Young Buddhists who claim they love peace conducted a “white rose” campaign at Bahadur Zafar Shar Dargah mosque in Dagon Township, Yangon on May 17 by giving out roses to Muslims.
Young Buddhists visited the Bahadur Zafar Shar Dargah mosque in Dagon Township, Yangon and they gave white roses to Muslims who came back from worship and prayer.
Activist Thet Swe Win who leads this campaign said, “We named this campaign as ‘White Rose Campaign’. We have started this campaign since yesterday. Abbot Sein Teik Tha of Light of Asia monastery in Pyinoolwin called me yesterday and told me that he was in Yangon now and he wanted to visit the Islam religious buildings which were closed recently and he wanted to visit these wards and comfort and console these people. Then we visited these places yesterday with the abbot. On the way to these places we bought some white roses and we gave these roses to the Islamic faith followers found there.”
He added that this campaign was conducted in protest against the harassing and banning of Muslim prayer meeting on 15 May by so-called nationalists who came armed with sticks and knives.
These young Buddhists claim they do not want to see Buddhism used to oppress those of other faiths.
Tin Myint, son of fallen martyr and former Education Minister Razak, who also came back from this prayer meeting on that day said, “The permission given by executive branch and law enacted by law makers should not be denied and rejected by an individual or a person. I would like to see Myanmar people are law abiding people.”
Yangon Region government permitted three buildings in South Dagon Township to be used as temporary Muslim prayer meeting halls. About 200 nationalists led by a man named Michael Kyaw Myint came to these places on May 14 and 15 and then he ordered them to stop conducting worship and prayer at these places. Following some commotion, the Muslims stopped prayers.
On May 16 in the evening Yangon Region Police Force Chief gave permission again to the three places for conducting worship and prayer meetings.
