Update from the New 'Killing field' in Burma: 12 Masjids Burned & 4 Islamic Teachers Killed

State of emergency imposed in Meiktila.

Scenes of devastation in Meiktila: Tin Htar Swe from the BBC Burmese Service explains what triggered the violence

(NEW YORK) - At least 12 mosques have been burned, and extremist Buddhist mobs are still hunting Muslims in the central Burmese town of Meiktila. One report says that 28 students and 4 Islamic teachers were killed in one of the Islamic schools in the town, in the presence of police forces. The list of the dead included Hafiz Mohammad Ahtisham, Mawlana Mohammad Shafi, Mawlana Zakariya and Mufti Wajib.

A BBC reporter said that he saw the bodies of 20 Muslim men, which Buddhists were trying to burn and destroy. At least 20 have been reported dead, although that number is likely much higher, as information is very tightly controlled in Burma.

Following three days of devastation and attacks against Muslims, Burma has finally declared a state of emergency. At least 30 percent of the town’s inhabitants are Muslims. Five to 10 percent of the Muslim population in Meiktila is Gujurati Muslim, owners of businesses in the town. Those businesses have been burned down.

Most of those unarmed Muslims are now locked down in their neighborhoods or in hiding.

Meiktila is a military garrison, but the military was not called in until Friday to control the violence. How did the military stand by and allow this to happen in a country that is ruled by the military?

The attacks are also disturbing because the Muslims affected are not the Rohingya. The Rohingya have long been denied citizenship in their ancestral land. The Muslims in Meiktila are Burmese. The Muslims have citizenship in the country. But, the attacks on the Rohingya in the past year have caused tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in the rest of the country.

Reuters is reporting that Muslims in Meiktila were already on edge because rumors have been circulating that anti-Islam monks were going to target the town.

Urgent Action Needed

1. Pray for the victims in Burma and pray that the Buddhists taking part in this violence will be guided to be just.
2. Call President Obama at the White House and urge him to take immediate action. He needs to speak to Burmese President Thein Sein and tell him that he has a responsibility to safeguard ALL Burmese citizens.
3. Call Secretary of State John Kerry and tell him he must make the same calls to the Burmese President.

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