We are launching a new website to garner wider support and funds for the 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
The Rohingya have fled Myanmar because of the extreme violence against them. The Rohingya people call this violence “the Buddhist Terror”, because it is supported by some prominent Buddhist monastics, justified through a profound distortion of the Buddha’s teachings – I believe the global Buddhist community has a responsibility to show that such violence is not the Buddhist way, and to support Rohingya refugees.
Here are the concrete steps you can take to support Rohingya refugees:
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Please visit the site: www.buddhisthumanitarianproject.org
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Sign the letter to Burmese, UN, and U.S. government officials, urging them to condemn the violence and support the refugees.
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Donate to the respected nonprofit organizations who are working on the ground in the Rohingya camps. We have a list of reliable organizations here.
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Please spread the word. Share this information on social media, email, tell friends and sangha.
Additional background info:
This past fall, over 600,000 Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar. There are now said to be 1,00,000 refugees in Bangladesh alone. The Rohingya are running from systematic violence; the military burns their villages, at least five mass graves have been found, and they are widespread reports of rape against Rohingya women.
The Buddhist Humanitarian Project is an initiative of the Clear View Project, which is run by Hozan Alan Senauke. Senauke is former Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
We are launching the Buddhist Humanitarian Project site now, as an outgrowth of last week’s interfaith delegation on the Myanmar/Bangladesh border. The Buddhist leaders there were Hozan Alan Senauke and Richard Reoch (Shambhala). Here’s an article about the delegation.
Our appeal to the Myanmar State Sangha has been signed by over 200 Buddhist leaders, including Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Jack Kornfield, Pema Chödrön, Phra Paisal Visalo, and Jamie Cresswell (European Buddhist Union).
And thanks to Anagarika Pasanna for brainstorming the “Sign the Letter” page 