Teaching Qur’an in Arakan State

Arakan, (AB/IINA) : Myanmar authorities have recently decided to prevent Rohingya Muslim minority from teaching the Holy Qur’an and principles of the Islamic religion to their children, in an escalating move described by local observers as a risk to the future of the Islamic presence in Arakan State.

Arakan News Agency reported that the authorities summoned dozens of Rohingya teachers in a number of neighborhoods, south of Maungdaw city, and forced them to sign a written pledge not to engage in the future in teaching the Qur’an or anything related to Islamic religion even inside their homes.

The agency stated that the authorities have threatened to punish the teachers with more than 10-year imprisonment in the event of violating this decision, and that they would remain under monitoring over the next period. It added that there are indications of the authorities’ pursuit to circulate this decision to other neighborhoods and cities in Arakan State.

It is worth mentioning that the Myanmar authorities had decided under the former military government to shutdown many of the Rohingyas’ mosques and schools, in the wake of the contrived violence events against Rohingyas in 2012, which remain in place up to date.