Buddhist-Muslim interactions in Burma/Myanmar

Abstract

This chapter presents a broad history of Muslim-Buddhist encounters and dynamics in Burma/Myanmar, focusing on two primary aspects: First, due to the Buddhist demographic majority and a tradition of political rule influenced by Buddhist symbolism and legitimation for centuries, these encounters have been overwhelmingly unequal, with Buddhists consistently dominant. Second, even during periods where political authorities practiced policies of religious inclusion, allowing non-Buddhists to practice their religions or hold influential political, economic or societal positions, Muslims of virtually any background have consistently been portrayed and viewed as foreign in particular ways, and as standing outside either the polity or a more nebulously defined ethno-religious community.