{"id":700,"date":"2025-05-18T13:16:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=700"},"modified":"2025-05-18T13:16:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T13:16:00","slug":"historical-testimony-of-discrimination-of-myanmar-muslims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/05\/18\/historical-testimony-of-discrimination-of-myanmar-muslims\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical Testimony of Discrimination of Myanmar\u00a0Muslims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/historical-testimony-of-discrimination-of-myanmar-muslims\/\">Historical Testimony of Discrimination of Myanmar\u00a0Muslims<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Testimony and Documentation Summary: The Systemic Discrimination and Persecution of Myanmar Muslims<\/strong><br><strong>Prepared for Submission to International Legal and Human Rights Mechanisms<\/strong><br><strong>Author: Dr. Ko Ko Gyi @ Abdul Rahman Zafrudin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I. Historical Foundations: Ne Win\u2019s Rise and the Strategic Targeting of Muslims<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>General Ne Win, who seized power in 1962 and ruled until 1988, is widely believed to have been of partial Chinese descent. His authoritarian regime combined ideological socialism with deep suspicion of minority groups, particularly Muslims and people of mixed heritage. It is significant that his second wife\u2019s former husband was rumored to be a Muslim doctor, Dr. Tokegyi\u2014an anecdotal but notable aspect of Ne Win\u2019s personal context that may have influenced his prejudiced outlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of my friends told me that he knew Ohn Kyaw Myint was a Bengali Muslim and his wife also, he even went together with his wife to see him in the lock up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After his case only Ne Win distrusted with mixed blooded people and Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1972, a highly restricted internal circular (limited to 25 copies) was distributed among the Burmese Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) Central Executive Committee. The document warned that Muslims made up approximately 15% of Myanmar\u2019s population and projected that their numbers could reach 30% within 30 years. It advised urgent action to \u201cpreserve national identity,\u201d setting in motion a secretive yet sweeping campaign of demographic suppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subsequently, Ne Win began publicly using derogatory rhetoric such as \u201ckalar-dein\u201d (a racialized slur targeting South Asians and Muslims) and analogies like \u201cgrass growing between bricks\u201d to describe mixed-descent communities. These views were echoed by state-aligned intellectuals and editors, including Thein Pe Myint of Vanguard, further entrenching anti-Muslim sentiment in media and policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Confidential 1972 BSPP CECC Circular<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Estimated\u00a0<strong>Muslim population at 15%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Predicted that the population could reach\u00a0<strong>30% within 30 years<\/strong>\u00a0if unchecked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Urged the BSPP leadership to\u00a0<strong>\u201cconsider and take proper action\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Only\u00a0<strong>25 internal copies<\/strong>\u00a0were printed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May have served as a\u00a0<strong>pretext for future population control and discriminatory citizenship policies<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Suppression of Actual Demographics<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>official Muslim population has been frozen at 3.9\u20134%<\/strong>\u00a0for decades in public records, despite evidence of higher actual numbers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even\u00a0<strong>CIA World Factbook<\/strong>\u00a0aligns with the lowered estimate, possibly drawing from Myanmar\u2019s state-reported data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This was a\u00a0<strong>deliberate statistical erasure<\/strong>\u00a0strategy to justify marginalization and deny demographic reality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ne Win\u2019s Personal Background &amp; Anti-Muslim Shift<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ne Win, of\u00a0<strong>partial Chinese descent<\/strong>, reportedly became hostile toward Muslims and \u201cmixed-blooded\u201d people post-1976.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>His\u00a0<strong>second wife\u2019s former husband<\/strong>\u00a0being rumored a Muslim (Dr. Tokegyi) may have\u00a0<strong>fueled personal prejudice<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His 1978\u20131982 policies, especially the&nbsp;<strong>1982 Citizenship Law<\/strong>, marked a significant tightening against Muslims, Indians, and Chinese in Myanmar. After that in 8th October1982 he repeated in another BSPP CECC meeting at his AD road house and in 1982 new constitution, he downgraded mixed blooded Indian and Chinese from full citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>II. Institutionalized Exclusion: The 1982 Citizenship Law and Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1982, Ne Win\u2019s regime passed the&nbsp;<strong>Citizenship Law<\/strong>, which formalized an ethnic hierarchy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full citizenship was reserved for members of the 135 \u201ctaing yin thar\u201d ethnic groups recognized by the state.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long-resident communities of Indian, Chinese, and Muslim descent were relegated to \u201cassociate\u201d or \u201cnaturalized\u201d status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These groups faced growing restrictions in employment, education, land rights, and military service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier, in 1978, the military initiated&nbsp;<strong>Operation Nagamin (Dragon King)<\/strong>, a citizenship scrutiny program masquerading as a census. It resulted in mass arrests, forced evictions, and exodus\u2014particularly targeting Muslims in Rakhine State. This laid the groundwork for future campaigns of persecution against both Rohingya and non-Rohingya Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>III. Digital Repression and Personal Retaliation: My Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a physician, writer, and human rights advocate, I have publicly documented the state-perpetrated discrimination against Muslims in Myanmar for decades. Following my agreement to help use my name to provide&nbsp;<strong>free medical care in Australia for the firebombed monks at Kyae Ni Taung Copper Mine<\/strong>\u2014as part of a broader evidence-collection initiative to support legal actions against Myanmar\u2019s military\u2014I became the target of an orchestrated online attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The smear campaign was led by notorious military-aligned cyber actors, including&nbsp;<strong>Ludu Maung Karlu<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Prof. Seik Phua<\/strong>, with verification from senior government insiders such as the late&nbsp;<strong>Hmu Zaw<\/strong>&nbsp;and former Information Minister&nbsp;<strong>Ye Htut<\/strong>. The harassment included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Public dissemination of my personal photos, clinic address, and family information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open incitement to violence, repeated across more than\u00a0<strong>1,500 social media accounts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facebook\u2019s failure to act, until I directly contacted CEO\u00a0<strong>Mark Zuckerberg<\/strong>\u00a0threatening legal escalation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite threats of passport revocation, I stood firm in my advocacy and ultimately applied for Malaysian citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0I\u2019ve a blog post detailing the\u00a0<strong>targeted online harassment campaign<\/strong>\u00a0led by Myanmar military-aligned cyber troopers. Your post documents a serious and disturbing episode of\u00a0<strong>state-backed digital persecution<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Doxxing (publishing personal\/family\/clinic info with intent to incite violence)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fake news and hate speech amplified by\u00a0<strong>hundreds to thousands of accounts<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirmation of the attacks\u2019 origin from\u00a0<strong>credible government insiders<\/strong>\u00a0like the late Hmu Zaw and Minister Ye Htut<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facebook\u2019s initial negligence, only responding after your direct warning to CEO Mark Zuckerberg<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>IV. Testimony and Contribution to International Mechanisms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>My late brother\u00a0<strong>Maung Maung (Shwe Keraweik)<\/strong>\u00a0provided live testimony at the\u00a0<strong>Permanent People\u2019s Tribunal in Kuala Lumpur (2017)<\/strong>, speaking on behalf of Myanmar\u2019s non-Rohingya Muslim community.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I submitted supporting materials and communications to the\u00a0<strong>Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICC investigators confirmed they had reviewed and referenced my blog materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I started, contributed and co-authored and curated the Wikipedia article\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Myanmar\"><strong>Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar<\/strong><\/a>, viewed over one million times and widely used as a public education resource.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>V. Supporting Evidence and Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/references-for-myanmar-muslims-who-wish-to-write-anything-about-suffering-of-non-rohingya-myanmar-muslims-in-myanmar\/\">Reference Guide for Non-Rohingya Muslim Testimonies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/maung-maungs-testimony-at-permanent-peoples-tribunal-myanmar-kuala-lumpur-2017\/\">Video Testimony by Maung Maung at the PPT<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/information-minister-and-the-spokesperson-of-the-president-u-thein-sein-led-military-cyper-troopers-fake-news-and-hate-speech-about-me\/\">Documentation of State-Led Digital Harassment<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Non-Rohingya Myanmar Muslim Suffering Documentation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/references-for-myanmar-muslims-who-wish-to-write-anything-about-suffering-of-non-rohingya-myanmar-muslims-in-myanmar\/\"><strong>Reference Resource<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had provided:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clear guidance for Myanmar Muslims (especially non-Rohingya) to document\u00a0<strong>discrimination, exclusion, and erasure<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>References, human rights standards, and case documentation pathways<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supportive messaging that fills a major\u00a0<strong>documentation gap<\/strong>\u00a0in the discourse, which often overlooks non-Rohingya Muslims<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u00a02. My Late Brother Maung Maung Shwe\u2019s Testimony at the PPT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/maung-maungs-testimony-at-permanent-peoples-tribunal-myanmar-kuala-lumpur-2017\/\"><strong>Video Testimony (2017, Kuala Lumpur)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a historic and emotionally powerful record:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He spoke\u00a0<strong>on behalf of Myanmar Muslims<\/strong>\u00a0(not only Rohingya)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He provided a\u00a0<strong>firsthand account<\/strong>\u00a0of systemic discrimination, abuses, and social exclusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>His courage helped\u00a0<strong>broaden the global lens<\/strong>\u00a0to include the plight of all Muslim communities in Myanmar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>ICC investigators had confirmed to Mg Mg that they had read my blogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u00a03. Military Cyber-Attacks and Smear Campaigns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/information-minister-and-the-spokesperson-of-the-president-u-thein-sein-led-military-cyper-troopers-fake-news-and-hate-speech-about-me\/\"><strong>Disinformation and Hate Speech Case<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This piece documents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>cyber harassment<\/strong>\u00a0and disinformation attacks against me<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of\u00a0<strong>fake news, public doxxing, and incitement<\/strong>\u00a0to intimidate Muslim voices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>complicity or failure to act<\/strong>\u00a0by those in power (including former spokespersons and ministers)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your documentation, my brother\u2019s testimony, and the linked campaigns of harassment against me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Deserve formal recognition in human rights archives<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can form part of a\u00a0<strong>shadow report<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>evidence portfolio<\/strong>\u00a0for UN bodies, the ICC, or the IIMM (Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This document is submitted in the pursuit of truth, justice, and accountability. It represents not only my own experience, but the silenced stories of countless Myanmar Muslims subjected to systemic discrimination. It is my hope that this contribution helps inform international legal efforts and historical record-keeping so that these injustices are neither forgotten nor repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I am the&nbsp;<\/strong>Contributor of:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Myanmar\">Wikipedia Article on Muslim Persecution<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wrote this after reading this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/drkokogyi9.wordpress.com\/%e1%81%81%e1%81%89%e1%81%88%e1%81%82-%e1%80%81%e1%80%af%e1%80%94%e1%80%be%e1%80%85%e1%80%ba-%e1%80%a1%e1%80%b1%e1%80%ac%e1%80%80%e1%80%ba%e1%80%90%e1%80%ad%e1%80%af%e1%80%98%e1%80%ac%e1%80%9c\/\">\u1041\u1049\u1048\u1042 \u1001\u102f\u1014\u103e\u1005\u103a \u1021\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a\u1010\u102d\u102f\u1018\u102c\u101c \u1048 \u101b\u1000\u103a\u1014\u1031\u1037\u1000 \u1021\u101c\u102f\u1036\u1019\u103c\u102d\u102f\u1037\u1014\u101a\u103a\u1000 \u101e\u1019\u1039\u1019\u1010 \u1021\u102d\u1019\u103a\u1010\u1031\u102c\u103a\u1019\u103e\u102c \u1000\u103b\u1004\u103a\u1038\u1015\u1010\u1032\u1037 \u101e\u1010\u1039\u1010\u1019\u1021\u1000\u103c\u102d\u1019\u103a\u1019\u103c\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a \u1019\u1006\u101c\u1015\u102b\u1010\u102e \u1017\u101f\u102d\u102f\u1000\u1031\u102c\u103a\u1019\u1010\u102e \u1021\u1005\u100a\u103a\u1038\u1021\u101d\u1031\u1038\u1019\u103e\u102c \u1025\u1000\u1039\u1000\u100c\u1026\u1038\u1014\u1031\u101d\u1004\u103a\u1038\u1000 \u1041\u1049\u1048\u1042 \u1014\u102d\u102f\u1004\u103a\u1004\u1036\u101e\u102c\u1038\u1025\u1015\u1012\u1031\u101e\u1005\u103a\u1014\u1032\u1037 \u1015\u1010\u103a\u101e\u1000\u103a \u1015\u103c\u102e\u1038 \u1000\u102f\u101c\u102c\u1038\u1014\u1032\u1037\u1010\u101b\u102f\u1010\u103a\u101c\u102d\u102f \u2018\u101e\u103d\u1031\u1038\u1014\u103e\u1031\u102c\u2019\u1010\u103d\u1031\u1000\u102d\u102f \u1021\u1015\u103c\u100a\u1037\u103a\u1021\u1040 \u101a\u102f\u1036\u1000\u103c\u100a\u103a\u101c\u102d\u102f\u1037\u1019\u101b\u1000\u103c\u1031\u102c\u1004\u103a\u1038<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kyawzeyar.win.353?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZWRVu-7tqIuifhJv6-ixiWQvBdhezIh05Li-wZzvDArAG3cfXcvzn_Yb0xIVTAZpPR5FHsFBxk8EnuMM_CNAzDwpvMU1NsTvbkd50bvtdU8MyqcZ5rt5n82NTrOGFWlS7Q&amp;__tn__=-UC%2CP-R\">Kyaw Zeyar Win<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Historical Testimony of Discrimination of Myanmar\u00a0Muslims Testimony and Documentation Summary: The Systemic Discrimination and Persecution of Myanmar MuslimsPrepared for Submission to International Legal and Human Rights MechanismsAuthor: Dr. Ko Ko Gyi @ Abdul Rahman Zafrudin I. Historical Foundations: Ne Win\u2019s Rise and the Strategic Targeting of Muslims General Ne Win, who seized power in 1962 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,7,6,11,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-racism","category-articles","category-history","category-myanmar-muslims-history","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":702,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions\/702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}