The junta faces accusations of dragging its feet over the rebuilding of Muslim and Christian places of worship after the devastating March 28 earthquake in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
So far the Religious Affairs Ministry has permitted only one of nearly 140 mosques wrecked by the earthquake in Mandalay, Sagaing, and Naypyitaw to be rebuilt to its original size. Applications to rebuild or repair the others remain pending.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake destroyed or damaged numerous religious sites, including over 5,000 pagodas, 3,400 monasteries, 136 mosques, 50 Christian churches, 26 Hindu temples, and one Chinese temple, according to Religious Affairs Minister Tin Oo Lwin.
In Mandalay alone, 64 mosques were wrecked, including the historic Aung Myay Thar Zan, Shwe Phone Shein, and Pan Thae mosques. The earthquake also destroyed historic mosques in Pyawbwe, Pyinmana, and Sagaing.
But while the junta in some cases prioritized rebuilding of Buddhist sites over the welfare of human earthquake victims, it has taken no interest in minority houses of worship.
Twenty-five mosques that were damaged beyond repair in Mandalay are yet to be demolished as approval from the authorities has not been forthcoming, according to the Mandalay Region Islamic Religious Affairs Council.
“Mandalay has over 20 historic mosques, some of which require major renovations or complete rebuilding,” a mosque official there said. “We have already submitted requests at the township, district, and regional levels for approval.”
“About 70 percent of the cleanup work—including debris removal, road clearance, and drainage restoration—has been completed, but some buildings need to be demolished, and obtaining rebuilding permits has been challenging,” he added.
Muslim faith leaders now plan to submit their rebuilding requests at the national level. They will also petition the Religious Affairs Ministry to allow expansion of mosques that have become too small for their current congregation.
A religious official said, “For example, if a mosque was built 100 years ago and originally measured 40 feet, it must remain 40 feet, even if the population has grown and requires a larger space. Expanding to 50 feet would not be permitted. Similarly, if a mosque was originally a single-story building, it must remain single-story; adding a second floor is not allowed. These regulations have existed for a long time. New mosques are also not permitted.”
The same regulations apply to Christian churches, requiring them to maintain their original size and design, and preventing expansion or modifications even when they are more than 100 years old.
A Catholic priest in Mandalay explained the difficulties. “We have to provide extensive documentation, including proof that those churches existed at all, and that the land was granted for religious purposes,” he said. “We have to give local administrators hundreds of thousands of kyats for this proof of existence.”
“Traditionally, it’s very difficult to obtain land grants for Christian churches,” he added. “I have personally applied before, but my request was denied. For generations, we instead built churches based on an understanding with local authorities, and we never had an official land grant, so now we find it difficult to submit requests for repair and reconstruction without it.”
The quake destroyed historic churches in Mandalay, Yamethin, and Meiktila in Mandalay Region, Taunggyi, Kalaw, and Pekon in Shan State, Demoso in Karenni State, and Bago and Naypyitaw.
Mandalay Region Chief Minister Myo Aung was quoted in junta-controlled newspapers as saying authorities have inspected quake-hit religious buildings of Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, and Hindu communities in Mandalay and are giving assistance “in a timely manner.”
Of Myanmar’s 50.3 million population, 89.8 percent are Buddhists, 6.3 percent Christians, 2.3 Muslims, 0.5 percent Hindus, 0.8 percent animists, 0.2 percent others, and 0.1 percent without religious affiliation.
This article is supported by the Transition Promotion Programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
