By Neil Thompson
Thanks to modern communications, an onetime phenomena powerfulness endure getting a to a greater extent than serious, modern twist inward Asian conflicts. Extremists of diverse stripes direct maintain long lumped together disparate groups of people amongst solely weak ties inward companionship to advise a global alliance against the extremists’ ain favored in-group. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 typical illustration inward the contemporary West would endure the far right’s demonization of Muslims, nether which narrators essay to acquaint a coherent worldview that ties the unusual policy of the Islamic Republic of Islamic Republic of Mauritania (in West Africa) into the activities of the Indonesian government. Suggesting that one’s local adversaries are to a greater extent than powerful than they truly are, in addition to that weaker foes are truly purpose of a malignant global bloc aligned against the extremist’s ain in-group, is a time-honored propaganda tactic. With the spread of inexpensive smartphones in addition to other near-instantaneous agency of communication however, at that spot are straight off signs that hardliners inward diverse local conflicts are taking the propaganda of “enemy” groups from elsewhere, in addition to using it to justify their ain atrocities at home. An early on illustration of this evolution inward activity tin sack endure seen inward the way that Myanmar’s persecution of its Rohingya Muslim minority increased after the then-Taliban authorities demolished 2 ancient statues of the Buddha inward Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province inward 2001. The hard-line Taliban took this activity for internal political reasons unrelated to whatever sectarian animus toward Buddhists inward particular; the population of Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan is 99.7 pct Muslim, piece the people of nearby Bamiyan urban pith are Shia Muslims, a far to a greater extent than mutual target for the Sunni fundamentalists who bring together groups similar the Afghan in addition to Pakistani Taliban movements. In Myanmar, however, the devastation of the Buddha statues in addition to the 9/11 attacks inward New York in addition to Washington that same twelvemonth fueled resentful local perceptions of Muslims equally tearing in addition to untrustworthy neighbors, according to a contemporary Human Rights Watch report. These feelings were easily exploited yesteryear local actors to launch some other circular of Myanmar’s regular persecutions against non-Buddhist minorities. In 2002, it was stateless Muslim Rohingya who were the primary targets of sectarian persecution, though they were non the solely Muslim minorities attacked yesteryear mobs.
As is hence oftentimes the instance inward contemporary Myanmar, the perpetrators inward 2002 went unpunished yesteryear the then-military government. In fact the country’s armed services has long had close ties amongst the hard-line Buddhist monks fomenting much of the electrical flow anti-Muslim animus inward Myanmar today; the appeal of extreme nationalism inward modern Myanmar fifty-fifty has some commentators drawing comparisons to historical forms of European fascism. But the periodic outbreaks of violence against the Rohingya in addition to other Muslim communities direct maintain also drawn the attention of the Islamic footing to Myanmar. Now, cheers to modern media technology, simply equally Buddhists to a greater extent than or less the footing were made aware of devastation of the Bamiyan Buddhas inward the early on 2000s, hence Muslim communities speedily larn of attacks against their co-religionists inward places similar Myanmar. The get of the Rohingya today has been elevated out of global obscurity into something of a get celebre inward the Muslim footing equally a result.
Extremist groups, equally always, were somewhat ahead of this curve. Even earlier, smaller clashes betwixt Rohingya in addition to Buddhists inward Myanmar’s Rakhine province inward 2012 drew the ire of Muslim extremists exterior of Southeast Asia for example; the Pakistani Taliban (a related but sort branch of the displace that destroyed the statutes of the 2 Buddhas inward Afghanistan) demanded that Islamic Republic of Pakistan cutting off diplomatic relations amongst Myanmar, whose generals had goodness relations amongst their Pakistani counterparts. Even inward 2012, before the persecution of the Royhingas had assumed today’s catastrophic proportions, at that spot were worries that Islamists inward Southern Asia could target diplomats from Buddhist countries to solidify their claim to stand upwardly up for the global community of Muslims. Similar fears surround China’s handling of the Muslim minority inward its Xinjiang region, in addition to the potential for escalation elsewhere inward Asia, especially equally Beijing’s Belt in addition to Road projection causes the novel superpower to expand into unstable areas of the footing where it had previously non had much of a presence.
Of course, the thought of a unmarried continental scrap betwixt Muslims in addition to other groups inward Asia is an overblown one, constitute mainly inward the literature of extremist Buddhist groups inward places similar Sri Lanka or Myanmar. But the propaganda value of broadcasting authorities repression of Muslims inward non-Muslim bulk countries, or recording the crimes committed against non-Muslims yesteryear Muslim extremist groups, tin sack speedily practise a dynamic where extremists inward otherwise unrelated conflicts seek out atrocities inward distant struggles inward companionship to justify their actions at home. For example, Hezbi-i-Islami, an extremist grouping inward Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan that signed a peace understanding amongst the Afghan authorities final year, of late drew explicit attending to the way the devastation of the Bamiyan statues yesteryear the Taliban inward 2001 increased persecution of Muslims thousands of miles away inward Myanmar, eventually culminating (though it did non explicitly say so) inward the recent ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya community there.
As a grouping that has of late changed sides inward the Afghan civil state of war betwixt the Taliban in addition to the U.S.-backed authorities inward Kabul, Hezbi-i-Islami of course of study has its ain agenda; accusing the Taliban of recklessly endangering other Muslims overseas undermines the group’s claim to endure a defender of Sunni Muslims, in addition to yesteryear inference, paints Hezbi-i-Islami equally right to direct maintain abandoned the rebel get inward Afghanistan. But it is an interesting confirmation of how extremists themselves straight off recognize that the effects of actions they direct maintain inward a local conflict tin sack direct maintain global repercussions elsewhere, repercussions they powerfulness in i lawsuit direct maintain remained inward ignorance of simply a few decades earlier. Moreover, inward the novel data era, sort conflicts are also straight off increasingly universally compared to i another, fifty-fifty yesteryear moderates in addition to peace activists, equally though their situations were somehow linked. Sometimes these comparisons tin sack encourage hardliners to experience victorious inward their efforts to portray local enemies equally pawns inward a global struggle.
For example, inward Asian in addition to Western media outlets some comparisons direct maintain been made betwixt Israel’s handling of the Palestinians in addition to Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya. Israeli arms sales to Myanmar direct maintain fifty-fifty been interpreted equally evidence of a tacit alliance betwixt 2 non-Muslim powers, who are both seen equally hostile to Islam. Though at that spot are diplomatic ties, the 2 governments practise non direct maintain a particularly closed history of working together, yet they are oftentimes linked inward the media in addition to yesteryear activists. Similarly, extremist monks inward places similar Myanmar direct maintain begun using mainstream media stories roofing faraway conflicts betwixt diverse Muslim in addition to non-Muslim populations to justify their ain narrative of a global scrap against the Islamic religion. This conveniently avoids whatever give-and-take of the many splits inside Islam, in addition to inside Islamic countries, that speedily exposes the thought of whatever sort of united Muslim footing conspiracy or pop forepart equally preposterous.
In reality, Muslims today are the grouping nigh victimized yesteryear the real same Islamic terrorists used to demonize them yesteryear extremists inward other countries in addition to cultures. This shows that piece it is straight off easier than ever to acquire data on conflicts inward distance places, bias in addition to lack of contextual understanding tin sack acquire inward tardily for local prejudices to endure inflamed yesteryear selective filtering of the images in addition to statements shown online in addition to through social media. For example, attending on the responsibleness for the massacres inward Myanmar has largely focused on the twin roles of human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi in addition to diverse Buddhist monks; yet the policy of ethnic cleansing was in all probability decided upon yesteryear Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the actual commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces, whom the elected civilian authorities does non control. He is a known Tatmadaw (as the Myanmar military are known) hardliner, who start rose to prominence inward 2009 when he led a barbarous drive against the ethnic Kokang Chinese of the rebel Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
With hence many hardline groups straight off online in addition to looking to force a slanted agenda, sometimes over conflicts few exterior their part volition fifty-fifty direct maintain heard of, international media groups in addition to unconnected governments volition direct maintain to cash inward one's chips fifty-fifty to a greater extent than sensitive to how events they are portraying could endure interpreted or misused yesteryear actors far away.
Neil Thompson is a freelance journalist in addition to analyst. His run has appeared inward The Diplomat, the Economist Intelligence Unit, the International Security Network, the Independent, in addition to diverse other publications. He holds an MA inward the international relations of Eastern Asia in addition to is shortly based inward London.
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