Accusations
There have been a number of accusations made that monks have been rioting, attacking, or been arrested for instigating riots in the social unrest of Myanmar in the last year. This is completely false. There is no verifiable arrests of any monks in Myanmar during these incidents.
There have also been a number of false reports that Buddhists associated for violence in Myanmar have not been arrested, this is also completely false.
Message to Time Magazine and Hannah Beech
On what grounds of truth and morality does Time Magazine or Hannah Beech have to bring down the international condemnation gavel on Burma, monk Wirathu or Buddhists of the world?
Reply from Ven.Wirathu:
“My preaching is not burning with hatred as you say. Only your writing is full of hate speech.
We can forgive the misunderstanding. We can forgive wrong conclusion. But will you deny that your hatred words targeted me to tarnish my reputation.
Please recheck your words and the words that I preached.
“Now is not the time for calm.”
“Now is the time to rise up to make your blood boil.” These are your words.
Now I show my words.
969 is for peace,
We should preserve these noble reputations of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
For our National cause, our Culture and our Faith,
We will avoid terror act.
Upholding three gems (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha)
We will perform with honesty, diligence and determined attempts.
For our national cause,
We will carry out it warmly without ignorance.”
These are my words. It is clear that you made savage attack against me by comparing my words and your words.”
Wikipedia Myths
From the Wikipedia page about 969:
“The movement that inspired strong reactions within[5] and beyond Myanmar. In the international media it has received criticism. The Straits Times, in 2013, dramatically described it as “Myanmar’s “neo-Nazi group” and alleged that it spreads anti-Muslim sentiment”.[6]“
To describe 969 and it’s teachings as being ‘neo-Nazi like’ is impossible. We hold the teachings of the Buddha as the foundation in which we work and those views are incompatible with the views of neo-Nazi’s (and historical policies of Hitler and Germany’s Third Reich). Self-defense in the face of jihad is not an error against moral virtues but a moral imperative.
With no sense of irony, Wirathu has even been called by Bengali critics the “Burmese Bin Laden.” The lies of the Western media are so transparent, even the June 2013 Time article incorrectly reported he described himself in this manner. All Buddhists “abhorre violence” and opposes terrorism. Bhikkhu Wirathu has said it is a protective movement about targeting “Bengalis who are terrorizing ethnic Rakhine (Buddhists).”
There have been many attacks against Buddhists in Myanmar that have gone unreported in the Western media. Myanmar, like many other countries in the world, has a long history of Islamic terrorists killing, raping, and destroying. We have never said that all Muslims are bad nor do we have any interest in attacking or hurting Islam, we are Buddhists in a Buddhist country and we insist to the the right to maintain our culture and quality of life in the face of terrorism.
As our founder has said, you cannot rest while sleeping next to a violent animal and the Buddhists of Myanmar and other countries around the world such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and others are under constant harassment and persecution.
More debunking of the myths associated with 969 will be posted here in the future.