Authorities in Bangladesh say Muslim rioters over the weekend torched at least a dozen Buddhist temples and some 50 homes, in Cox's Bazar district near the Burmese border (Chittagong division, see map). Authorities said the attacks were prompted by a photo posted on Facebook that showed a local Buddhist trampling on a Koran. (Mizzima, Oct. 2; ANI, Sept. 30) After the rioting, more than 100 Buddhist monks protested at the Bangladeshi embassy in Rangoon, Burma, where a banner read "No Terrorist Muslim War on Religions." Hundreds of Buddhist monks also demonstrated in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (AP, Oct. 5; VOA, Oct. 4)
Burma has recently seen communal violence in western Rakhine state involving Buddhists and the Muslim Rohingya minority. Earlier this year, Buddhist monks destroyed a mosque in Sri Lanka, calling its presence near a Buddhist sacred site a provocation. Eastern India's Assam state, bordering Bangladesh (see map), has seen conflict this year between Bangladeshi Muslim migrants and indigenous tribal peoples.
Same pathology, different conflict
The maddening thing is that for those on either side of the conflict, the outrage only goes one way—as we have had plenty of opportunity to point out before… Wouldn’t it be nice if we saw Buddhists protesting Buddhist violence, and Muslims protesting Muslim violence?
Heaven forbid…