Table Of ContentOpinion Opinion
Identity crisis
The second group includes those who identify
themselves, not as “Burmese” or “Myanmar”, but
as one of the ethnic nationalities such as Kachin,
Shan, Mon, Chin and Karen. At conferences abroad,
I have often heard them introduce themselves by
saying, for instance, “I’m from Myanmar, but I’m
Kachin”.
The idea that “to be Burmese is to be Bamar and Buddhist” The last group includes those, like me, who have
been forced to question their identity and sense of
should be supplanted by a broader notion – that “to be Burmese
belonging from the beginning, due to multiple lay-
is to be born in Burma”. ers of discrimination.
In Burmese government schools, each time a
teacher enters the classroom, students have to
stand, press their palms together and greet the
teacher with a Pali verse that glorifies teachers as
Growing up, I had an identity crisis. I al- I use the name “Burma” here because I don’t one of the five “universal benefactors” in Buddhist
ways had questions about who I was and consider the name “Myanmar”, imposed by the by cosmology. I would perform every part of this ritual
where I belonged. a military junta in 1989, to be legitimate. One might besides putting my palms together – a gesture also
Being a Muslim kid in a predominantly argue that neither is “Burma”, because the British performed by Buddhists in front of Buddha images
Buddhist society, my childhood was an unhappy colonial government imposed it on the country but, and robed monks – because, as a Muslim, I am not
one. My family was one of the few Muslim families in the absence of a new name chosen by the people, supposed to make gestures rooted in other reli-
in the ward where we lived on the outskirts of Yan- I will stick to the name the country had at indepen- gions. I would fold my arms together instead, as a THAN TOE AUNG
is a student of political
gon. At school, I was the only Muslim kid in class. dence. I also use “Burmese” to refer to everyone secular means of showing respect. science, aspiring activist
In our classroom, I was often referred to as kalar, born and living in Burma, not just the Bamar. Because of this, when I was in the ninth grade, and writer. He plans
to pursue a PhD and
a racial epithet commonly used against people of The common conflation of “Burmese” with one Buddhist teacher put me in a corner at the back become a scholar who
South Asian descent, instead of the Burmese name Bamar and Buddhist identity is a symptom of the of the classroom, where I remained for months, advocates for minority
rights.
my parents gave me. general exclusion of religious and ethnic minori- because I refused to greet the teacher in a way that
There were times when my Bamar Buddhist ties. The notion that “to be Burmese is to be Bamar was against my faith. I felt ostracised, unseen, un-
teachers at the government school would tell the and Buddhist” is deeply ingrained. When I identify heard – a Muslim student whose presence, at best,
whole class – while looking at me straight in the eyes as Burmese, people in Burma often respond with, did not matter but, at worst, was an affront to the
– how kalar were bad people because of their reli- “But aren’t you Muslim?” I then have to explain that uniformity of Burma’s Buddhist culture. Eventual-
gious practices such as slaughtering cows during Muslim is not a race, and that anyone can be a Mus- ly, I gave in, and I began putting my palms together
the Eid festival. One teacher would also come into lim if they want to be. in the Buddhist style each time a teacher entered
the classroom, frown, sniff, and say the room stank I often hear people from the United States and the room. This allowed me to move out from the
of “kalar scent”. The rest of the class would turn Britain, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, call corner, but deep inside I felt guilty for going against
around, look at me, and snigger. themselves American and British, even if their par- my faith. I never told my parents about how I gave
I was often told by kids to go back to kalar pyay ents or grandparents came from other countries. in, knowing that, if I did, they would come to the
(meaning kalar country or kingdom) because Burma Although this might not be true for all American and school and complain, which would only make the
is a Buddhist country, and some would tell me that I British people of colour, they seem able to identify situation worse for me.
would be force-fed pork if I did not behave well. with the country that they were born or raised in to Virtually every classroom in government schools
In my teenage years, I began to think more about a far greater extent than minorities in Burma. has a small shrine with a Buddha image. In the
identity. I would ask myself, why am I being treat- Burma’s minorities can roughly be placed into morning, before classes, Buddhists squat on their
ed like this? Why can’t they see past my skin colour three groups: those that have found a sense of be- chairs, hold their palms together and loudly chant
and religion? Why can’t I tell them that I belong longing by assimilating into the majority Bamar Buddhist prayers. At the schools I attended, while
to this country as much as they do without being culture, those that proudly assert a separate ethnic the Buddhist students prayed, the non-Buddhist
ridiculed? Even now, I face these questions. I have identity, and those whose members are confused students such as myself would sit next to the chant-
never felt I really belonged. I know I am not alone in about their identity. I belong to this last group. ing crowd and feel ashamed for being different.
feeling this way. The first group includes many Burmese Chinese, Every school day began like this for 10 years.
I eventually came to realise that I was asking the whose complexion and embrace of Buddhism has One time during middle school, my teach-
wrong things. The real question is, how do we, the made it easier for them to assimilate and avoid the er caught a Buddhist friend and I talking during
minorities, reclaim a sense of belonging to this discrimination directed at Muslims of South Asian prayer time. She scolded us, saying to my friend,
country that we consider home? Moreover, as chal- descent (though they often experience similar dif- “Aren’t you a Buddhist? Don’t you know it’s prayer
lenging as it may seem, how do we persuade the ficulties while applying for citizenship cards and time?” before turning to me and saying, “Don’t in-
majority ethnic and religious community, Bamar passports). One example is Burma’s own former terrupt other people’s prayer. You live in a Buddhist
Buddhists, to support an inclusive common iden- dictator, General Ne Win, who had Chinese ances- country. You have to respect our religion or else go
tity? try but presented himself as a Bamar Buddhist and back to kalar pyay.” As she spoke, the whole class
Before I continue, a note on terms. promoted Bamar Buddhist nationalism. looked at me with disapproval. I was overwhelmed
44 | January 3, 2019 // Volume 4, Issue 23 www.frontiermyanmar.net | 45
Opinion
most cases, their families have lived in Burma for
generations.
At the passport office, there is separate queue for
“mixed blood” applicants. While Bamar applicants
and others whose ethnicity is included in the gov-
ernment’s list of “135 national ethnic races” receive
only casual scrutiny, Muslims and others of “mixed
blood” end up in a small room face-to-face with an
immigration officer who threatens to cancel their
applications unless he receives a bribe.
The belief that Muslims are essentially “foreign-
ers” begins in the classroom. Prior to Ne Win’s sei-
zure of power in 1962, Burma had one of the best
education systems in Southeast Asia; but under
military rule, the education system existed largely
to transmit military propaganda. As a result, the
history textbooks still used in government schools
are highly inaccurate and often portray ruthless
Bamar kings as “heroes”, ethnic minorities as
“rebels” and “savages”, and Muslims and anyone of
by sadness. I wanted to say that this was my coun- Minority groups not South Asian descent as “foreign intruders”.
try, too; that I grew up eating ngapi (Burmese fish recognised as indigenous Once, in middle school, we were reading from
face routine discrimination
sauce), speaking Burmese and wearing a longyi and delays when applying for a history book about the activities of Chettiars, a
(sarong); that I was as Burmese as the rest of them. citizenship documents. The South Indian caste group that migrated to Burma
author was forced to wait
But I simply looked down as tears welled in my eyes. six years for his documents during British rule. The text said the Chettiars,
This kind of Us vs Them attitude is one of the rea- and only received them after many of whom were moneylenders, bullied local
bribing immigration officials.
sons why Burma does not have a strong, inclusive PHOTO: STEVE TICKNER people, raped Bamar women and confiscated land
national identity. In the eyes of the majority, mi- when loans could not be repaid. When we finished
norities like me are “guests”, even if we were born reading the text, one of my classmates pointed at me
and raised in Burma. The military government and shouted, “They were his relatives.” The whole
reinforced this attitude through decades of dis- class turned to look at me and laughed hysterically.
criminatory policies and a toxic education system During the midday break, instead of having lunch I
premised on Bamar supremacy. went to the toilets and quietly cried.
This deliberate “othering” of minorities becomes Due to the Burmanisation policies of the former
blatant when we apply for citizenship documents. military government, we presently have the Bamar
To be recognised as a citizen, you need to have one Buddhist identity disguised as our national iden-
of three documents: a CSC, denoting “full” citizen- tity. Almost everyone from an ethnic or religious
ship, or a “Naturalised” or “Associate” Citizenship minority community has grown up without access
Scrutiny Card denoting subordinate forms of citi- to an identity that extends beyond their own group.
zenship. If you are not eligible for these documents, Building a shared national identity will be a chal-
you are deprived of most rights. You cannot vote or lenging task – but it is an essential one. It will take
travel freely within the country and are not legally years to dismantle decades of discriminatory pol-
allowed to own land or rent an apartment. You are icies and transform the education system. Schools
effectively made stateless. should highlight the benefits of diversity rather
It took six years for my sister and me to receive than teaching inaccurate history and stigmatising
citizenship documents even though we were eli- minorities. Instead of imposing a homogeneous
gible by law. The immigration officials told us they Bamar national identity, the government should
needed to conduct “extra screening” because we start embracing pluralism and construct an all-in-
were Muslim and of “mixed blood” – a term wielded clusive national identity. Those who make and im-
against residents of South Asian and Chinese de- plement policy should be given diversity training
scent. Ultimately, we had to bribe the officials – as and be held accountable for every blatant act of
does practically every Muslim. discrimination.
Citizenship cards state the holder’s race and re- Ultimately, the idea that “to be Burmese is to be
ligion. This pushes Muslims to accept nonsensical Bamar and Buddhist” should be supplanted by a
foreign identities – for instance, having their “race” broader notion – that “to be Burmese is to be born
stated as Indian, Pakistani or Bengali – so that they in Burma”. Only then, can we create the inclusive
can be branded as “mixed blood”, even though, in and cohesive society to which we aspire.
46 | January 3, 2019 // Volume 4, Issue 23
