Published
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Temporary committee formed to open mosques
The run down Jama mosque, a center of Islamic worship in Sittwe built 1859 is seen with overgrowth of vegetation after it was permanently closed in 2012 following deadly clashes with Muslims and Buddhists. Photo: AFP
Muslim leaders from all states and regions of Myanmar are forming a temporary committee to press the civilian-led government to reopen shuttered mosques across the country, most of which were closed down in the wake of 2012 communal violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state, RFA reported.
The committee has a growing list of more than 40 mosques shut down in 10 of the country’s states and regions, said committee representative Maung Maung Myint.
Most of the structures were shut down following riots in western Myanmar’s multicultural Rakhine state more than seven years ago, he said.
