Level the playing field for harmony

FOR religious harmony to prevail worldwide, which some of us desperately want, we must appreciate that this begins with the levelling of the playing fields.

When the Prophet Muhammad was born, Buddhism had already been in existence for about a thousand years.

It was exported to Burma (Myanmar) early in Buddhist history where it became the state culture of the Burmese people.

No person on earth will ever give an intelligent reason why any foreign religion had to be exported to Myanmar. Iqbal Jassat complains about the treatment of the Rohingyas, but does not say why they live there as a separate identifiable community as followers of a foreign religion that makes very little sense to Myanmar’s indigenous people.

“The Rohingyas,” says Jassat, “are among the world’s most persecuted minorities.” He does not say what makes them adhere to their religion if going back to their original culture would be the most intelligent thing to do for a number of reasons.

One of the most important of these would be to remove the causes that provoke the oppression Jassat speaks of. This would make life easier for Aung Sang Suu Kyi to carry out her duties with less frustration and contribute to the ideals of peace and harmony among all its people that some of us regard as a worthwhile ideal to strive for. DR THILLAY NAIDOO

Durban North