A Myanmar monk accused of inciting violence against the country’s minority Rohingya Muslim community is lashing back at Time magazine after the magazine used his image as cover, with the words “Face of Buddhist Terror.”
Speaking to the daily newspaper, The Messenger, on Friday, Wirathu said his reputation would not be tarnished by the “biased” story.
“You can put mud on a ruby, but that doesn’t take away its shine,” he said.
The wave of religious violence that has ripped through the predominantly Buddhist Myanmar since it began its transition to a quasi-civilian government in 2011 following decades of military rule has left around 250 people dead — most of them Muslims.
Wirathu is one of the most vocal spreaders of hate speech and has called on Buddhists to unite against “a growing Muslim threat.”
A Buddhist monk who reacted to the ‘bad label’ placed on Wirathu said, “Why would anyone place a bad label on him for trying to defend his religion? Is the world not aware of the extent Muslims around the world go when they are given too much space? Wirathu has done nothing wrong,” he told a local news agency, craving anonymity.
