Arakan News Agency
Burma’s President Thein Sein has proposed four pieces of legislation that threaten the very fiber of Burma’s already halting democratic reform process. If passed, the Protection of Race and Religion bills would violate religious liberty and institute potentially severe population control measures. The U.S. should maintain its opposition to them.
Religion Laws
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The proposed religion bills address religious conversions, interreligious marriage, population control, and polygamy.[1] From the information available, of the four bills, the Religious Conversion Law and the Population Control Healthcare Law pose the greatest threat to individual liberties.
The Religious Conversion Law creates a Registration Board that would require individuals to undergo screening and certification of their religious conversion by the local government. After review, individuals can be denied the right to convert to their chosen religion. The review process and the mere fact that a personal religious decision has to be reported to the government is a major problem.
The Population Control Healthcare Law advocates population control measures including birth spacing—or the practice of leaving a 36-month interval between having additional children. The law calls for a survey to determine population density and its relationship to available resources in Burma. If it is determined that a specific region is deemed to have too large a population, the government would mobilize population control apparatus to that region until it is deemed of suitable population size.
Religious Liberty in Burma
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The state of religious freedom in Burma is already bleak. Since 1999 and until today, Burma has been designated by the State Department as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for engaging in “severe violations of religious freedom.”
Burmese Muslim minority Rohingya face particularly acute persecution. Under Burmese law, Rohingya are not considered citizens of Burma, despite the fact that most Rohingya are born there. The Burmese government attempts to legitimize their claim by referencing a requirement in the 1982 Citizenship Law, which stipulates that ancestors live in Burma prior to the start of British colonial rule.
Since Rohingya allegedly do not meet this requirement, many are rendered stateless, and therefore operate outside the protection of Burmese laws. Rohingya are denied the right to vote, are more susceptible to violence, and increasingly vulnerable to discrimination.
The majority of religious conflicts today in Burma are between Buddhists and Muslims. However, Christians, especially the Kachin minority, are also targeted.
source : the heritage
