It this a sin in Islam, or rightly guided taqiyya? Or do Muslims not even see this as deceptive?

What Falah posted:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1338853787/15#24

The original article:

in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/11/myanmar-violence-idINDEE85A00Y20120611

Following are some examples of what Falah claimed was in the article, followed by what the article actually said. Lets start with the title:


falah wrote on Jun 12^th, 2012 at 4:16pm:

Buddhists on rampage again: Buddhist mob violence threatens new Myanmar image

Muslim, Buddhist mob violence threatens new Myanmar image


Quote:

Reuters reporters saw plumes of black smoke over parts of Sittwe, a port town of mainly wooden houses where Buddhists and Muslims have long lived in uneasy proximity. Some Buddhists were seen carrying bamboo stakes, machetes, sling-shots and other makeshift weapons...

Reuters reporters saw plumes of black smoke over parts of Sittwe, a port town of mainly wooden houses where Buddhists and Muslims have long lived in uneasy proximity. Some Buddhists were seen carrying bamboo stakes, machetes, sling-shots and other makeshift weapons after Muslims were seen setting alight houses.


Quote:

In recent days, they have been described as "invaders" or "terrorists" by some Burmese using their newfound freedom of expression and easier access to the Internet to vent their anger on social networking sites and express anti-Rohingya [muslim] sentiments that have simmered for decades... ...Rohingya [muslim] activists and residents accuse ethnic Rakhine [buddhist] of terrorising their communities. Witnesses in Sittwe said homes were torched on Sunday in at least four places.

In recent days, they have been described as "invaders" or "terrorists" by some Burmese using their newfound freedom of expression and easier access to the Internet to vent their anger on social networking sites and express anti-Rohingya sentiments that have simmered for decades.

The authorities have blamed Rohingya [in other places Falah translated this as Muslim] mobs for the violence. Witnesses from Maungdaw on Saturday described Rohingya attacking Buddhist homes. "It's just like a living hell. I wonder how long we will have to live like this?" said Mya Khin, a housewife.

Rohingya activists and residents accuse ethnic Rakhine of terrorising their communities. Witnesses in Sittwe said homes were torched on Sunday in at least four places.


Quote:

Planeloads of soldiers arrived in Sittwe on Saturday but residents said the security forces were ineffectual... ...An elderly Muslim man living with his family reported that Buddhist vigilantes armed with "swords and sticks" were roaming the streets on motorbikes.

Planeloads of soldiers arrived in Sittwe on Saturday but residents said the security forces were ineffectual.

"A Rohingya mob just set fire to some Rakhine houses just behind Infantry Battalion 357. The soldiers just watched, without doing anything," said one resident who declined to be identified.

An elderly Muslim man living with his family reported that Buddhist vigilantes armed with "swords and sticks" were roaming the streets on motorbikes.

Some more paragraphs left out:

The western region has been tense for more than a week after the gang rape and murder of a Buddhist woman blamed on Muslims and the reprisal killing by a Buddhist mob a week ago of 10 Muslims.

The authorities said hundreds of Rohingya went on the rampage in Maungdaw, where about 500 buildings were said to have been destroyed, and a nighttime curfew was imposed.

Police and soldiers successfully restored "peace and stability" to Maungdaw and neighbouring Buthidaung district, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on Sunday. One woman died on Sunday after police confronted rioters at a Maungdaw market, it said without elaborating.

In its editorial, the usually staid newspaper made an impassioned plea for calm, warning that "democracy cannot flourish" where there is "anarchy, stagnation and lawlessness".

---

(Reporting by Reuters in Sittwe and by Nurul Islam in Bangladesh. Writing by Andrew R.C. Marshall; Editing by Jason Szep and Robert Birsel)

Falah's whole post:


falah wrote on Jun 12^th, 2012 at 4:16pm:

Buddhists on rampage again: Buddhist mob violence threatens new Myanmar image Northwest Myanmar was tense on Monday after sectarian violence engulfed its biggest city on the weekend, with rival mobs of Muslims and Buddhists torching houses, police firing into the air and Muslims fleeing by boat to neighbouring Bangladesh. At least eight people were killed and many wounded, authorities say, in the worst communal violence since a reformist government replaced a junta last year and vowed to forge unity in one of Asia's most ethnically diverse countries. The fighting erupted on Friday in the Rakhine State town of Maungdaw, but quickly spread to the capital Sittwe and nearby villages. The United Nations said on Monday it had started evacuating staff from the area after the government announced a state of emergency and dawn-to-dusk curfews. Reuters reporters saw plumes of black smoke over parts of Sittwe, a port town of mainly wooden houses where Buddhists and Muslims have long lived in uneasy proximity. Some Buddhists were seen carrying bamboo stakes, machetes, sling-shots and other makeshift weapons... ..."We have now ordered troops to protect the airport and the Rakhine (Buddhist) villages under attack in Sittwe," Zaw Htay, director of the President's Office, told Reuters. "Arrangements are under way to impose a curfew in some other towns." The unrest undermines the image of ethnic unity and stability that helped persuade the United States and Europe to suspend economic sanctions this year, while increasing curfews could threaten tourism and foreign investment - rewards for emerging from nearly half a century of army rule. It might also force reformist President Thein Sein, a former general, to confront an issue that human rights groups have criticised for years: the plight of thousands of stateless Rohingya Muslims who live along Myanmar's border with Bangladesh in abject conditions and are despised by many ethnic Rakhine, members of Myanmar's predominantly Buddhist majority. "Vengeance and anarchy" could spread beyond Rakhine State and jeopardise the country's transition to democracy, Thein Sein warned in a hastily arranged televised address on Sunday. About 100 Rohingyas [muslims] tried to flee the violence by boat into Bangladesh but were pushed back on Monday morning, said a Bangladesh border commander. "We have stepped up vigilance and will stop anyone trying to come across the border," he said. That followed about five boatloads carrying about 200 Rohingyas who were pushed back out to sea on Sunday, said Anwar Hossain, a major with Bangladesh's border guard. Rohingya [muslim] activists have long demanded recognition in Myanmar as an indigenous ethnic group with full citizenship by birthright, claiming a centuries-old lineage in Rakhine. But the government regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship. Bangladesh has refused to grant Rohingyas refugee status since 1992. "INVADERS" In recent days, they have been described as "invaders" or "terrorists" by some Burmese using their newfound freedom of expression and easier access to the Internet to vent their anger on social networking sites and express anti-Rohingya [muslim] sentiments that have simmered for decades... ...Rohingya [muslim] activists and residents accuse ethnic Rakhine [buddhist] of terrorising their communities. Witnesses in Sittwe said homes were torched on Sunday in at least four places. By late Sunday, tension appeared to be spreading. State-run MRTV announced curfews in three other Rakhine [buddhist] towns, including Thandwe, the gateway to Myanmar's tourist beaches, and Kyaukphyu, where China is building a giant port complex. Reuters saw residents of a mainly Rakhine [buddhist] village near Sittwe on Sunday set ablaze houses they said were Muslim-owned. "We are burning Rohingya [muslims] houses because they live near our village and they gather at night and try to attack us," said an unidentified ethnic Rakhine [buddhist] man. Planeloads of soldiers arrived in Sittwe on Saturday but residents said the security forces were ineffectual... ...An elderly Muslim man living with his family reported that Buddhist vigilantes armed with "swords and sticks" were roaming the streets on motorbikes. "The security forces are helping them destroy Muslim houses," the man, a retired government official who also requested anonymity, said by telephone from his house near Sittwe airport. A gang of Buddhists tried to burn his house down, but were dissuaded with help from a Buddhist neighbour, he said.. ABUSES, ONLINE ANGER The Rohingya [muslims] are descended from South Asians and speak a dialect of Bengali. Most are stateless, recognised as citizens by neither Myanmar nor Bangladesh. The U.N. refugee agency estimates there are about 800,000 of them in three districts of Rakhine state bordering Bangladesh. They are subject to many forms of "persecution, discrimination and exploitation", says the United Nations, including forced labour, restrictions on travel and marriage and limited access to education. Decades of systematic persecution by the Myanmar authorities had made sectarian violence inevitable, said Elaine Pearson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division. "All those years of discrimination, abuses and neglect are bound to bubble up at some point, and that's what we are seeing now," she said.

continued:


Quote:

Like their government, many Myanmar people refuse to recognise the term "Rohingya", referring to them as "Bengalis". "The underlying perception of many Burmese is that Rohingya [muslims] are illegal migrant terrorists," said Pearson. Sectarian hatred in towns and villages in Rakhine State is mirrored online. "They should shoot at least one (to) make them shut up," read a comment on Facebook under a photo purporting to show rioting Muslims. Twitter users are railing against "Rohingya terrorists," one under the hashtag "#OneThingWeAllHate". These sentiments were echoed by nationalistic blogs such as Won Thar Nu, which ran gruesome photos of what it said were Buddhist victims. It accused the Rohingya [Muslims] of staging a "foreign invasion". http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/11/myanmar-violence-idINDEE85A00Y20120611 http://images.smh.com.au/2012/06/11/3367285/wp-20rakhine-20120611213718791278-600x400.jpg Buddhist walks away from torched muslim houses http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/images/stories/newsimage/2012/June2012/Rohi-killed-03.jpg Two Rohingya Muslims killed by crazy Buddhists http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_small_article/rohingya_twitter_2012_06_11.jpg Buddhist terrorist incites hatred http://www.nationmultimedia.com/new/2012/06/12/national/images/30183976-01.jpg Muslim village burned by Buddhist terrorists http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0fKY5KA07a7Lf/439x.jpg Muslims peacefully protest against Buddhist terrorism http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2012/june2012/11/myanmar_rohingya.jpg Muslims try to extinguish burning houses with dirt http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2012/june2012/11/myanmar_rakhine.jpg Buddhist terrorist burns down Muslim houses http://merhrom.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/dsc00297.jpg Muslims beaten to death by Buddhist terrorists

If you want to quickly compare text files for edits like this, you can download a free trial of beyond compare or similar software like araxis merge. Simply copy and paste the two versions into separate text files and it will highlight Falah's lies for you.

Posting Buddhist Rakhine claims about Rohingya Muslims is like posting Nazi claims about the Jews in the 1930's.

Rohingya Muslims are the persecuted minority in Burma. I is well documented, and the Burmese government supports the persecution.

Islamophobia and the fear of 'the other' in Myanmar

Racial tensions are coming to a head in Myanmar between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim Rohingya minority.

http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2012/6/10//2012610142329994734_20.jpg
The Rohingya are the "epitome of stateless, and spend their lives in unofficial camps where conditions are notoriously poor...


Chiang Mai, Thailand - The mob that set upon and killed a group of Muslims riding a bus through western Myanmar on June 3 displayed a depravity normally the hallmark of the country's military. News reports that emerged in the wake of the incident, allegedly in response to the gang rape and murder of a Buddhist girl by three Muslim men days before, described the ten victims of a frenzied beating being urinated upon before the bus was set ablaze.

Comments that circulated the internet in the wake of the massacre were almost as shocking. "Killing Kalars is good!" one person said, using the pejorative slur that has become a popular and casual way of referring to Muslims of South Asian decent (one that state media also regularly employs). It mattered little that the men accused of the rape had already been arrested.

The attack was a rare incident; the reactions suggest however that heightened levels of resentment towards the presence of Muslims in Myanmar society exist on a much wider scale. This animosity is shared by senior figures in the government - current representative to the UN, Ye Myint Aung, once described the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Arakan state who are singled out for particularly savage treatment, as "ugly as ogres", while since 1982 the government has denied them citizenship, claiming they are "illegal Bengali immigrants". Persecution of the group has been so protracted and debased that Medicins San Frontieres describes them as being among the world minority groups "most in danger of extinction".

While Myanmar's myriad ethnic groups have all suffered egregious treatment at the hands of the military government, which has sought to bring the country "under one flag", the fear of Muslims is a particular one. On the website of The Voice journal, which issued an apology after being bombarded with threats following its coverage of the massacre, one visitor wrote: "We should either kill all the Kalars in Burma or banish them otherwise Buddhism will cease to exist".

The 'other'

Treatment of Muslims as the 'other' persists despite the country's push to embrace the outside world and everything it offers. There is something of a contradiction then in the population's desire to become global players, which will see it interacting far more with non-Myanmar, non-Buddhist ethnicities. In Arakan state, where tension between Buddhists and Muslims often spills over into violence, hypocrisy is also evident in attempts by Arakanese to goad public opinion against the Rohingya in the name of "nationalism". These are the same Arakanese who, ironically, regularly accuse the government of attempting to aggressively assimilate Arakanese into the Burman way of life.

Such is the treatment of Rohingya that up to 300,000 now reside in Bangladesh, which in turn sees them as illegal immigrants from Myanmar and denies them citizenship. They are the epitome of stateless, and spend their lives in unofficial camps where conditions are notoriously poor (only 28,000 are registered by the UN)...Many attempt the perilous sea journey from Bangladesh to Malaysia and beyond to find work - in December last year, a boatload of more than 60 who ran into trouble off the coast of southern Myanmar were detained by Myanmar police, ironically on immigration charges.

Accusations that the government has sought to dilute, or "Burmanise", Myanmar's 135 distinct ethnic groups have existed for decades, and factor in the apparently institutional practice of rape of ethnic women by Myanmar troops, as well as the forced learning of the Myanmar language in ethnic schools.

In Northern Arakan state, where the majority of Rohingya reside, and where foreigners are barred from entering, the practice is effectively official: government policy stipulates that Rohingya babies born out of wedlock be placed on blacklists that bar them from attending school and later marrying. A Rohingya couple must apply well in advance before attempting to wed; the frequent denial by authorities, as well as a strict two-child policy reserved only for Rohingya, has led rights groups to accuse the government of attempting to slowly wipe out the population.

Racism or religious discrimination?

Naypyidaw uses the premise of "illegal migration management" and "control on population growth" to justify the persecution of this group. The "immigrant" label however does not match with evidence that modern-era Muslim political participation in Arakan state goes back to the 1930s, while the Arakanese city of Mrauk U, in its zenith in the 17th century a key trading hub in Asia, was ruled by Muslim sultans.

Nor is this a consistent measure, given the millions of Chinese that have migrated to Myanmar in recent decades to become powerful players in the economy. Is there an issue then with the often darker skin of Muslim groups in Myanmar, or that their religion conflicts with Buddhism?

Few seem to know, but one major cause for concern is that this hostility exists across the entire spectrum of Myanmar politics. The post-colonial civilian government of U Nu in the early 1950s expelled the Burma Muslim Congress and made Buddhism the state religion; then came Myanmar's first dictator, Ne Win, who used anti-Muslim propaganda to powerful effect during the mass expulsion of Indians in the 1960s. He branded the tens of thousands brought in for work by the British as colonial stooges, and exploited the subsequent anti-Islam sentiment to ban all Muslims from the army. The same key issue that fuelled the infamous anti-Chinese riots of the late 1960s and 1970s - that Myanmar were aggrieved at jobs going to foreigners - had also driven the anti-Indian and anti-Muslim riots in 1930 and 1938.

Ne Win's propaganda may have had a lingering effect, given the marked levels of resentment and suspicion of Muslims that remain, particularly in the west of the country. Nicholas Farrelly, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Australia National University, thinks however that this is consistent with the attitudes that many Buddhists elsewhere in the region have towards Muslims:

    "In general, they find their habits foreign, their lack of integration exasperating, and their proselytising unwelcome. When we compare them to other groups, Myanmar's Muslims enjoy none of the educational or international prestige that is widely associated with the country's Christian minorities. While Kachin and Karen Christians have suffered atrocious treatment I think there is at least some mainstream Myanmar Buddhist respect for their cultures and religion. Such respect is rarely accorded to Muslims."

An 'open', but racist, Myanmar?

In an era of cautious opening, the continued inability of Myanma to debate the subject rationally is worrying. The opposition National League for Democracy, viewed by the outside world as the driving force for change in Myanmar, itself tiptoes around the subject - one party official told the BBC earlier this year that "even in our organisation the Rohingya question has not been settled". Ko Ko Gyi, a prominent pro-democracy activist, said last week that the Rohingya "are not a Myanmar ethnic race... It has become a national concern infringing on our sovereignty". Does he also think that Thailand, for example, should hold the same attitude towards the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Burma living on its soil?

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been criticised for failing to properly address the wider "ethnic issue" in Myanmar, urged the Buddhist majority to "have sympathy for minorities" in the wake of the June 3 killings, but refuses to weigh in heavily on the debate. She justified this tentativeness by saying that her party "must cautiously avoid amplifying the situation" - that may be true, but what could also be at stake is the risk of losing support from Arakan state's Buddhist population.

Even among the revered monastic community, often seen as staunch defenders of equality in Myanmar, there has been controversy. The Democratic Voice of Burma reported on a statement released by influential monk and former political prisoner, Ashin Virathu, that said: "I see that Muslims make up a larger percentage of the perpetrators in rape and murder cases". It was "reasonable", he continued, that the "[rape] victim's side see this as an insult to their people and [Buddhist] religion".

Now, despite the government announcing an investigation into the killings, race riots have erupted in western Myanmar and President Thein Sein on Sunday announced a state of emergency. At least eight people have been killed, some allegedly by government troops who opened fire on crowds.

Below the surface

The marked difference between now and past periods of heightened racial tension however is that there has been no major influx of Muslims in recent years - perhaps this points to a tension within Myanmar society that has simmered for years, unaddressed and awaiting a trigger...

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/06/2012610134755390151.html

cont'd

One hopes this grisly period will bring about some thorough and measured questioning of the catalysts behind the massacre and resultant crisis, but the often inflammatory nature of these discussions induces avoidance. Few therefore acknowledge that xenophobia and fear of "the other" exists in Myanmar, meaning it goes unchallenged.

A census is due to take place in 2014 - the first in 25 years - but at present around 800,000 Rohingya are unlikely to be included. Such discriminatory policies are a major blight on Myanmar's revamped international image, but are largely obscured by the taboo that surrounds exposure of it - observers are loath to broach the subject, given the ramifications that accompany accusations of racism.

But evidence of an ingrained hostility among civilians is there, and it needs to be recognised. The massacre is not the first such sign - a BBC report last year that carried a map depicting Arakan state as the home of the Rohingya sparked an alarming uproar, and online forums again became hubs of bitter discussions, including calls for a nationwide boycott of the BBC and demonstrations outside the British embassy in Yangon.

If Myanmar is to truly join the global community, the floor must be opened to debate. There must be acknowledgement that a malaise exists among the very Myanma that for decades have felt the pain of antipathy and isolation. Taking a sensitive but head-on approach to the problem, rather than the pussyfooting demonstrated even by powerful figures in the pro-democracy movement, would be the first step.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/06/2012610134755390151.html

Letter from America: The Latest Extinction Campaign Against the Rohingya

It has been little more than two months that Aung San Suu Kyi was elected into the lower house of Burmese Parliament. The by-elections (only the country's third in half a century) in which her party NLD won 44 of the 45 available seats were a crucial test of reforms that convinced the West to soften its pariah image.

The United States and European Union hinted that some sanctions - imposed over the past two decades in response to gross human rights abuses (e.g., against the minority Rohingya Muslims and Kachin and Karen Christians) - might be lifted, unleashing a wave of investment, which this impoverished but resource-rich country, bordering Bangladesh, Thailand, India and China, badly needs.

Last year the U.S. Secretary of State Clinton met with Burma’s leaders and opposition leader Suu Kyi. Soon after the election in April Japan has already promised to forgive $3.7 billion of Burma’s debt and resume aid as a way to support the country’s democratic and economic reforms. Last month during his visit to Myanmar, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 25 years, Manmohan Singh held extensive talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein and extended a $ 500 million line of credit to Myanmar as it signed 15 agreements on fields like trade, energy and connectivity. On June 9, the Australian Foreign Minister pledged $100m aid to boost its education sector, where less than half of Burma's 18 million children complete five years of primary school and only about half of all teachers are qualified.

In spite of such positive developments in the international sector, the religious minorities remain disillusioned. "We have been forsaken by the world," a Rohingya human rights activist complained. Similar are the messages I receive about human rights abuses in Kachin, Shan and Karen states. My comrades at the U.S. Campaign for Burma remind me that this year alone there have been at least 750 incidents of human rights abuses committed by the Burmese troops against ethnic minority civilians, and that there are still hundreds of political prisoners behind the bar, and that more and more of the ethnic non-Buddhist minorities are forced out of their ancestral land to either replant such territories with Buddhist majority or make way for foreign investment.

The ongoing diplomacy and the so-called "cease-fires" in ethnic areas are seen for what they are—an alibi for the abdication of morality in the altar of profit-making and greed, and a lifeline for the regime.

Optimistic as I have always been, I try to comfort them that they are neither forgotten nor forsaken, and better days are ahead of them when they would be accepted as equal citizens in Myanmar.

As an outsider, living comfortably on the other side of the planet, little did I know that these unfortunate minorities of Burma would again be made a target of ugly face of religious and racial hatred. As I write, Maung Daw – located in northern Arakan (Rakhine state of Burma) is burning, as if mimicking the pogroms against the Rohingya and Muslim minorities of Burma that started in the 1930s [see, e.g., an excellent review – Rohingya Tangled in Burmese Citizenship Politics by Nurul Islam, UK].

Reliable sources within the territory tell me that on June 3, a mob of nearly hundred Rakhine Buddhist extremists attacked a bus that was carrying some ten Tablighi Muslims who were returning to Rangoon after their religious gathering. They were dragged from their bus by these brutes in Taungup, situated as the main gateway for travel to central Burma from the Arakan State. They were lynched to death and their bus was set on fire. Only the driver was able to flee the scene. It should be noted here that all this gruesome murder happened based on a false rumor that those Muslims had something to do with a recent murder of a Rakhine female teacher whose body was found in Sittwe (Akyab), the state capital with a mixed Rakhine-Rohingya population. While the subsequent inquiries had cleared Muslims of any complicity in the murder of the teacher, to many Rakhines who are prone to imagine the worst of the ‘other’ people that have as much contesting claim to the land, if not more, the culprit had to be a Muslim. So they savagely murdered those innocent Muslims that had visited the region...

U Khin Hla, Secretary of the National League for Democracy in Taungup, told the VOA Burmese program, “I think such an incident happened due to the lack of law and order because it happened in broad daylight just around 4:30 pm, and it was also not just an incident in which a man hacked and killed another and ran away. On the contrary, I think the officials who are working for the rule of law and order in the country are responsible for such an incident.”

After the news of the inhuman act of gruesome murder reached the Muslim community, Muslims in Rangoon held a peaceful demonstration and asked the government officials to find and try the guilty ones of this heinous crime. The government promptly formed a 16-member committee to investigate the matter by June 30 and take legal actions against the perpetrators. Interestingly, the announcement for investigation came a day after the government was forced to print a retraction for referring to the victims as “kalar” – a racial slur for Muslims or persons of Indian appearance – in their official appeal for calm after the violence.

When approached at her NLD office, the Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi expressed concern at the handling of the situation by local Rakhine authorities, esp. their failure to dampen anti-Muslim sentiment after the woman was attacked. “If the very first problem was handled effectively and quickly, this flicker wouldn't have become a flame,” she said. Urging understanding between Rakhine's religious communities she advised, “don't base your actions on anger.”

Apprehensive of potential troubles to brew in Maung Daw, a Muslim majority district, close to Bangladesh border, the district administrator and police chief met with Muslim community leaders and sought cooperation against any retaliation. Muslim leaders assured them of their cooperation. A decision was taken by Muslim religious leaders to apprise the community on Friday, June 8, during the Jumu’aa prayer service, of the assurance that they had received from government and the absolute importance of peace and avoidance of trouble.

After Friday congregation prayer, when a group of Muslims were trying to join a payer at Kayandan Tabligh Centre in Maung Daw for those 10 Muslims who were murdered by the Rakhine extremists at Taunggup, the security forces, however, tried to stop them and then started firing at the crowd killing at least two people and injuring many others. Some extremist Rakhines, hiding behind the police, threw wine bottles against the Muslims, further fueling the already tense situation.

While curfew has been imposed in Maung Daw from dusk to dawn, several Muslim villages have already been gutted down. Almost all the Muslim shops and business centers have also been attacked and ransacked by the Rakhine mob. On Saturday armed security forces with Rakhine extremist equipped with lethal arms were seen roaming Maung Daw town and surrounding villages. That morning four Rohingyas were carried away from Fayazi village of Maung Daw. Their whereabouts still remain unknown.

Eye witness accounts have shown that the Rakhine extremists and the security forces Hlun Htein and NASAKA had jointly collaborated in causing such crimes. On Friday, Rakhines were seen piling up weapons in the Maung Daw main Buddhist temple (Phongyi Chaung) and planning attacks at nightfall. Since Friday, Buddhist monks and Rakhine extremists have been seen being escorted by security forces while they were announcing ‘War on Kalas’, (war on blacks, foreigners – meaning the Rohingyas) along the streets of Maung Daw. This dangerous message spread like a wild fire all over Maung Daw and Buthidaung townships. Many of the security forces, dressed in civilian clothes, were seen firing on the Rohingya Muslims. As a result, at least a hundred Rohingya Muslims have reportedly died. Several mosques have also been set on fire.

The Myanmar government has dispatched military troops and naval vessels to calm the violence. In a statement in official newspapers on Saturday, the All Myanmar Islam Association condemned "the terrorizing and destruction of lives and properties of innocent people" and called on Muslims across the country to live in peace.

How could this be happening when we thought that we had said sayonara to the old days of Burmese and Rakhine pogroms directed against the persecuted Muslims of Burma? In the Rakhine state where tensions between Muslims and Buddhists run high, and has been witnesses to such riots many times since at least the 1930s, a mere mention of the term ‘Rohingya’ is enough to ignite passion amongst the Rakhines who view them at best as unwanted immigrants from Bangladesh and at worst “invaders.”

The truth of the matter is Burma, in spite all the newer developments – mostly cosmetic or superficial – still remains our planet’s worst den of hatred by any name - bigotry, racism, xenophobia, etc. For many people in Burma, a Burmese is a Buddhist by definition; Buddhism forms an essential part of their identity; there is no place for people of other religious persuasions...

http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2012/06/10/letter-america-latest-extinction-campaign-against-rohingya

cont'd

The decades-old military government in Burma has been replaced by a hybrid group of civil and ex-military personnel that promises change. However, the life of an ethnic minority, esp. if it is a non-Buddhist, has not improved an iota there. They are persecuted and are easy targets for ethnic cleansing. They are treated as if they don’t exist. As noted by Mr. Nurul Islam of ARNO, “U Thein Sein’s government has not changed their attitude towards our people. It is still holding onto to past policies which excluded, discriminated and persecuted the Rohingya population. We need to remind the government Rohingyas are an integral part of the Burma’s society regardless of the fact that their appearance, ethnicity and religion is different than the majority of the population.” He added, “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi so far has been surprisingly silent regarding the persecution of our people. As a democratic icon, advocating for human rights for all, we urge her to use her influence to speak out on behalf the Rohingya, who have no voice in Burma.”

There are clear evidences that the authorities in Arakan state have been guilty of collaborating with Rakhine leadership to sow anti-Muslim sentiment among the Buddhist people so that they can be terrorized, to help prevent Muslim migration and settlement into central Burma from the region.

As eye witness accounts and social media outlets show when the Rakhine mob attacked the Tablighi Muslims on June 3, the army and police personnel did not do anything to stop the carnage. One eye witness said, “The police and the army were there when the mob was beating the victims, but they did not do anything to control the mob or protect the victims.
The attack happened right in front of their eyes.” He added, ““If the army or police had controlled the mob, they would have been able to save the victims. They knew the situation well, but they did not do anything to control the mob or protect the victims.”

The level of deep-rooted Rakhine racism against the Rohingya can be understood from the hateful statement of Khaing Kaung San, a local Rakhine activist in Sittwe, who said, "They [Rohingyas] are fighting to own the land, occupy the entire state." "They don't need weapons; just by their numbers they can cover the entire land."

Obviously, such false assertions epitomizing intolerance, racism and hatred are not new and cannot disappear overnight when it is so deeply entrenched touching every walk of life in Burma, esp. in places like the Rakhine state. The politically dominant Rakhine community doesn’t want to share the state with others. This, in spite of the fact that serious works of research have proven convincingly that the Rohingyas are the descendants of the indigenous people (bhumi-putras) of this coastal region whose ties to the land precede those of the Rakhines by few centuries. [See, e.g., this author’s work - Muslim Identity and Demography in the Arakan State of Burma, Amazon.com; and Dr. Abid Bahar’s – Burma’s Missing Dots – the emerging face of genocide.]

The recent riots in the Rakhine state once again highlight the vulnerable status of the Rohingyas of Burma. Declared stateless, they are unwanted inside Myanmar and unwelcome as fleeing refugees in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Thailand. This is the greatest tragedy of our time. They are caught between crocodiles in the sea and tigers on the ground.

Where would they go? Should they become an extinct community much like what had happened to so many others before in the annals of history? Or, must they wander in the wilderness for two millennia and suffer repeated persecution, humiliation and genocide to qualify as equals in our world?

For my part, I have petitioned my Congressman to cosponsor the Resolution H. J. Res. 109 to renew the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, which is the only leverage the U.S. has left to push the Burmese regime to move forward with positive changes and hold them accountable for widespread human rights abuses and mass atrocities they commit against the people of Burma.

It is not enough, but better than doing nothing and being a silent spectator to violence!

Lines in the margin:

General Aung San assured full rights and privileges to Muslim Rohingya Arakanese saying “I give (offer) you a blank cheque. We will live together and die together. Demand what you want. I will do my best to fulfill them. If native people are divided, it will be difficult to achieve independence for Burma."

"The former first President of Burma Sao Shwe Theik stated, “Muslims of Arakan certainly belong to one of the indigenous races of Burma. If they do not belong to the indigenous races, we also cannot be taken as indigenous races.”

"The previous parliamentary government listed 144 ethnic groups in Burma. But Ne Win put only 135 groups on a short list, and then was approved by his BSPP regime’s constitution of 1974. The three Muslim groups of Rohingya (Muslim Arakanese), Panthay (Chinese Muslims), Bashu (Malay Muslims) and six other ethnic groups were deleted. "

http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2012/06/10/letter-america-latest-extinction-campaign-against-rohingya

Some more of the Nazi-type persecution against the native Muslims population in Burma:


Burma's Rohingyas vulnerable to abuse at home and abroad

Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will address an International Labour Organization conference in Geneva next month, on her first trip outside Burma, in 24 years.


The ILO says Ms Suu Kyi will address the final day of the conference, which is expected to discuss the issue of forced labour in Burma.

Aid groups say while the situation has improved a little, ethnic communities like the Rohingyas of Arakan state are still at risk.



The Bangkok-based Arakan Project researches and monitors the Rohingyas in Burma.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Speaker: Chris Lewa, founder and director, The Arakan Project

LEWA: One shocking situation that the Rohingyas faced in Arakan, is that the fact that they have to apply for an official marriage permission for a couple to get married. And when they get that, they need to sign an undertaking that they won't have more than two children. And if a couple married without official permission, the husband can be prosecuted and spend five years in detention. And there are many people, for example, in Buthidaung jail, which is the main jail in north Arakan, who are imprisoned for this particular reason. Of course, the issue of marriage permission, I think that should be lifted and it's only imposed on the Rohingya population in Burma. No other community has to suffer this. And of course, citizenship. For me, that is a key right that the Rohingya should have and have the right to have, is to become recognised as a citizen in Burma...recently, the government decided that the Rohingyas no longer needed to apply for travel permission, to go from village to village. But of course, they still need to get permission to travel from township to township, and north Arakan, where the majority of Rohingyas are concentrated, there're only three townships and basically, they're not allowed to go beyond these three townships. So, freedom of movement is not open to them, it's just slightly eased...


http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/asia-pacific/burmas-rohingyas-vulnerable-to-abuse-at-home-and-abroad/948410

Now we know kaffir Falah to be a blatant liar. I will have to discount every article you post in future.

Are you going to burn in the hell fire forever?

If they all left and went to live in Saudi Arabia instead of trying to invade another country the violence would end.

It has nothing to do with lying. If you morons are too stupid or too ignorant to understand what an ellipsis (...) is used for then don't blame me.

An ellipsis (...) is used when quoting in academic works and in journalism to indicate an intentional ommission.

so, from an islamic, we have spot quoting and some abuse.


Quote:

..........you morons are too stupid or too ignorant .....

falah wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 10:43am:

It has nothing to do with lying. If you morons are too stupid or too ignorant to understand what an ellipsis (...) is used for then don't blame me. An ellipsis (...) is used when quoting in academic works and in journalism to indicate an intentional ommission.

You are lying again. Ellipsis means omitting what has been already said or is fully understood so doesn't need to be said.

It does not mean intentionally leaving out pertinent things when quoting something in order to garner support and marshal authorities for one's own point.

Your Islamic deceitful arse would be whooped if you did that in an academic context, leaving out key aspects of an idea or a report.

Quote:

Posting Buddhist Rakhine claims about Rohingya Muslims is like posting Nazi claims about the Jews in the 1930's.

Is that why you left out this bit?

(Reporting by Reuters in Sittwe and by Nurul Islam in Bangladesh. Writing by Andrew R.C. Marshall; Editing by Jason Szep and Robert Birsel)

Why do you accept it as honest when they make claims about Buddhists but not about Muslims?


Quote:

It has nothing to do with lying. If you morons are too stupid or too ignorant to understand what an ellipsis (...) is used for then don't blame me.

Elipses mean deception? That's news to me. Is this another example of Muslims redefining the meaning of words so they can claim they are being honest?


Here is Falah getting busted in another thread for posted another piece of evidence that was edited to remove all the bits that contradicted what he was saying:


falah wrote on Jun 3^rd, 2012 at 12:44pm:

freediver wrote on Jun 3rd, 2012 at 11:49am: Note also that the original version also includes the indices for the coloured areas you left out of your edited version. Why did you leave them out? because I got it from a different website dumbass.

Despite repeated requests, he never admitted to where he got that map from. He did however follow it up with another, even dodgier looking map purporting to show relevant swamplands. Again, he would not admit to where he got it from.

This thread should be renamed "pot calling the kettle black"

SOB

You retards! If deception was intended I would not have bothered to put the ellipses mark which denote omission of text.


It is not my fault that the Islam-haters here tend to be ifgnorant reatrds who do not know what an ellipses is.


Ellipses

Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis

What is it with Aussie Muslims that they are all as thick as a brick??

falah wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 12:56pm:

You retards! If deception was intended I would not have bothered to put the ellipses mark which denote omission of text. It is not my fault that the Islam-haters here tend to be ifgnorant reatrds who do not know what an ellipses is. Ellipses Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis

Whether you used an ellipsis or not, you still left out pertinent information from the articles.

It's intellectual dishonesty.

falah wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 12:56pm:

Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted.

Now I know you are a liar, Abu has stated that the Greeks have never invented anything.


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Falah, were you equally selective with your truth in putting together your thesis? I would imagine most of your evidence was written down by white christian immigrants. Does that give you an intellectual license to ignore everything they say that contradicts your views on the grounds that they cannot be trusted, but at the same time use everything from them, no matter how insignificant, that supports your views?

It would certainly explain your preference for using off-hand opinions about potential farmability from people who have never farmed, above the wealth of evidence that is actually relevant and informed.

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 2:03pm:

falah wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 12:56pm: You retards! If deception was intended I would not have bothered to put the ellipses mark which denote omission of text. It is not my fault that the Islam-haters here tend to be ifgnorant reatrds who do not know what an ellipses is. Ellipses Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis Whether you used an ellipsis or not, you still left out pertinent information from the articles. It's intellectual dishonesty.

yes, I have never seen an islamic admit fault in anything though.

freediver wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 6:31pm:

Falah, were you equally selective with your truth in putting together your thesis? I would imagine most of your evidence was written down by white christian immigrants.

Freeliar, barely any of my thesis relies on the words of white Christian immigrants. It relies largely on the work of scientists such as arechaeologists, anthropologists and historians, as well as the words of explorers and Indigenous people.


freediver wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 6:31pm:

Does that give you an intellectual license to ignore everything they say that contradicts your views on the grounds that they cannot be trusted, but at the same time use everything from them, no matter how insignificant, that supports your views?

Freeliar, in my thesis can be found opinions of those experts who argue that the influence of Macassans was strong. It also contains the opinions of the fewer experts who argued that the Macassan influence was not so significant, and my thesis says why they are wrong and summarises they main points of evidence for this, as well as introducing new evidence to the argument.



freediver wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 6:31pm:

It would certainly explain your preference for using off-hand opinions about potential farmability from people who have never farmed, above the wealth of evidence that is actually relevant and informed.

Freeliar, if you were sincerely interested in the farmability of Arnhem Land you would have read the 1888 newspaper article I posted in the other thread about the farm in East Arnhem Land established in 1885:




Quote:

[b]...The absence of white ants will prove an especial boon to the station garden, or it will allow of the growth to maturity of the, various fruit-trees that in Port Darwin are piped out and weakened by the ant, and blown down by the first puff of wind. Among the trees in the Florida garden that seldom get a chance to mature in Darwin were noticed mangoes, guavas, papaya, oranges, lemons, cocoanuts, dates, tamarinds, and one or two other kinds of Chinese fruits. The garden also contains pomegranates, figs, sisyphus, mulberries, bananas, custard apples, pineapples, passion fruit, water and sweet melons. Among the vegetables are yams, sweet potatoes, English potatoes, eschalotts, radishes, 'long reds,' 12 to 15 inches long and 3 inches thick, 'turnip' radishes bigger than ordinary turnips, splendid lettuces with big solid hearts — quite a treat after the small leafy ones in Port Darwin — cucumbers up to 6 lb. weight, Chinese cabbage, English and Chinese beans, pie-melons, pumpkins of two kinds — one pumpkin vine yielded 622 lb. of fruit. Watermelons run up to 20 to 30 lb. weight and solid right through ; they bear all the year round. Two years ago they received a lot of fruit trees and plants from the Government Experimental Garden at Fannie Bay; amongst them were three rooted cuttings of mulberries, two of which died, and about fifty pineapple plants. When the only mulberry started into growth cuttings were made, and there are now fifteen trees, some of which are from 12 to 15 feet high, and cover a diameter of fully 20 feet. They are all loaded with fruit, rich black mulberries, quite equal for size and flavour to those grown in the southern colonies, but the great beauty about these trees is that they bear for nine months in the year, resting in June, July, and August. The fifty pineapple plants have increased to over 700, nearly all in bearing, some having two or three pines on a plant; they bear all the year round; some of the fruit taken as they came weighed 5 lb. each. With plenty of fruit all through the year, plenty of fresh milk and butter, game and fish in profusion, and cool breezes all the time, it is little wonder that all hands are healthy.' [South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA), Thursday 5 January 1888]

Here is Falah getting busted in that thread for posted another piece of evidence that was edited to remove all the bits that contradicted what he was saying:


falah wrote on Jun 3^rd, 2012 at 12:44pm:

freediver wrote on Jun 3rd, 2012 at 11:49am: Note also that the original version also includes the indices for the coloured areas you left out of your edited version. Why did you leave them out? because I got it from a different website dumbass.

Despite repeated requests, he never admitted to where he got that map from. He did however follow it up with another, even dodgier looking map purporting to show relevant swamplands. Again, he would not admit to where he got it from.[/quote]

freediver wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 8:15pm:

Despite repeated requests, he never admitted to where he got that map from. He did however follow it up with another, even dodgier looking map purporting to show relevant swamplands. Again, he would not admit to where he got it from.

This is the website Freeliar:

http://www.environorth.org.au/windows/al/index.html


http://www.environorth.org.au/nailsma/images/arnhemmap1.jpg


and what does it say Freeliar?


Quote:

Because the region is Aboriginal land, together with the neighbouring Kakadu national park, it forms the largest block of land not given over to cattle gazing in the tropical savannas.

Quote:

The EnviroNorth website was developed through the Tropical Savannas Knowledge in Schools project, led by Julie Crough of the Tropical Savannas Management CRC (TS-CRC) and Louise Fogg of the NT Department Education and Training. It is funded by the TS-CRC and redresses the lack of resources and information in schools for learning about, and how to sustain, Australia's tropical savannas.

Where is the 'edited' version of the map that you posted?

Adamant wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 2:12pm:

falah wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 12:56pm: Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. Now I know you are a liar, Abu has stated that the Greeks have never invented anything. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

So quote it.

Here is a better map:

http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2011/report/land/images/lan-fig5-2-lge.png

Note that the areas not used for farming around Darwin are the  vertosol cracking clay soils (grey) and swampy lands (blue).

As you can see from the map Freeliar, most of Arnhem Land is not made of these less productive vertosol cracking clay soils or swampy land so your reasoning is invalid.

Falah, where did you get the 'edited' version of the map from?

Where did you get the map of swamplands from that left out the swamps in Arnhemland?

freediver wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 10:14pm:

Falah, where did you get the 'edited' version of the map from? Where did you get the map of swamplands from that left out the swamps in Arnhemland?

I don't remember, but i have provided an even better map which kills your "Arnhem Land is not suitable for farming" theory.

abu_rashid wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 9:20pm:

Adamant wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:12pm: falah wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 12:56pm: Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. Now I know you are a liar, Abu has stated that the Greeks have never invented anything. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D So quote it.

In your article on the history of muslim inventions and in another post you said that our alphabet   (western) was created by arabs. So you go figure.

The reason people resort to name calling is because they  have lost the argument

bludger wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 11:35pm:

The reason people resort to name calling is because they  have lost the argument

Some people earn their names; like Freeliar did.

falah wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 10:53pm:

freediver wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 10:14pm: Falah, where did you get the 'edited' version of the map from? Where did you get the map of swamplands from that left out the swamps in Arnhemland? I don't remember, but i have provided an even better map which kills your "Arnhem Land is not suitable for farming" theory.

;D

Busted.

I asked you about the swampland one pretty much straight away after you posted it. It looks like you spent about 30 seconds on it in MS Paint. You obviously had no difficulty finding both of them the first time. Given your belief in automatically deleting any evidence that doesn't suit you (because it must be unreliable if it comes from a non-Muslim), it looks to me like you are making it all up.

Adamant wrote on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 10:56pm:

abu_rashid wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 9:20pm: Adamant wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 2:12pm: falah wrote on Jun 13th, 2012 at 12:56pm: Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. Now I know you are a liar, Abu has stated that the Greeks have never invented anything. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D So quote it. In your article on the history of muslim inventions and in another post you said that our alphabet   (western) was created by arabs. So you go figure.

Firstly, in what kind of mentality does that equate to "Greeks have never invented anything"? either a) Alphabet = everything in your simpleton reasoning, or b) you're a lying tosser.

Secondly, I don't recall saying Arabs invented the alphabet. Semitic Middle Easterners did. This is a simple fact. The Greek alphabet was adopted from the Phoenician alphabet. words like alef & bet (which alphabet is made from) have no meaning in Greek, yet they have clear meanings in Arabic (and other Semitic languages).