{"id":745,"date":"2025-05-23T04:57:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T04:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=745"},"modified":"2025-05-23T05:03:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T05:03:42","slug":"special-report-sacred-sites-abandoned-mosques-and-churches-struggle-to-rebuild-after-myanmar-earthquake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/05\/23\/special-report-sacred-sites-abandoned-mosques-and-churches-struggle-to-rebuild-after-myanmar-earthquake\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Report: Sacred Sites Abandoned \u2014 Mosques and Churches Struggle to Rebuild After Myanmar Earthquake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MMNN Special Report: Sacred Sites Abandoned \u2014 Mosques and Churches Struggle to Rebuild After Myanmar Earthquake<\/strong>
By Myanmar Muslims News Network (MMNN)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I. Religious Reconstruction in Crisis: Dozens of Mosques and Churches Left in Ruins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the aftermath of the devastating March 28 earthquake that shook central Myanmar, religious communities across Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw are still waiting for rebuilding permits. Over 150 mosques<\/strong> and 50 churches<\/strong> suffered damage \u2014 yet only one district, Yamethin<\/strong>, has been granted permission to rebuild a mosque at its original scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Over 5,000 Buddhist stupas<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 3,400 monasteries<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 136 mosques<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 50 churches<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 26 Hindu temples<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 1 Chinese temple<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    were affected by the earthquake. While Buddhist structures have seen restoration efforts, most Muslim and Christian places of worship remain untouched<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In Mandalay alone, 64 mosques \u2014 including the historic Amyauk Tan<\/strong>, Shwe Bon Shein<\/strong>, and Panthay Mosque<\/strong> \u2014 were damaged. In Pyawbwe (Yamethin), 12 mosques including the ancient Aye Kariq Mosque<\/strong> sustained severe damage. Historic mosques in Pyinmana<\/strong>, Sagaing<\/strong>, and surrounding areas also remain unrepaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Islamic Religious Council of Mandalay Region<\/strong> confirmed that although formal requests for demolition and reconstruction were submitted at multiple levels, no approvals have been granted<\/strong>. Approximately if severely damaged 25 mosques remain unrepaired<\/strong>, and their structural integrity continues to worsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    II. Bureaucracy Blocks Recovery: Trustees Cite Permit Delays and Outdated Regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A mosque trustee from Mandalay told MMNN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cOut of 200 mosques in Mandalay, more than 20 need major reconstruction. We\u2019ve completed most of the prep work \u2014 but many permits for demolition or new construction are still pending.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mosque councils plan to submit new proposals to the Union government<\/strong> and appeal for approval to expand mosques in accordance with increased worshipper numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    However, current policy dictates that all religious buildings of Muslim and Christian must be rebuilt exactly as they were before<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cEven if the old mosque was only 40 feet wide and we now need 50, expansion is not allowed,\u201d said the trustee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This restriction applies to height as well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cA one-story mosque cannot be rebuilt with two stories. No additional space is permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The trustee added that no new mosque construction is allowed on different land<\/strong>, nor is land allocation being offered by authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    III. Christian Churches Face Parallel Challenges and Heritage Restrictions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Churches across Sagaing, Mandalay, Meiktila, Taunggyi, Kalaw, Phae Khon, Dimawhso, Naypyidaw, and Bago have also been severely impacted. A Catholic priest from Mandalay shared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cChurches over 100 years old are now considered heritage sites \u2014 and we\u2019re not allowed to renovate them at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He explained that securing approval from village administrators often requires large unofficial payments<\/strong>, and religious land titles are frequently rejected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe\u2019ve applied for Wataka (religious) land before \u2014 but were denied. Now everything is more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even as historic churches deteriorate, the military administration has not stepped in to repair or preserve<\/strong> any of these structures. Only churches with original documentation are considered for repair \u2014 and even then, expansion or redesign is prohibited<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    IV. Official Claims Contrast Ground Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He further added that the earthquake caused damage to many notable churches, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • St. Joseph\u2019s Church (Father Laphone)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • St. Michael\u2019s Church<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Chanthar Gone Church<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • St. Mary\u2019s Church<\/strong> in Mandalay<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Lourdes Church<\/strong> and Zawgyi Church<\/strong> in Yamethin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Churches in Meiktila<\/strong>, Mogok<\/strong>, Taunggyi<\/strong>, Kalaw<\/strong>, Pekhon<\/strong>, and Dimawhso<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Churches in Pekhon Township<\/strong> (Kayah State), Bago Region<\/strong>, and Naypyidaw<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      These churches remain in various states of disrepair, with no significant restoration initiatives led by the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Despite official statements to the contrary, little aid has reached affected religious communities. In the April 11 edition of a military-run newspaper, Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Myo Aung<\/strong> claimed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cAll damaged religious buildings \u2014 Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu \u2014 are being inspected and supported in a timely manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Yet mosque trustees and church leaders say otherwise \u2014 citing permit delays, lack of funding, and restrictive policies<\/strong> that prevent meaningful reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      V. Religious Demographics: The Politics Behind the Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Myanmar\u2019s official 2014 census<\/strong> recorded a population of 50,279,900<\/strong>. The religious breakdown reported:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Buddhists<\/strong>: 89.8%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Christians<\/strong>: 6.3%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Muslims<\/strong>: 2.3%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Hindus<\/strong>: 0.5%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Animists<\/strong>: 0.8%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Other religions<\/strong>: 0.2%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • No religion<\/strong>: 0.1%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Rights groups have long argued that the actual Muslim and Christian populations are underreported<\/strong>, contributing to underrepresentation and neglect in national policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        Myanmar Muslims News Network (MMNN)<\/strong> calls on local authorities and the State Administration Council<\/strong> to grant unbiased, immediate reconstruction rights<\/strong> to all affected religious groups. The earthquake\u2019s devastation should not be compounded by discriminatory rebuilding policies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Credit: Irrawaddy Burmese<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        MMNN Special Report: Sacred Sites Abandoned \u2014 Mosques and Churches Struggle to Rebuild After Myanmar EarthquakeBy Myanmar Muslims News Network (MMNN) I. Religious Reconstruction in Crisis: Dozens of Mosques and Churches Left in Ruins In the aftermath of the devastating March 28 earthquake that shook central Myanmar, religious communities across Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1,12,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-local-news","category-masjids-in-burma-or-myanmar","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745","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=745"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":758,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745\/revisions\/758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}