Rights group warns of rising anti-Rohingya hate in Myanmar
BHRN urges UN and ASEAN to act as junta-backed monks and militias incite violence against Rohingya and Muslim minorities
YANGON, Myanmar (MNTV) — A human rights watchdog has warned that Myanmar is once again showing the warning signs of mass atrocities against its Muslim and Rohingya minorities, citing a resurgence of hate speech, religious propaganda, and junta-backed militia activity.
In a statement issued on October 17, the London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) said anti-Muslim rhetoric has sharply escalated across Myanmar, echoing the climate of hate and impunity that preceded the military’s genocidal campaign against the Rohingya in 2017, which forced more than 700,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.
“We are seeing all the early warning signs — dehumanization, religious scapegoating, and ultranationalist ideologies operating with impunity,” said Kyaw Win, BHRN’s executive director.
BHRN documented dozens of new cases of incitement, including Facebook and Telegram posts from MaBaTha-linked accounts calling for mosque demolitions, bans on Muslim gatherings, and the expulsion of so-called “Bengalis” — a term long used to deny Rohingya identity.
In one verified video filmed in front of Ye Lae Kalay mosque on September 16, an anti-Muslim monk accused worshippers of storing weapons inside mosques and branded them a security threat.
The group said these false claims and slurs were amplified by extremist clerics to provoke fear and justify police deployment around the mosque. In Meiktila — the site of a 2013 pogrom — residents told BHRN that ultranationalist rhetoric has returned, spreading hostility toward both Rohingya and local Muslim communities.
BHRN noted that since the 2021 coup, the military has reintegrated MaBaTha-aligned monks such as Ashin Wirathu into its political network and allowed them influence over Pyusawhti militias — local armed groups accused of killings, torture, and village burnings.
The organization warned that this alignment of hate speech, paramilitary mobilization, and state complicity constitutes “an emergency signal for atrocity prevention.”
The rights group urged the UN, ASEAN, and OIC to sanction those inciting religious violence, dismantle junta-backed militia structures, and support documentation of hate crimes. It also called for full protection of places of worship in areas under military control.
Observers say the renewed surge in anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim propaganda underscores how Myanmar’s junta continues to weaponize religion to divide communities and deflect international scrutiny as humanitarian access and accountability remain limited.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
