(Post via Islamic Emirate)

Myanmar formerly known as Burma is located in Southeast Asia and considered an impoverished and economically weak country, relatively unknown to the outside world. But it recently grabbed international headlines and garnered much notoriety due to the vile inhumane treatment of its Muslim population at the hands of its Military Junta and Buddhist followers.

Myanmar has a population of around 64 million people with 79% adhering to Buddhism, 4% Christianity, 5% Islam and 2% to Hinduism. The junta deems all the minorities as its own citizens and gives them their due rights except for the Muslims who are considered outcasts.

The Muslims of Myanmar have not only been deprived of their basic human rights, religious rights and partaking in the country’s electoral process but have also faced systematic killings, genocide and eviction at the hands of Buddhists under the protection of government mandate.

The general elections which took place last week in this country raised hopes for an elected government after half a century military rule however the Muslims were once again denied participation rather the mantra of most of the candidates was that if they are to be elected leaders, they will treat the Muslims even worse than what they had previously faced.

Now that the junta’s most ardent opposition party (National League for Democracy) headed by the 70 year old female Aung San Suu Kyi (who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991) has won most of the Parliament seats and seems likely that the upcoming government will be formed by them, they have yet to declare a policy regarding the Muslims which might be drastically different or be able to treat the wounds of this oppressed, deprived community.

The verdict of the west and America concerning the elections in Myanmar was also two-faced and unjust. Why? Because the right which they have bestowed upon themselves to interfere in other countries and a major reason behind considering elections as illegitimate is when minorities are deprived from participation. However the tongues of the self-proclaimed torch bearers of human rights have become paralyzed when it comes to the Muslims of Myanmar and they have even failed to show their distress for the Muslims who have been deprived from their so-called ‘democratic rights’!!! …..

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Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.