Democracy has a new face in Burma,

But the Muslims can expect no change

On the 9th of November 2015, the chairman of Burma’s military-aligned ruling party conceded, “We lost.” The last votes are still being counted, but the result has been declared by many in the US as a cautious victory for democracy in Burma after decades of military rule. However, the military will continue to rule, but in a different form, because the 2008 constitution that dictated the terms of President Thein Sein’s government in 2011, will dictate also the terms of Aung San Suu Kyi’s new National League for Democracy government. The constitution was written by the military, which reserves a quarter of all seats in parliament for the military, and cannot be changed except with military approval. Furthermore, the military will appoint key ministerial positions (the interior, defense and border security ministries), and will have a majority in the National Defense and Security Council, which is the highest constitutional body in Burma. In addition, the military has reserved the right to retake direct power for national security reasons and undisputed control of areas where ethnic conflicts are raging.

The military has been conducting ruthless campaigns of extermination against many ethnic minority groups in Burma, and these include Muslims such as the Rohingya situated mostly in Arakan province where they constitute 90% of the population, compared to a national average of 5%. However, despite the despotic rule of the military and their involvement in the massacre of Muslims, they are not the primary source of evil. Democracy itself is the major cause of the suffering and persecution that Muslims face in Burma! US democracy has a history of breaking nations more effectively than its military ever did, and Iraq is a case in point of that where sectarian tensions have ripped the country into pieces!

When the military in Burma conceded to the demands of US-backed Buddhist monks for democracy, the flood gates of evil were opened wide. For the first time, the size of the Muslim population became a threat. This is because democratic government is the rule of the majority over the minority, which opened up great sectarian divides in Burma. The leading Buddhist monks mobilized the fearful Buddhist majority to intensify attacks upon Muslims, while the army stood by and watched. All this happened under the former democratic government and the same principles will leave Muslims at the mercy of fanatical Buddhists in the new government. Neither the name ‘National League for Democracy’ nor its leader’s Nobel Peace prize will stand in the way of the Buddhist majority that elected it.

Under a new face of democracy, the military will continue to enjoy the privileges that come from selling Burma’s assets to the hungry capitalist markets, and the blood-thirsty monks will find no one to stand in their way. Meanwhile the silence of leaders of the Muslim countries is deafening, although Allah (swt) instructs that Muslims must rush to the aid of their fellow oppressed Muslims.

﴿وَإِنِ اسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُم مِّيثَاقٌ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ﴾

“And if they seek help of you for the religion, then you must help, except against a people between yourselves and whom is a treaty. And Allah is Seeing of what you do.” [al-Anfal: 72]

It is the duty of the Muslim Ummah to force their leaders to give nussrah to the oppressed Muslims in Burma.Oh Muslims, do not remain silent over the submission of your affairs to your enemies, and it is time to recognize that only the Khilafah "Caliphate" state upon the method of the Prophethood will defend our Honour and safeguard our nation. The Prophet (saw) has said:

«إنما الإمام جنة يقاتل من ورائه ويتقى به»

“The Imam is a shield, behind whom you fight and protect yourself.”

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Dr. Abdullah Robin