Pope in Myanmar: The Way to Confronting Violence and Radical Buddhism

Pope Francis arrives at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar November 27, 2017. (Reuters)
Pope Francis arrives at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar November 27, 2017. (Reuters)
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Pope in Myanmar: The Way to Confronting Violence and Radical Buddhism

Pope Francis arrives at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar November 27, 2017. (Reuters)
Pope Francis arrives at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar November 27, 2017. (Reuters)

Communist leader Joseph Stalin once asked Pope Pious XII how many military brigades he commands. No one at the time would have predicted that this spiritual authority would after a few decades have enough power to confront the Communist wave in eastern Europe.

The recent visit by Pope Francis to Myanmar and his mission to resist the evil there, represented by radical Buddhism, reminds us of the power that truth has against oppression. He traveled to Myanmar armed with the truth, not armies, in order to confront the radical Buddhist oppression against Muslim Rohingya. The truth championed his trip despite the restrictions and traps set up for him by extremists.

The Rohingya have for years suffered marginalization in Myanmar. Authorities have stripped them of their nationality in an effort to displace them from the country, where many either drown or burn in their attempt to flee a government crackdown against them. The authorities’ main concern is emptying Rakhine state from the Rohingya and imposing Buddhist rule there, while lying to and deceiving the public to justify its actions.

The analytic reader realizes that the developments in Myanmar can be described as genocide or even ethnic cleansing. The armed forces, backed by radical Buddhist militias, have committed the ugliest forms of oppression against the Muslim Rohingya. It is no longer shocking to hear that Burmese authorities have killed the Rohingya and later systematically burned their villages, raped their women and caused forced displacement in the area.

Observers said that the radical Buddhists believe in ethnic purity and therefore their main concern and obsession at the moment is the displacement of the Rakhine state Rohingya. According to some reports, some 14,000 people have been killed and wounded in the crackdown, while over 600,000 have been forced to flee.

Vatican stance

Argentine Pope Francis has spoken out several times against the barbaric Buddhist actions against the Rohingya. In February, he said: “They are being killed and tortured because they simply want to practice their Muslim beliefs.”

On August 27, the Pontiff declared his solidarity with the Rohingya, demanding that their rights be respected. “Our brothers are being harmed and oppressed due to their faith and creed,” he said.

Was Pope Francis welcome in Myanmar?

As the pope was preparing to head to Myanmar, radical Buddhists were tirelessly working on “negatively affecting his trip,” going so far as to being prepared to threaten him directly if he even uttered the word “Rohingya.”

Nationalism is the fatal sin of this age. Nationalist Buddhist monks in Myanmar had condemned Pope Francis’ visit and the Patriotic Myanmar Monks Union issued a statement at the time, saying that the visit was aimed at oppressing the country’s Buddhists because the Pontiff had previously spoken openly about the Rohingya crisis.

Hardline Buddhist monk and spokesman of the Ma Ba Tha organization Ashin Thawparka threatened the pope by saying: “Pope Francis will be received with the welcome he deserves, but he will unleash a wave of criticism if he expresses his support for the Rohingya.”

Even thought the pope had throughout the year refused to heed these warnings and repeatedly used the term “Rohingya” to describe the minority, he did not say it during his Myanmar visit even though his comments all held implicit statements about the oppressed people.

Behind the scenes statements

Even though Pope Francis did not speak directly about the Rohingya, that does not mean that their plight was not discussed behind the scenes of his meetings.

The issue was addressed during a meeting he held with army commander Min Aung Hlaing, who is accused of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

The meeting was a last minute addition to the pope’s schedule and made at the request of Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yangon Charles Bo. A source from the Vatican said that this meeting had to inevitably be held during the pope’s trip because the chief of staff plays a major role in Myanmar’s economy and reconciliation efforts.

Bo said that the purpose of Pope Francis’ meeting with the general was not to emphasize the military’s oppression, but to hold dialogue. “Perhaps he could soften his heart in what could be the first step towards peace,” he added.

Means to overcoming radicalism

After talks with Min Aung Hlaing, Pope Francis sought to address the humanitarian sentiment of the religious leaderships of Myanmar and the rich ethnicities it represents. For 40 minutes, he held a meeting with 17 religious officials in the country, including representatives of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians. He condemned man’s inclination for murder, stopping just short of explicitly talking about the Rohingya crisis.

He urged unity among the divers ethnicities, stressing that they were all brothers despite their differences. “We should not fear differences. We all come from the same father and therefore we are brothers and we should remain that way. If we cannot agree among ourselves, then let us act like brothers who soon reconcile,” he remarked.

Openness or tolerance?

Aware of the influential role Buddhists play in Myanmar, the pope sought to meet with Sitagu Sayadaw, a prominent Buddhist monk, in order to emphasize the importance of coexistence in the country. He also met with the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, the government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks.

He then met with government representatives, which was an opportunity to urge them to push forward the peace process and national reconciliation, which can both be achieved by committing to justice and respecting human rights. The pope remarked that Myanmar enjoys important resources, but its most significant treasure is the diversity of its people, who have long suffered from internal conflicts that have led to deep divisions.

He reminded the government representatives that scholars and prophets have all highlighted justice as a pillar for real and long-lasting peace.

Religious differences should not be a source of division and lack of trust, but they should lead to unity and tolerance. Furthermore, he said that religions can play a role in healing old spiritual, existential and psychological wounds.



What to Know about the Latest Effort to End Türkiye's 40-year Kurdish Conflict

FILED - 02 November 2041, Hesse, Frankfurt_Main: A man displays a flag with the image of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan at the Kurdish Newroz celebration in Frankfurt. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa
FILED - 02 November 2041, Hesse, Frankfurt_Main: A man displays a flag with the image of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan at the Kurdish Newroz celebration in Frankfurt. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa
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What to Know about the Latest Effort to End Türkiye's 40-year Kurdish Conflict

FILED - 02 November 2041, Hesse, Frankfurt_Main: A man displays a flag with the image of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan at the Kurdish Newroz celebration in Frankfurt. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa
FILED - 02 November 2041, Hesse, Frankfurt_Main: A man displays a flag with the image of imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan at the Kurdish Newroz celebration in Frankfurt. Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa

A group of 30 Kurdish fighters clad in camouflage fatigues burned their weapons in a large cauldron in northern Iraq on Friday, in a symbolic gesture marking the first concrete step in an effort to end one of the Middle East’s longest-running insurgencies.

The ceremonial laying down of arms by members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK -- including 15 women — comes months after the group’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on it to disarm and disband as part of a new peace effort with Türkiye. Ocalan repeated that call in a video message to his fighters this week.

The process in Türkiye was initiated in October by Devlet Bahceli, a firebrand ultranationalist politician who has usually opposed any concessions to Kurdish identity or rights.

While Turkish officials have welcomed the first step toward the PKK’s disarmament, questions remain about the future of Kurdish fighters in Syria.

What is the PKK? The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has waged an armed insurgency against Türkiye since 1984, initially with the aim of establishing a Kurdish state in the southeast of the country. Over time, the objective evolved into a campaign for autonomy and rights for Kurds within Türkiye.

The conflict between militants and state forces, which has spread beyond Türkiye’s borders into Iraq and Syria, has killed tens of thousands of people. The PKK is considered to be a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Who is Ocalan? Abdullah Ocalan, who as a student of political science in Ankara became deeply involved in leftist movements, formed the PKK in 1978 as a Marxist organization. He fled to Syria in 1979, along with other PKK members, where he remained until 1998, when Syria expelled him under intense pressure from Türkiye.

Ocalan was captured in Kenya in 1999 and imprisoned on Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, where he remains to this day. His death sentence for treason was commuted to a life term in prison after Türkiye abolished the death penalty.

The 76-year-old endures as a symbol for Kurdish independence and rights and continues to wield influence over the Kurdish movement, with past messages relayed through family members or lawyers resonating beyond Türkiye, in Iraq and Syria.

Push for peace

In October, Bahceli, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggested Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounces violence and disbands the PKK.

It was a major shift for the hardline politician who had previously strongly supported the state’s military action against the militant group and its affiliates in neighboring Syria and rejected any notion of negotiation.

In a message delivered through senior officials of the pro-Kurdish People's Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, Ocalan called on the PKK leadership to take the decision to disband and disarm in February.

The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire in March in response to Ocalan’s call and later announced its decision to disarm.

It was not immediately clear what concessions, if any, the Kurdish groups would get in return. PKK officials have said they expect former fighters to be given a path to integrate into the political system in Türkiye.

There are also concerns that some splinter groups may emerge within the PKK and that attacks may continue.

Soon after Bahceli's announcement, the PKK claimed an attack on Türkiye’s key aerospace company outside of Ankara that killed several people.

Previous attempts

There have been several peace efforts between the Turkish state and the PKK over the years, including secret negotiations held in Oslo, Norway from 2009 until 2011. However, none have yielded results.

The last attempt to reach a peace deal took place between 2013 and 2015 with a series of talks between Turkish officials and Ocalan, who declared a ceasefire and withdrew fighters to bases in northern Iraq.

Turkish officials took steps to improve Kurdish rights, including allowing Kurdish-language broadcasts. The process collapsed in July 2015, after a series of violent attacks, including one by the ISIS group that killed 33 pro-Kurdish activists.

Since then, Türkiye has cracked down on its pro-Kurdish movement and has jailed thousands of people, including the former leader of the main pro-Kurdish political party, Selahattin Demirtas, over alleged links to the PKK.

Reshaping the region

The latest peace effort comes at a time when Türkiye and the Kurds are both seeking security to face the challenges in the Middle East.

The renewed peace initiative unfolds amid fundamental changes reshaping the region, including the reconfiguration of power in Syria after the toppling of President Bashar Assad, the weakening of the Hezbollah militant movement in Lebanon, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Türkiye strongly supports a deal reached between Syria’s new administration and the Kurdish-led and US backed Syrian Democratic Forces under which the SDF forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The US envoy to Syria told The Associated Press this week that the sides remain at odds over the merger.

Hamish Kinnear, Senior Middle East and North Africa Analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said Ocalan’s decision to abandon the armed struggle coincides with a period when the PKK’s leverage is weak due to military setbacks and regional isolation.

“The PKK’s armed struggle was already faltering in the face of advances by Türkiye’s military, while its popularity among its traditional base was in decline,” Kinnear said. ”Ultimately, the peace talks were a useful off ramp in which improvement of Kurdish rights could still be pursued."

However, some believe the main aim of the reconciliation effort is for Erdogan’s government to garner Kurdish support for a new constitution that would allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his term ends.

Bahceli has openly called for a new constitution, saying it was essential to keep Erdogan in power for Türkiye’s future. Erdogan and Bahceli are reportedly seeking parliamentary support from the DEM.