From The Daily Mail (UK)
- Religious leader asks monks to intervene in anti-Islam violence
- Dalai Lama condemned attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and Burma
- Hundreds dead and more than 135,000 displaced in Myanmar this year
- Buddhist groups have attacked businesses owned by Muslims
- Tibetan Buddhist addressed issue in speech at University of Maryland
By SARA MALM
PUBLISHED: 10:00 EST, 8 May 2013 | UPDATED: 10:00 EST, 8 May 2013
The Dalai Lama has reached out to monks in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, imploring them to end recent violence towards Muslims in their countries
The Buddhist spiritual leader blamed those of his own religion for recent violent attacks in south Asia, while giving a speech at the University of Maryland.
Hundreds have died and more than 135,000 people have fled their homes in Myanmar, also known as Burma, in the past year’s brutal assaults.
In Sri Lanka, Buddhist groups have recently attacked Muslim businesses.
In his speech on Tuesday, the Dalai Lama condemned all killings in the name of religion and admitted that not even Buddhists were exempt from carrying out religious attacks.
‘Killing people in the name of religion is really very sad, unthinkable, very sad,’ the Nobel Peace laureate said.
‘Nowadays even Buddhists are involved, in Burma and Sri Lanka. Buddhist monks destroying Muslim mosques or Muslim families – it’s really very sad.’
Dalai Lama begged Buddhists in Sri Lanka and Myanmar to look to their own religion to end the recent escalating violence against Muslims.
‘When they develop some sort of negative emotions toward the Muslim community, then please think of the face of Buddha.’
‘If the Buddha is there, he will protect the Muslims, he said in the speech in front of 15,000 gathered at the University of Maryland.
