Requesting to Boycott the 27th SEA Game in Myanmar

Date: 24 November 2013
Ref: 6/2013

PRESS STATEMENT
BURMA MUSLIM YOUTH NETWORK-MALAYSIA

Subject Matter: Requesting to Boycott the 27th SEA Game in Myanmar

Assalamu’alaikum wrt. wbt.

Dear Muslim Athletes,

The 27th SEA Game will be held in Myanmar very soon. The government of Myanmar is suppressing and terrorizing Muslims in Myanmar. The government nurtures a huge amount of Buddhist monks and followers across the nation in order to systematically kill Muslims, burn Muslims alive and their houses, loot Muslim properties, confiscate lands belong to Muslims, destroy and burn Mosques, religious schools as well as the Holy Qur’ans. Numerous evidences are also available to the world, such as photos and videos, in which we can clearly see that police and security forces were even guarding Buddhist monks and terrorists while they are killing Muslims, burning Muslims alive, mosques, houses and properties. Muslims have been subjected to various human right violations throughout the successive governments since the independence of Myanmar in 1948. It reaches to the peak and extreme situation during the current President Thein Sein tenure (2010-2015). As a result, hundred thousands of Muslims lost their lives, lands and properties. Hundreds of mosques and thousands of religious schools were torched down. Religious lands (wakaf) were confiscated across the country. Hundred thousands of Muslims are forced to live as refugees in some concentration camps without enough shelters, foods and medical cares. Hundred thousands of Muslims are also forced to flee from the country as refugees. Although the international community (including OIC, Malaysia as well as Indonesia) extended humanitarian aids to the victims of terrorism, most of them were abused by the government. Recently, the government invited OIC to Myanmar and, on the other hand, the government itself systematically planned various type of demonstrations lead by Buddhist monks against OIC as well as Islam as a whole across the country. Demonstrators even claimed Islam as animalism and waged war against Muslim world.
Accordingly, we (Burma Muslim Youth Network-Malaysia) would like to respectfully urge our beloved Muslims athletes to boycott the 27th SEA Game by not participating. Furthermore, we would like to draw your kind attention to the following short notices as your brothers in Islam if it is under compulsion for you to participate in the 27th SEA Game in Myanmar.

(1) All Buddhists in Myanmar, starting from the President to the beggars, hate Muslims and they always want to terrorize Muslims.
(2) Visiting Buddhist religious places such as pagodas and monasteries will be like inviting danger to you live.
(3) As far as you can, please do not leave the stadium or designated hotel. In case it is emergency and important, you may go in group. Yet, please do not forget to ask for sufficient security from the respective personnel.
(4) Any initiative with the Burmese authorities and personnel should be recorded as video evidence and share the data to others.
(5) If you encounter any riot, please consider the security of you as well as your group without setting eyes on the riot. Please, go back to the designated hotel as soon as possible.
(6) Please stay away from Buddhist monks with saffron suits and hairless head. Please, do not attempt to communicate with them.
(7) Please do not be confident with the promises from the government, police and security forces for your own security. They too hate Islam as well as Muslims and thus they may turn to be your enemy at any point.
(8) There is no safe place for Muslims (Myanmar Muslims as well as Foreign Muslims) across the whole country.
(9) If there is any riot or detrimental to you, please try to disseminate the information as soon as possible to your embassy and plan to return your home country.

We hereby pray to Allah (s.w.t.) for our Brothers and Beloved Muslim Athletes who will be participating in the 27th SEA Game to win gold metals and arrive safely to their home countries.

Burma Muslim Youth-Network Malaysia.