Religion, Secularism, and the Pursuit of Peace in Myanmar

Abstract

The military-led reform of the Myanmar state that began in approximately 2011, constituted by partial democratic reform, economic liberalization, and a newly invigorated peace process with more than 20 armed groups, has been hampered by myriad ongoing conflicts and the military’s continued hold on key pillars of power. A notable element of this environment is Buddhist nationalist rhetoric and activism, finding new forms of expression and civic mobilization in the space of democratic openings and often driving exclusionary attitudes, particularly against Myanmar’s Muslim population. This article examines how Buddhist nationalist activism might impact the peace talks and the 2020 election.

Keywords:

• Buddhism
• politics
• Myanmar
• Burma
• religion and law
• conflict
• secularism

Notes

1 This article was commissioned by the Cambridge Institute on Religion & International Studies (CIRIS) on behalf of the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy (TPNRD). CIRIS’s role as the Secretariat of the TPNRD is generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of CIRIS, Clare College, the Luce Foundation, the TPNRD Secretariat, or any TPNRD-participating government.

2 The text of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement commits to the following basic principle “Establish a secular state based on the principle of the separation of religion and state in order to avoid abuse of religion for political interests.” Text of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement accessed online on October 25, 2019 at https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/MM_151510_NCAAgreement.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward is Senior Advisor for Religion & Inclusive Societies at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Hayward leads the Institute’s efforts to understand religious dimensions of conflict and advance efforts engaging religious actors and organizations in peacebuilding. Since joining the Institute in 2007, her field work has focused on Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Colombia and Iraq. From 2010–2012 she coordinated an initiative exploring the intersection of women, religion, conflict, and peacebuilding in partnership with the Berkley Center at Georgetown University and the World Faiths Development Dialogue.

Iselin Frydenlund

Iselin Frydenlund is Associate Professor at the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society. Her research interests include the role of religion in war and peace, religion and violence, suicide terrorism, interreligious dialogue in its various forms, and freedom of religion or belief. She works specifically on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, currently focusing on Buddhist-Muslim relations. Since 2013 she has been working together with the Buddhist Federation of Norway and monastic organizations in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Bangladesh on religious minority rights in Buddhist majority states.