Burma Muslim Congress

The Burma Muslim Congress or BMC ["The Muslims of Burma" A study of a minority Group, Moshe Yegar, page 75 to 79] was founded almost at the same time as the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) of General Aung San and U Nu before World War II. On 25 December 1945 in Pyin Mana, U Razak was elected the President of BMC and decided to join AFPFL. U Razak was elected AFPFL President in the Mandalay district in 1946. Later the Governor accepted him as the member of constitutional council. He had a very good relations with Buddhist and even fluent in Pali (Buddhist scriptures are written in this ancient language of India). He became the Minister of Education and Planning in Bogoke’s (General Aung San) Government and was assassinated together later. [“The Muslims of Burma” A study of a minority Group, by Moshe Yegar, page 75 footnote last paragraph] But he had supported the main policy of the AFPFL: that is against the partition along the community or religious lines. U Razak and his few associates objected to the struggle of those demanding specific constitutional guarantees for the Myanmar Muslim minority. So, although U Razak was a very popular, important and prominent Myanmar Muslim leader who had successfully organized the Myanmar Muslims to be able to get an official record that they had participated since the very beginning of the Burmese National struggle towards independence.

His stand of united Burmese (Myanmar) nation sacrificing the long-term interest of guarantee for the rights of Minority Myanmar Muslim satisfied not only the Burmese Buddhist leaders of the AFPFL, but strangely also the British Government. May be because of that he got a lot of personal rewards. U Raschid and more prominently U Khin Maung Lat, follows the general policy of sacrificing the Rights and Interests of the Myanmar Muslim Community for ‘the country and their party’. So no wander most of the Myanmar Muslims later refused to regard or recognize these ‘self interested’ seasoned politicians as their true representatives or saviors.

Prime Minister U Nu, just few months after independence of Burma, requested the Burma Muslim Congress to resign its membership from AFPFL. In response to that U Khin Maung Lat, the new President of BMC decided to discontinue the Islamic Religious activities of the BMC and rejoined the AFPFL. Later he became the Minister of Justice but no more represented the wishes of Myanmar Muslim community. The newly formed The Burmese Muslim League requested a special government department for the Muslim affairs to determine their own future, as the same as for other minorities, who had Ministries in Yangon and governments in their states.

U Nu removed the Burma Muslim Congress from AFPFL on 30.9.1956. BMC was asked to dissolve since 1955.

Later U Nu decreed the Buddhism as the state religion of Burma against the will of the Ethnic Minorities and various religious organizations including Myanmar Muslims.

U Nu as the devoted Buddhist was pressured the wealthy and influential Hindi merchants ordered the prohibition of slaughtering the cattle. Although he relaxed that during the Kurbani Edd (Hariraya Haji), Muslims had to apply the permits for each cattle and strictly follow under police supervision. Although General Ne Win revoked the first order and allow the slaughter of cattle for daily consumption, the second order of strict restriction for the sacrifice remained up to the present and the Muslims. Even Mosques’ official who failed to adhere to the permitted number of cattle are arrested and punished. And some Muslims complained that U Nu’s government had made more difficult conditions and regulations for the Haj pilgrimage than the Buddhists pilgrims going to Sri Lanka and Nepal.

References

See also

*Islam in Myanmar
*Islam in India
*Burmese Indians
*Islam in China
*Islam in Asia
*Islam
*Rohingya People
*Burmese Chinese
*Panthay

External links

*Myanmar Muslim Information Centre (MMIC)- [http://www.hikmah.info]
*Burmese Muslim Association (BMA)- [http://www.b-m-a.org]
*Myanmar Muslim news- [http://www.myanmarmuslim.net/news.php]
*Burmese Muslims Network- [http://www.bmnetwork.org/bmc/index.php]
*Islamic Unity Brotherhood [http://www.ikhwa.com/web/news.php]
*Arakan Rohingya National Organization- [http://www.rohingya.com/]
*Rohingya Language- [http://www.rohingyalanguage.com/]
*Free Rohingya Campaign- [http://www.freerohingyacampaign.org/]
*Myanmar Muslim political Awareness Organization- [http://www.mmpao.org/]
*Panthay on line community- [http://www.panthay.net/mambo/]
*Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [http://www.ohchr.org/english/countries/mm/index.htm ]
*US Department of State,International Religious Freedom Report 2005 on Burma [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/]
*US Department of State, Burma, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices- 2005.Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/]
*Amnesty International’s report on Burma [http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/myanmar_burma/document.do?id=ar&yr=2005 ]
*UK Conservatives’ Human Rights [http://www.conservativehumanrights.com/countriesoffocus/burma/index.htm ]
*cite news | first =Harry | last =Priestly| url =http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=5380&z=102 | title =The Outsiders| publisher =The Irrawaddy | date =2006-01 | accessdate =2006-07-07
*cite news | first =Samart | last =Butkaew| url =http://www.burmaissues.org/En/Newsletter/BINews2006-02.pdf | title =Burmese Indians: The Forgotten Lives| publisher =Burma Issues | date =2005-02 | accessdate =2006-07-07
* [http://www.khrg.org/khrg2002/khrg0202.html The Persecution of Muslims in Burma] , by Karen Human Rights Group