundreds of thousands of people within hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many users no longer ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Is this true?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How many people shared it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How many likes did it receive?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Who posted it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth becomes less important than reach and engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A carefully organized propaganda campaign can create an illusion of public opinion. Thousands of accounts may repeat the same message until it appears to be common knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how character assassination works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A single false accusation may not succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A thousand repetitions might.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Personal Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I learned this lesson through painful personal experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years, I openly defended the rights of Myanmar Muslims, Rohingyas and other vulnerable communities. At the same time, I consistently advocated peaceful coexistence between Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and people of all backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One incident particularly changed my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the Letpadaung Copper Mine crackdown, many Buddhist monks suffered severe burn injuries. Through contacts and humanitarian networks, a proposal emerged to arrange free medical treatment in Australia for injured monks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I supported that humanitarian effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did not ask whether the victims were Buddhist, Muslim, Christian or Hindu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a doctor, I saw injured human beings who deserved treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, it was this act of humanitarian concern for Buddhist monks that triggered some of the most vicious attacks against me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon afterward, defamatory articles and fabricated stories began circulating online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was falsely portrayed as a dangerous individual involved in activities that had absolutely no connection to my real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accusations were absurd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet many people believed them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not because evidence existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But because the lies were repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Machinery of Defamation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most effective propaganda techniques is to create a fictional version of a person and then attack that fictional character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real person disappears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manufactured image remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my case, numerous false allegations were published and shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some individuals appeared determined to portray me as an enemy of Myanmar, despite the fact that I was born in Myanmar, educated in Myanmar and had devoted my professional life to helping fellow human beings regardless of race or religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others simply repeated the accusations without checking the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may have acted out of prejudice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others may have been motivated by political objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many probably never bothered to verify anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the danger of propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People become judges before examining evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Authorities Wear the Green Sunglasses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

History shows that propaganda becomes especially dangerous when it is adopted by authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once officials, state institutions or powerful organizations accept a distorted narrative, innocent people can become targets of investigations, surveillance, discrimination and punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my own experience, complaints, investigations and official scrutiny followed these campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The burden fell upon me to prove my innocence against allegations that should never have been taken seriously in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most painful aspect was not merely the attacks themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the realization that those responsible faced no consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victim must carry the burden while the perpetrators move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Blessing in Disguise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, however, I no longer view those experiences solely as tragedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaigns against me contributed to my growing disillusionment with a system that repeatedly targeted minorities, particularly Muslims and Rohingyas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave behind my Myanmar citizenship and become a Malaysian citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, it felt like a loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I see it differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who sought to harm me unintentionally opened the door to a better future for my children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What they intended as punishment became a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Muslims, we believe that Allah sees what human beings cannot see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe that injustice may prevail temporarily, but it never has the final word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lesson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The lesson is simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you hear accusations against an individual, an ethnic group, or a religious community, ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verify sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not allow others to place green sunglasses over your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examine facts carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Refuse to become part of a mob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today’s world, anyone can become the next target of propaganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we defend truth only when we agree with the victim, truth itself will eventually disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real struggle is not between Buddhists and Muslims, or between one political group and another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real struggle is between truth and falsehood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between critical thinking and blind obedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between seeing reality as it is and seeing reality through somebody else’s green sunglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that struggle continues every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Some activists and political observers later speculated that the rise of anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim campaigns coincided with the political fallout from the Myitsone Dam controversy. Whether there was any direct connection remains a matter of debate, but the timing led many to suspect that communal tensions were being exploited to divert public attention.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n