THE MAUNG NU ‘NON-MASSACRE’ - WHICH VERSION?

by Rick Heizman, Feb 12, 2018

The major problem with this supposed massacre, supposedly stretched over six days of
events, from Aug 25-Aug 30, is that the first accounts of it, by reporter Annie Gowen, writing
for the Washington Post, are at great odds with later accounts, by notoriously one-sided
Human Rights Watch, Fortify Rights and Buddhist hater Todd Pitman. Either we have to pick
one version, or another, or another, or neither one to believe.
Annie Gowen, Reporting For The Washington Post - Version #1
Maung Nu, is also called Monu Para, and is a village of roughly 750 households, with about
2000 people, situated 5½ miles (9 km) north of Buthidaung. It was first mentioned,
prominently, in a September 16 Washington Post article. At that time, “nearly a dozen”
witnesses told reporter Annie Gowen of the events that occurred over several days there.
Maung Nu was attacked, some people were killings and homes burned early on August 25,
starting around 8 am, just 5 hours after ARSA had attacked a nearby army base
intending to kill all security forces and loot the weaponry in order to continue
annihilating all non-Muslims.
Mohamed Zubair, the owner and captain of a boat told Gowen that his
boat was requisitioned by the army and loaded with bodies on Aug 26 -
casualties of the August 25 surprise attacks by Muslims upon the
security forces and the expected repulsion of those attacks. The
soldiers warned him “you will also be killed,” and then he claimed that
he fainted upon seeing corpses “including those of two 13-year-old
boys.” Since he fainted, he can’t be sure, but Zubair “believes the
corpses were dumped in the river.”
Then, as this story runs, there were several days of tension as the
army remained nearby, but with no noted killings. On August 27, for
example, nothing is noted except a mother reunites with her son,
who had fled to the woods after being wounded on the 25th - in other
words, he was one of the attackers who was hoping to kill all non-Muslims and declare the
ethnically cleansed land an autonomous Islamic State. The remaining Bengalis finally decided
to flee on August 30, to Bangladesh.
Now, Lets Examine the Story From Human Rights Watch - Version #2
On October 4, Human Rights Watch issued a report based on 14 alleged survivors they
interviewed – seemingly different from those who spoke to Annie Gowen. They all agree on
the point that some Muslim fighters were killed on the 25th in the clashes, with bodies hauled
away on Mr. Zubair’s boat. Zubair is the only witness known to be interviewed by both the
Post and HRW, with the same basic story, but with a different context in each version. Initially,
the bodies on his boat were pretty much the victims of the August 25 attacks by the Muslims
upon the non-Muslims, but to HRW, this is just a grisly prelude to a sudden and total slaughter
of around 100 people on August 27.
HWR, paints this as what happened on Aug 27:
The Burmese military summarily executed several dozen Rohingya Muslims in Maung Nu
village in Burma’s Rakhine State on August 27, 2017, Human Rights Watch claimed.
‘Witnesses’ said that Burmese soldiers had beaten, sexually assaulted, stabbed, and shot
villagers who had gathered for safety in a residential compound, two days after Rohingya
militants attacked a local security outpost and military base.
Rasheed Salim, 48, described how Myanmar Army soldiers surrounded the large house of a
prominent Rohingya family where dozens of residents of Maung Nu village in Buthidaung
Township gathered for protection on the morning of August 27. Soldiers forcibly entered the
house and dragged men and boys outside. Rasheed Salim said: “They were taken out of the
house. They were blindfolded and made to lie down on the ground. Then [the Myanmar Army
soldiers] shot them.” Flora Begum, 50, also witnessed the attack: “[The soldiers] shot some of
them dead and kicked the others, screaming and threatening them....They were beating and
shooting the men on the ground.” Her father-in-law—who was a local Mawlawi (Imam)—her
brother-in-law, and his two sons, ages 16 and 18, were among those killed.
Survivors estimate that the soldiers killed at least 150 men and boys, ranging in age from 12
to 90, during the attack on Maung Nu village. HRW did not decide on a specific death toll, but
noted “some witnesses said 100 or more” bodies were collected by soldiers, who loaded them
“into military trucks and took them away.”
Todd Pitman’s Version # 3
An expansive AP report by Todd Pitman in December came back with 37 survivors (including
some and maybe all of HRW’s 14 survivors) agreeing on the same story: “At least 82
Rohingya are believed to have been murdered on August 27.” The story is much the same as
HRW’s, however, Todd Pitman interviewed his survivors 2 months after the HRW interviews
-and there are ‘new details’ in Pitman’s narrative.
The HRW report did not report any rapes or disappearances of women. But now, that is
added into Pitman’s piece. “About 20-25 of the women - mostly attractive and young - were
taken away. They were never seen again.” It is interesting that for 3 months, after it
supposedly happened, there was no mention of these 20-25 ‘abducted and missing’ young
women.
Why? Quite likely it never happened.
Pitman’s version also, interestingly, makes no mention of Mohamed Zubair, the man with
boat, which was loaded with bodies. His testimony was crucial to the narratives being created
by Annie Gowen and HRW. One would think that HRW would say something about Pitman’s
20-25 abducted women, and not ignore that ‘heinous tragedy’.

Don’t forget, Gowen interviewed in early Sept, HRW interviewed in Oct, and Pitman in Dec.

It seems fair to say - it is a lot of time to forget what is true, and what is not true.
 Captured militants

THE PREPARED ATTACKS AND GOALS OF THE BENGALI MUSLIMS:

What happened on the morning of August 25, 2017 is constantly trivialized, for example:
• In Annie Gowen’s article: “The latest wave of violence began Aug. 25, when an emerging
group of Rohingya militants, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, attacked 30 police posts
and an army base in Rakhine state, killing 12”.
• Amnesty International says, “Early in the morning of August 25, 2017, members of a
Rohingya armed group, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), attacked approximately
30 security force outposts in northern Rakhine State.”
• Fortify Rights: “After renaming itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in March
2017, the group waged a second attack on 30 police outposts and an army base on August
25, 2017, killing 12 officials.”
• Human Rights Watch will dumb it down even further: “Rohingya militants attacked a local
security outpost and military base.”
First: Here are descriptions of the targets, near Maung Nu, that ARSA attacked in the early
AM of Aug 25, 2017. The militants attacked the headquarters of the Burmese Army Western
Command’s Light Infantry Battalion 552 in Taung Bazar, about 6 miles (10 km) north of
Maung Nu. An estimated 300-500 militants took part in this attack.
One of the police outposts that was also attacked early that morning was close to the market in
Hpaung Taw Pyin, just a half mile (less then one kilometer) north of Maung Nu, where ARSA
militants attacked a checkpoint manned by the Border Guard Police (BGP). Residents living
near the market told Human Rights Watch that they were sleeping at home and heard heavy
gunfire coming from the area near the BGP checkpoint. They said gunfire continued until about
6 a.m. Todd Pitman also says, “A few hours after midnight on Aug. 25, fierce volleys of gunfire
woke the residents of Maung Nu. Rohingya militants had launched a surprise assault on a
Border Guard Police post in Hpaung Taw Pyin, less than a kilometer (½ mile) to the north.” Over
100 militants took part in that attack using “swords, firearms and bombs.”
Now I would think that any army, police, or country that is attacked like that, will respond, in
fact, has a duty to respond, and to rescue, protect, and evacuate civilians, and to eliminate
the threat they are under.
And, here is a much more relevant and sobering description of what really happened that
morning in a much larger view: In the early morning of August 25, 2017, unprecedented
multiple surprise attacks on well over 60 targets, comprised of 30 police and army outposts,
and dozens of villages populated by Buddhists, Hindus, and ethnic tribal peoples shocked the
whole nation of Myanmar.
IT WAS THE WORLDS LARGEST ISLAMIC TERRORIST ATTACK
It can, and should, be called one of the world’s largest terrorist attacks in history, considering
the high number of targets, and the estimated 4000-6000 assailants carrying out the attacks.
The attackers were Bengali Muslims, under the banner of ARSA - an Islamic terrorist group
with an Islamic agenda, which had widespread village support. Their intention was to
slaughter the security forces, and then grab all of the weapons and ammo. The squads of
Islamic fighters would then storm into villages of Buddhists, Hindus, and ethnic tribal people,
slashing, killing, and burning - and in some cases, gathering terrified villagers, marching them
out and savagely executing them until all were dead, many of them with tongues and ears cut
off, and limbs and heads severed. This scenario is what happened in the Hindu villages of
Kha Maung Seik - the one massacre which actually has the evidence of many bodies found in
mass graves, and more solid evidence from survivors, relatives, observers and relief workers.
And, interestingly, this is the one massacre that Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights
totally IGNORE (Amnesty International, to its credit, did finally recognize the massacre of
Hindus).
It strongly seems that the alleged ‘massacres’ in Maung Nu, Tula Toli, Chut Pyin, and Gu Dar
Pyin are designed and hyped up to
obscure the Kha Maung Seik Massacre
by deflecting attention away from it.
Oddly, HRW and FR have ‘special reports’
with photos and maps and glitz and polish
and recommendations and ominous
warnings of war crimes on all of the
mentioned attacks EXCEPT Kha Maung
Seik, and they even lack a ‘special report’
on the huge August 25th attacks that
launched this Jihad!

ANALYSIS
In early Sept 2017, Annie Gowen interviewed “nearly a dozen” ‘witnesses' and ‘survivors’ from
Maung Nu who talked about shooting and bodies and death and confusion. Well, naturally, it
was ALSO like that for the Buddhists, Hindus, and ethnic minorities that the Bengali Muslims
prepared for, and trained for, to kill, annihilate, and eliminate as well. If the Muslims had not
attacked there would be no such death and destruction, and refugees fleeing to Bangladesh.
The most damning points are these:
According to Annie Gowen nothing significant happened on Aug 27, while HRW claims a
massacre of over 100 Muslims occurred, and Todd Pitman claimed that 20-25 young women
were abducted and never seen again at that time. 3 extremely different narratives of that day!
Annie says the Bengali Muslims fled Maung Nu on Aug 30, but none of them mentioned 20-25
missing girls or massacres of any size. They had NOTHING to say about the supposed real
massacre (or non-massacre) on Aug 27? Did all of them actually forget that horrible day, as
described by HRW in detail 6 weeks later? Or was it not part of the story yet?
I think that Bengalis interviewed by HRW, Fortify Rights, AI and Todd Pitman, did not know
that some of them had given a story, already, to Annie Gowen - the first person to write about
Maung Nu.
Plans and lies need to be coordinated and agreed upon. Telling the truth does not need a plan.
It is more difficult to remember a false story than to remember real events.
Survivor discrepancies:
1. Mohammadul Hassan, 18, told HRW he was tied up and shot twice in the back along with
his brothers. They were supposedly dead, and he seemed dead, but had just lost
consciousness. When he woke up and stood, soldiers shot him again, in the chest, but he
ran away to safety anyway.
2. Another version is that he and his brothers were taken to a nearby pond, and were told to
kneel (no mention of being tied up), and shot from behind. The soldiers then rolled them
over to make sure that they were dead, but he unexpectedly opened his eyes and then was
shot one more time in the chest, regained consciousness, stumbled away, and survived.
From this it’s worth wondering if these are militants re-using their battle wounds, and if the
‘massacred’ dead are just re-named fighters who were shot, wounded, or died in the Bengali
attacks on all of the non-Muslims.
No photos, no videos:
One of the most puzzling things of all with these claims by the Bengali Muslims of atrocities,
massacres, village burnings, rapes, abusive soldiers, etc., is the absolute dearth of photos or
videos, or even just audio files. These days, almost everyone even poor villagers, has some
kind of mobile phone that has a camera.
It may be a cheap phone with a cheap camera, but nonetheless, it can take pictures and
videos. So, isn’t it astounding that with more than a million, or so, Bengali Muslims, ⅔ of them
in Bangladesh, crying and reciting how they had to run for their lives, everybody was tortured
and shot in front of them, their babies were tossed this way and that way into fires, they were
chased and shot at, and blah blah blah - that no one took any photos or video of anything
resembling what they were lying about - excuse me, belying about? 1,000,000 people might
own perhaps 250,000 phones - did they all forget them? Probably not. Let’s say 1 of every
1000 phone owners took 4 photos or video, of abusive acts of the Burmese army and police
forces - so, 250 phones took 1,000 photos. Apparently not. OK, let’s try 1 phone owner of
every 10,000 phone users took just 4 photos or video of abuse - that would be 100 photos, of
which a few should show something, right?
Of course, some readers of this will say something silly like, ‘How can a woman take a
photo of herself being raped!’ or ‘How does a woman take a photo of her baby being tossed
into a convenient fi re!’ Well, nobody expects that kind of camera skill.

However, why are there no photos of dead or wounded victims, and burnt bodies of
babies tossed in fi res, or videos taking by just one person (of 1,000,000) who had a good
hiding place to fi lm from? We have heard from many ‘eye-witnesses’ who watched the
‘horror’ for hours, from a hill, or across the river, or through the slats of their home. Even if the
video is shaky and jumping around, the audio could easily identify screaming women being
abducted or raped. The audio can also identify the aggressors. At some point the army and
police are gone, and then it might be time to take photos and videos of the ‘horrifi c aftermath’,
to validate one’s claims.

Death estimates: From 36 to 150, other estimates say 200 or more.

• Fortify Rights estimates the death toll in Maung Nu and 3 nearby villages to be 150.

• Human Rights Watch says it has not been able to verify estimates of the number of
villagers killed, although in the same article by them is noted “some witnesses said a
hundred or more”, but, at the beginning of the very same report said, “The Burmese
military summarily executed several dozen Rohingya Muslims in Maung Nu village in
Burma’s Rakhine State on August 27, 2017.” I believe several dozen equals about 36.
HRW apparently thinks several dozen equals more than 100?!?!?

• Pitman claims, “At least 82 Rohingya are believed to have been murdered on Aug 27.”
ON THE GROUND IN MAUNG NU AND TAUNG BAZAR
I have been granted permission to travel into Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung
townships 3 times, with no restrictions since the violent attacks of August 25, 2017. I have
spent nearly 3 weeks in there going to every far corner of the area, and particularly I have
gone to all the so-called ‘massacre’ sites. In October 2018 I was in Maung Nu Village and the
nearby town of Taung Bazar, in northern Buthidaung.

Here are first-hand accounts of the terrorism the Bengali Muslims launched - from Buddhist
and Hindu victims, AND EVEN A LOCAL MUSLIM VICTIM:
Su Chay
from Nga Ronk Chaung Village Tract (near Taung Bazar)
Interviewed in Taung Bazar, October 2018
I am Su Chay, from Nga Ronk Chaung Tract near Taung Bazar. I work
in Village Health Development. On August 25, 2017, in the early
morning Bengali Muslims launched huge coordinated attacks. The
big army base at Taung Bazar was attacked by many hundreds of
assailants. The gunfire awakened many Buddhist villagers, and
lasted for hours.

I didn’t think it was going to happen like this, and I had never
experienced this kind of attack before. As the morning light came my village came under
attack. All the Buddhists from various villages ran in panic to the police outpost on top of a
hill. The police outpost was so overwhelmed that they had to escort groups of people to
other police outposts up and down the Mayu river.

I never thought that this would happen. Ever since I was young I was very familiar with
Bengali people. We would play and eat together - no problem. I didn’t believe that they
would attack and kill like this. Even when I was awakened by gunfire in the distance I didn’t
think it was the Bengalis.

We lived in the police outpost for 15 days. The police had to make sure to have supplies
arriving to feed hundreds of us refugees. After 15 days they escorted us to the town of
Buthidaung. We had to live in a refugee camp at a Buddhist monastery - I had nothing, we
had to run so quickly from the Bengalis. Now I know, it is impossible to coexist together.

When I finally got back to my village and my home there was nothing - no house, no shop -
there was nothing left. So then I have to start from zero again. I have no idea how to survive
now, what to do now.

When I fled I couldn’t even grab some extra clothes. I had to ask other people for some
clothes to wear.

That’s why I pray not to live with them anymore. I don’t want to say that, but, what they did
was so bad. When we were young we were working together, going to school together,
eating together, no problem. But, now, they are a very big problem.

I didn’t know that in the Bengali mind, there is an animal element. I live in a Bengali part of
the village.Those who attacked us are all the villagers - they are all ARSA terrorists. When I
say that I am very sad, because, Bengali people and I grew up together. Now, I can tell you
what happened, because I didn’t die. If I had died, I wouldn’t have had the chance to tell you
about it. The police and the military saved my life.
U Nyi Nyi
from Taung Bazar Yin Ma Market, Buthidaung Township
Interviewed in Taung Bazar, October 2018

I am U Nyi Nyi. I live in Taung Bazar Yin Ma Market. Around 3 am on

Aug 25, 2017, we were awakened by the sounds of many many
gunshots and explosions. We did not know what was happening, but
later learned that the Muslims had surprised attacked about 30
security force outposts at the same time in the early morning.

Around 7 am I went to a shop in my village and asked what was happening. Around our
village there were many Bengali Muslim villages, but now they were strangely quiet - I
noticed that. I thought, “Why were they so quiet?” Then a Muslim man named Islam - who I
knew - showed up, but strangely he didn't say anything. Usually we would greet each other
and talk - but quickly he went back to his village.

Then we heard that the nearby police outpost of Hpaung Taw Pyin Village was under heavy
attack, and one officer was killed already. Some security officers with us then quickly went to
Hpaung Taw Pyin Village to help their comrades. At that time then, around 9 am, we had no
security forces with us. Our village was then surrounded by so many Bengalis. All of us
villagers were so afraid. We could see that all the Bengalis had swords and even guns, and
were closing in on us.

We called the security forces to come and rescue us. All of the surrounding police outposts
were under attack, but finally some security forces arrived in our village - the same ones that
went to rescue their comrades in Hpaung Taw Pyin Village. They gathered us in the school
[behind him] for protection, but we were surrounded again by the huge mobs of Bengalis. I
thought all of us would die that day.

Some government department staff members joined us villagers in the school building. The
military officer looked for a way to escape. We were surrounded by thousands of Bengalis
with swords and guns. The only way to flee was to go through the muddy and flooded rice
fields. The officer led the way, and we were protected by about 20 soldiers. About 4:30 pm
we finally arrived at the big Army base on the other side of the mountain.

When we arrived at the army base the Bengalis didn't go away - they come right up to the
security fence of the army base. We had to stay in the army base for 15 days. The army got
food supplies for us. After 15 days the military took us back to our villages.

Just near here there is a Muslim house - the family of Mohammed Tahir [also interviewed
here]. They did not flee like all the other Muslims. This Muslim family didn't try to kill us. That
is why they are not afraid to stay here - because we know they are good people. But this is
the only Bengali family like this. All the other Bengali Muslims are terrorists, and they fled
after they tried to slaughter us.

Mohammed Tahir - Muslim

from Nari Chaung, Patu Gong Village (near Taung Bazar)
Interviewed in Taung Bazar, October 2018

[This Muslim man was rather shy on camera, so to keep him

talking I began to ask questions to him, through our Bengali
language translator. He was the one and only Muslim among the
many dozens of Buddhists and Hindus watching us spend a day
interviewing and gathering evidence. He was clearly well-like and
respected by all, and friendly and genuine to all.]

My name is Mohammed Tahir and I live in Nari Chaung, Patu Gong village [near Taung Bazar].

When the incident happened on August 25, people [Bengali Muslims] were running here and there
with swords and sticks. When my father tried to persuade them to stop the violence they came to
kill my father. We protected my father and they ran away. We could not reason with them. After
two days, they fled to Bangladesh. They demanded that we flee together with them. My father
said, “We shall not go. We did not do anything wrong. Why do we need to flee?”

After all the people [Bengali Muslims] fled, the military came and provided us with needed rice
and food supplies. After 2 or 3 months, they provided supplies to us again. The military helped
us to repair the market and provided medical treatment to those who needed it. Now, we can
stay well. We could operate our shop in the market here, and can travel to Buthidaung.

Question from Rick Heizman: Ask him if he feels safe here.

Answer: Yes, I am safe here.

Question: Does he fear ARSA?

Answer: I do not have any connection to ARSA. [the question was slightly misunderstood, or
mistranslated to him - I asked if he had any fear, not connections]

Question: Does he have family?

Answer: All of my family members are still here. I have a wife and children.

Question: What did he think about what happened in the August 25, 2017 attacks?

Answer: On Friday August 25, 2017, we saw people [Bengali Muslims] running on the road
with swords and sticks. When my father tried to tell them to stop the violence ARSA
members came to kill my father. My father said if we leave him, they will kill him. So, we
stayed beside our father. From inside our house we could see people [Bengali Muslims]
going around here and there. Here, I do not have any problem. I can stay together with
Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus peacefully. All are like brothers and mothers to me.

Question: What is his job here? What does he do?

Answer: Now, I have a shop in the market, I am a shopkeeper.

Question: Is his shop okay? [not destroyed, sanctioned, or vandalized?]

Answer: Currently business is very well.

Question: Has he ever been to Bangladesh?

Answer: I have never been to Bangladesh. I did not flee to Bangladesh with the others. All of
our relatives are here. They didn’t flee to Bangladesh.

Pratik Kumarka - Hindu

from Taung Bazar, Buthidaung Township
Interviewed in Taung Bazar, October 2018

My Hindu name is Pratik Kumarka, and my Burmese name is Ko

Maung Aye. We Hindus lived near here, in northern Buthidaung
Township.

On August 24, 2017, late at night, I heard many gunshots. The next
morning 1000s of agitated Bengali Muslims were encircling our villages and threatening to
attack. Our Hindu population here is very small. In our village we live together peacefully with
Rakhine Buddhists.

At that time I heard the Muslims yelling that they will destroy the Taung Bazar market and kill
the Rakhine Buddhists. We Hindus heard and saw the Muslims shouting like that, and
getting ready to attack.

Some Bengali Muslim women even shouted at us, “Kill the Hindus first, then slaughter the
Buddhists!”

Our village is in block 9 of this village tract [administrative terms, not at all like city blocks].
This is where the Hindus live. Behind our village there is a large Bengali Muslim village, and
in front of our village there is a large Muslim village. We were trapped at that time, we could
not go anywhere.

On August 31, 2017, we got the phone number of an Army officer and called him for help. Army
troops came and rescued us, and escorted us to here, where we are now, in Taung Bazar.

[Note: On August 25, 2017, 29 police outposts were attacked, and one army base - in Taung
Bazar. There was a lot of heavy fighting around this whole area, as 1000s of ARSA led
Bengali Muslims attacked many villages around the army base as well. Fighting was intense
for many days.]

I think that the Bengali Muslim boys over 12 years old already have the mind of an Islamic
terrorist.

I didn’t think that this could ever happen. Since we were young we were living together,
eating together, going to school together, growing up together.

Nowadays we are afraid to live far from Rakhine Buddhists because together we can try to
protect ourselves. We need to live very close to the Buddhists, together, because we alone
are a small minority.

In Kha Maung Seik the Bengali Muslims carried out a horrible genocide, killing 100 Hindus.
Many of those victims were our relatives. At the moment we don’t want any Bengali Muslims
here. If the Bengalis come back to this area we cannot live in safety.

 U Maung Loon
from Taung Bazar, Buthidaung Township
Interviewed in Taung Bazar, October 2018
My name is U Maung Loon. I am the village chief of Taung Bazar. I
am very grateful to have the chance to tell you what happened in the
attack last year, August 25, 2017.

[Note: The largest military base that was attacked on August 25,
2017, was here, near Taung Bazar. The Muslims staged large attacks
in the whole area]

Before the attacks happened the Bengali Muslims were already plotting to do some violence.
Leading up to the attacks the Muslims killed a man who had informed the police and army of
the planning and plotting of violence. Also, in another Bengali village, Yin Ma village, the
Muslims killed two men accused of being informants. The Muslims were following their plan.

First, they terrorized and killed fellow Bengalis who didn’t agree with them and gave info to
the authorities. Then, they organized the village people to attack and fight the security
forces. They attacked first, then they lied to the world media, claiming that they were the
victims of the Burmese army, and that they were forced to flee to Bangladesh.

First - they attacked us. We did not attack them. The police and army did not attack them first -
they attacked all of us first. They knew it was their fault, and then they fled to Bangladesh.

The Myanmar military and police, and the Myanmar nationality people did not force them to
flee to Bangladesh, they fled themselves.

We want the world media and the world people to know the truth. The terrorist ARSA group
also threatened other Bengali Muslims to flee to Bangladesh or else they will be killed by
ARSA. That is why all the journalists and media needs to know the truth, and to tell the world
the truth.

Our villages around here were surrounded by over 10,000 Bengali Muslims. Luckily we were
saved by the army.

_________________________________________________________

BENGALI MUSLIM KIDS LEARNING ARABIC

As we walked around the abandoned village of Maung Nu we
found the Arabic Madrassa school building. It was full of books
and Korans in Arabic language and kids notebooks where they
practiced writing Arabic. The Bengali Muslim kids are not
learning Burmese or Arakanese languages, but they are wasting
their lives learning Arabic. What good is that language for
anything in their future - unless
their future is one of intolerance,
supremacy, hate and terror?

by Rick Heizman
San Francisco
Feb 12, 2018