Religious Minorities Face [Severe] Persecution in Myanmar (Burma)

According to human rights groups, the ruling junta in Myanmar is harshly persecuting Christians and Muslims. It all starts with a clause in Myanmar's constitution that forbids the use of religion for political ends, meaning any religion can be deemed political, apparently except for the majority religion, ironically Buddhism, which also appears to be above its own constitution. The Karen near the border of Thailand face brutal oppression including but not limited to: abducting men, raping women, and killing children via raids on villages. Muslims have become scapegoats, especially after 9/11, and face torture, dispossession, and forced labor camps in addition to not even being citizens. Christians constitute an estimated 6% of the country's population and Muslims constitute an estimated 4%. As if that just isn't enough, those who do join the military or or work in public businesses are pressured to convert to Buddhism, because we couldn't already figure out that it's the dominant social force based on the violence targeted openly towards all non-Buddhist groups. Did I mention this is the country the world deems synonymous with Buddhism because ~89% of its population is Buddhist?

Rebecca M. Samson