Time Magazine Misinterpretation Rejected ------------------------------------------------ Nay Pyi Taw, June 23 2013 U Wirathu, a son of Lord Buddha appeared at the cover of the Time Magazine issued on 1 July 2013, Vol.182, No 1 with an article entitled The Face of Buddhist Terror. Myanmar is a country with freedom of religion without discrimination amongst various faiths. Although the majority of Myanmar citizens profess Theravada Buddhism, the Article 362 of the Constitution clearly stipulates that “the Union also recognizes Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Animism as the religions existing in the Union effective from the date the Constitution enters into force.’’ Buddhism is a religion that teaches for noble peace based on the knowledge practiced by ourselves with the firm belief on one’s own actions and its results. The members of Sangha, sons of Lord Buddha have been peacefully and strictly following 227 kinds of Code of Conduct (Vinaya), striving for the purification, perpetuation and propagation of the Sasana for thousands of years. Moreover, the symbol 969 is known to represent nine virtues of Lord Buddha, six virtues of Dhamma and nine virtues of Sangha which is referred to as Three Gems that is deeply venerated by Buddhists as a symbol of peace, as such the respective Sangha Organizations have been requesting to refrain from the use of this symbol in un-appropriate ways and places as such acts could tarnish the image of Buddhist. Today, the Government is undertaking the transformation process to build an independent and transparent democratic society. Therefore, the Government is working in hand with the religious leaders, political parties, the media and the people to avoid the reoccurance of unwanted conflicts in the country. As religions or beliefs are of complex and sensitive nature, it is vital that we place greater emphasis on religious freedom and mutual respect amongst people of various faiths. The article that appeared in Time Magazine not only misled many on Theravada Buddhism, the main belief of majority of Myanmar people which has been practiced for thousands of years but also damaged the Government’s efforts to build mutual respect amongst people of different religions. Thus, we reject the article “the Face of Buddhist Terror” written in the Time Magazine issued on 1 July 2013. president-office.gov.mm/en/briefing-room/news/2013/06/25/id-2257
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 05:14:41 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015