A Muslim man walks through downtown Yangon, where mosques and madrasas can be found near temples and pagodas / Aung Naing Soe
The heads of eight madrasas in Yangon’s Thaketa township have been forced to sign an agreement not to hold prayer sessions following pressure from Buddhist nationalist groups.
According to a copy of the contract seen by Coconuts Yangon, the madrasas, or Islamic schools, can only be used for teaching.
Members of the anti-Islamic Peace and Diversity Party, whose chairman has threatened to beat Muslims, and The Myochit Dhamma Network petitioned the township administration office to enforce a ban on Saturday.
According to sources close to the community, who asked not to be named out of fear of retribution, local officials initially refused to do so and police had to be called to disperse the gathering.
But yesterday, in the presence of both local administrators and nationalist groups, the madrasa leaders signed the agreement.
Sitt San Aung, a PDP candidate from Thaketa township told Coconuts Yangon that members of the Muslim community were using the madrasas for Friday prayer, like a mosque.
There are no mosques in Thaketa township.
“They are making their madrasas like mosques… Buddhists and people from other religions do not gather like this,” said Sitt San Aung.
“We tried to stop it as there will be some weapons in mosques whenever the conflict happens.”
The madrasa heads could not be reached for comment.
Photo / Aung Min Lwin / Facebook
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