In Myanmar, Buddhist monks seek hijab ban for schoolgirls

A group of Buddhist monks have sought a ban on headscarves worn by Muslim girls in Myanmar, where minority Rohingya Muslims are facing perpetual violence by Buddhist majority population in the Arakan state of the country. 

Acocording to world Bulletin website, a panel of monks, locally known by the acronym Ma Ba Tha, said the headscarves were “not in line with school discipline”.

"Ma Ba Tha came together and held a conference in Rangoon over the weekend. More than 1,300 monks from monasteries around the country gathered to discuss plans to promote a nationalist agenda as the country heads toward landmark elections later this year," the report said. 

Ma Ba Tha prepared a list of recommendations, and have told its members to lobby the government to insist on further restrictions on the country’s Muslims, and included references to the wearing of either headscarves or burqas.

“We will demand seriously for the government to ban Muslim students wearing the burqa in government schools and to ban the killing of 'innocent' animals on their [Muslims’] Eid holiday,” it said. 

Quoting Ma Ba Tha monk U Pamaukkha, it said, “When they [Muslims] live in Myanmar, they need to obey the law and regulations of the country. We are not targeting or attacking their religion.”

The group issued a statement saying that it would keep monitoring “crimes by non-Buddhists” and using Facebook to spread news about alleged threats to Buddhism in Myanmar, it added.