CONTROVERSY OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 'BUDDHIST TERROR' COVER

Time magazine has made a Buddhist monk a terrorist

     The fact that a Buddhist monk has been identified as a terrorist in one of the most acclaimed news magazines in the world, Times which is scheduled to appear as the the most recent edition on the 1st of July has created an uproar.   

     The story in the cover which has identified Chirathu as 'The Face of Buddhist terror' and has tagged the name of the monk who took leadership in the Buddhist-Muslim conflict which has surfaced these days in Myanmar. The monk has been named as the Bin Laden of Myanmar.

     This monk who carries conflicting ideas across to the Buddhists of that country by establishing an organisation by the name of 969 Buddhist Jathikavadi Peramuna was mentioned by President Thein Seen as insulting Buddhism, over a special announcement made on Sunday night. The President said that Myanmar or Burma is a country which has a long history in Buddhism, and presenting religious extremism in the face of the world could be the work of someone who doesn't know the facts. He further requested that steps should be taken to rectify this act where the Buddhist tradition is being disregarded.

    Though this Buddhist monk Chirathu has taken up leadership and motivated the public towards illegal activities and instigated Myanmar Muslim antagonism, the monk was taken into custody in the year 2003 and was subjected to a jail-sentence of 25 years, he was later released as a consequence of action taken by Human Rights organisations. However, the thero after being released had once more started his conflicting opinions against Muslims.

    There had been an anti-Muslim campaign launched by the 969 Peramuna in the past within Myanmar and 167 persons had been killed as a result of conflicts that took place in the Rohingaya province in June 2012 while almost a lakh of Muslims were left destitute losing their property in the process. It was this 969 Peramuna which brought forth slogans for boycotting patronage of Muslim business and shops.

    Chirathu thero who expressed his ideas about the insult aimed at him by Time magazine says, "By slinging mud .... the brilliance of a gem cannot be stopped. Be patient with this misinformed activities". The monk goes on to say that this type of theme may have emerged in the Time magazine as a result of the influence of the Arab media.

    Though this cover has been published in the Time magazine of July 1st, 2013 in editions covering Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Pacific; the American edition has been designed with a different cover.

    In the meantime, a page has been created to protest against the misleading contents of this cover in the international social network of Facebook where an opportunity has been provided to Buddhists the world over to go there and conduct a protest.

   Facebook page expresses protest against cover page of Time magazine. HERE