Union Parliament Passes ‘Interfaith Marriage’ Bill

[Lite Beer]

Union Parliament Passes ‘Interfaith Marriage’ Bill

By NOBEL ZAW / THE IRRAWADDYRANGOON — Burma’s Union Parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that critics say would create unnecessary restrictions for marrying outside of one’s faith.

If signed by the President, the Buddhist Women’s Special Marriage Act—popularly called the Interfaith Marriage Bill—would require Buddhist women to seek permission from local authorities before marrying a man of another faith.

The bill is one of four in a legislative package proposed by the Buddhist nationalist group Ma Ba Tha, an acronym for the Association for Protection of Race and Religion. A highly criticized Population Control Law was the first of the four to be signed into law in May.

The bills sped through the legislature with little resistance, though the package was heavily criticized beyond the nation’s chambers. Rights advocates and international observers have lambasted the proposed laws for limiting women’s freedoms and creating restrictions that could be used to target ethnic minorities.

Read More: http://www.irrawaddy.org/factiva/union-parliament-passes-interfaith-marriage-bill.html

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Rights group condemns Myanmar bill on interfaith marriage

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's parliament is "playing with fire" by passing a bill regulating the right of women from the country's Buddhist majority to marry men from outside their religion, an international human rights group said Wednesday.

Phil Robertson of New York-based Human Rights Watch linked the bill to a campaign by extremist Buddhist groups that have incited anti-Muslim hatred. Religious tensions have led to deadly violence since 2012, especially against Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar, who have felt compelled to flee abroad, leading to a regional refugee crisis.

The Buddhist Women's Special Marriage Bill passed Tuesday is one of four known as the Protection of Race and Religion Laws, which have been criticized as discriminatory by rights groups. It mandates that Buddhist women register their intent to marry outside their faith, and allows them to be stopped if there are objections.

President Thein Sein has 14 days from when the bill was passed to sign it or return it with suggested changes.

"It's shocking that Burma's parliament has passed yet another incredibly dangerous law, this time legislating clearly discriminatory provisions targeting the rights of religious minority men and Buddhist women to marry who they wish without interference," said Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division. Burma is the old name for Myanmar, sometimes used by critics of its military-backed government.

He suggested that the leaders of the Buddhist nationalist groups that pushed for the laws "be investigated and prosecuted for hate speech rather than feted in the halls of parliament."

Robertson said in an email that by initiating and passing such laws, "the government and ruling party lawmakers are playing with fire." He said that if sectarian violence flares again like it did in 2012, "then these legislators will have blood on their hands."

Also among the laws is the Population Control Health Care Bill, which became law in May and calls for a 36-month interval for women between child births, ostensibly to keep poor families from becoming overstretched financially. It is vague about penalties, raising fears that they could include coerced contraception, forced sterilization or abortion.

The two bills still pending are the Religious Conversion Bill, which forces people seeking to convert to another religion to get the approval of an official local "Registration Board," and the Monogamy Bill, whose articles include criminalizing extramarital relations.

The Rohingya Muslims already face many official restrictions because most have not been granted Myanmar citizenship, the U.S. State Department has noted.

"Muslims, including the Rohingya in Rakhine State, faced severe discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, and increasingly, their religion," said the department's annual report on human rights, issued last month. "Most Rohingya faced severe restrictions on their ability to travel, avail themselves of health-care services, engage in economic activity, obtain an education, and register births, deaths, and marriages."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-09

[hansnl]

Anybody in his or her right mind can only be against bills like those,

I just wonder why said rights groups or state agencies always tend to forget that rules and laws like these are in force in MOST countries where the "religion of peace" is the religion in force.

Face reality, NGO's and Governments, in most islamic countries it is much worse.

Stop bickering selectively.

That said, why is it the islam in Birma is so much hated?

In fact, Buddhism is not against other religions.

Might it be that the islamic inhabitants of Birma, like islamic inhabitants of western countries, refuse to accept the rules and laws of the countries they now live in, but try to change anything in their ways.

There is, in most western countries, a rising feeling against islam.

And in my view, quite understandable, seen the above and all the terrorist actions made in the name of islam.

PS

I am talking about religion......

[than]

Morroco woamn HRW must look to Morroco too. A Morroco woman cannot marry with a non musulman.

[HerbalEd]

Anybody in his or her right mind can only be against bills like those,

I just wonder why said rights groups or state agencies always tend to forget that rules and laws like these are in force in MOST countries where the "religion of peace" is the religion in force.

Face reality, NGO's and Governments, in most islamic countries it is much worse.

Stop bickering selectively.

That said, why is it the islam in Birma is so much hated?

In fact, Buddhism is not against other religions.

Might it be that the islamic inhabitants of Birma, like islamic inhabitants of western countries, refuse to accept the rules and laws of the countries they now live in, but try to change anything in their ways.

There is, in most western countries, a rising feeling against islam.

And in my view, quite understandable, seen the above and all the terrorist actions made in the name of islam.

PS

I am talking about religion......

Do you think this is the same as the history of Catholic vs Protestant problems in Ireland and the associated many bombings, murders, and other terrorists acts?

Edited July 9, 2015 by HerbalEd