Originally published in Journal Inquirer
This Muslim-American was appalled to read that Buddhist monks in Burma led by Ashin Wirathu, a priest who calls himself “the Burmese bin Laden,” are bent on exterminating the Rohingya ethnic minority explicitly because they are Muslims.
It is well-known that the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, was a peacemaker. Little known, though, is that many Muslims, including my own Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, also love Buddha and accept him as a divine messenger. We would never think of insulting the Prophet Buddha or harming his followers.
Burmese monks today should similarly pay heed to Buddha’s message and these common bonds before butchering their fellow countrymen
