De facto State Religion as a Threat to Freedom of Religion and Belief: Case Study of Ethnic Chin Christians in Burma/Myanmar

Abstract

Religious unification of successive authority in Burma/Myanmar in the guise of nation building has caused nothing more than threats to the existence of multi-ethnic, multi-religious groups in the country. This chapter highlights the persecution, discrimination and denial of basic rights that many religious minorities and ethnic nationalities face at the hands of state and non-state actors. This chapter draws on over fifty in-depth qualitative interviews, primarily covering incidents that took place between March 2004 and early 2016. Thirty-four of the interviews were conducted in Chin State. Specifically, the chapter focuses on the pervasive and longstanding persecution and discrimination faced by Christians that have persisted, often unreported, for generations in Burma/Myanmar, with a case study of indigenous ethnic Chin Christians. Promoting and propagating a single de facto state religion in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country has intensified structural violence, which is a serious threat to religious minorities and ethnic nationalities. Further study on the religious freedom situation in Burma/Myanmar is indispensable as identity politics has caused the stability, peace and development in the country.