Myanmar Mosque, Muslim Orphanage Burned After Alleged Immolation of Buddhist Woman

A swarm of hundreds of angry men with machetes, iron pipes and bamboo poles, rode on motorcycles through the streets of Lashio, Myanmar.  Their outrage was fueled by Myanmar's embattled Muslim community and anti-Muslim unrest.  Within a few hours, at least one person was dead and four more injured.  The violence in Lashio is leading many to wonder whether President Thein Sein's government can or will be able to contain both the racial and religious intolerance.  Myanmar is still struggling to emerge from its past decades of military rule. The rioting started after reports that a Muslim man had set a Buddhist woman on fire.  Mobs took revenge by burning down Muslim shops, a mosque, and a Muslim orphanage.  The government, which began its rule in 2011 and promised a new democratic rule, appealed for calmness.  A presidential spokesman has pleaded, "Damaging religious buildings and creating religious riot is inappropriate for the democratic society we are trying to create." Muslims make up approximately 4 percent of Myanmar's 60 million people.  Anti-Muslim sentiment is tied to nationalism and the dominant Buddhist religion, making it difficult for new government leadership to stand up for the unpopular minority.  President Thein Sein and his administration have been criticized for not protecting Muslims in Myanmar; though last week he vowed to bring all violent perpetrators to justice.

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