MYANMAR’S ‘ROHINGYA’ CONFLICT: MISCONCEPTIONS AND COMPLEXITY

Myanmar’s Rohingya conflict is arguably the most sensitive and complex issue facing the country, both in terms of the extent of physical and social destruction, and the impact on Myanmar’s domestic reform and international standing. The scale of human suffering is mind-numbing, the reactions of Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar authorities baffling. However, too much international commentary is reductionist, flattening multiparty and multifaceted sociopolitical dynamics into a simple narrative, which is detrimental to understanding and responding to the conflict. This paper attempts to make sense of some of this complexity, firstly by addressing several common misperceptions of the conflict, then analysing it from a variety of theoretical perspectives. The first misconception is that this conflict is not new, but significant antecedents date back at to at least World War II, if not before. The second is that this conflict is not merely about state oppression of a despised and vulnerable ethno-religious minority, but rather a multipolar conflict with conflict and violence, driven by mutual existential fears and deeply historical grievances on all sides, by at least three key actors. This multipolarity needs to be better understood but outsiders seeking resolution of the conflict. And finally, the third is that this conflict is not primarily about the denial of citizenship and statelessness of the Muslims, as significant as this is, but about definition of the political community in Myanmar and the politics of inclusion/exclusion in governance. Framing this as an ‘intractable conflict’, this paper then examines the drivers of conflict from the perspective of an ethnic security dilemma, a double minority complex, and the political economy, arriving at conclusions about the nature of the conflict and sounding a final warning about a potential moral hazard arising from the way international support is framed and offered.     

CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES AND THE TREATMENT OF PAKISTAN’S RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Although Pakistan was created as a homeland for South Asia's Muslims, religious freedom was one of its founding principles. Seventy years later, Pakistan is better known for religious extremism and the persecution of Muslim and non-Muslim religious minorities. Pakistan's blasphemy law is a state-sanctioned tool of religious oppression used to target members of minority faith communities whether Ahmadiya, Christian, Hindu, or Shiite, as well as Sunnis who criticize the law. This paper discusses the blasphemy law and other laws that have led to the state of religious oppression in Pakistan.     

公产法视角下的宗教财产透视

从公产法角度而言,对于宗教财产的定位和研究,更突显一种以财产的目的性用途为导向的宗教财产规制模式。宗教财产的所有权问题（归属问题）不再成为宗教财产规制的首要问题。从维持宗教财产的目的性用途与保护其使用者群体的使用利益而言,公产法的解释与建构,比单纯的考虑将宗教财产纳入社团法人所有的财产或者是财团法人所有的财产,依靠所有权理论的解释,无疑具有更大的优势。我国的宗教财产立法的传统和现实以＂重在管理,回避所有,强化监督,保障使用＂为基本特点,现行宗教财产法律规制也更接近于公产法上的解释。     

坚持科学唯物论匡正宗教破除迷信

只有坚持科学唯物论 ,反对唯心论 ,主张无神论 ,拒斥有神论 ,才能驱逐上帝 ,战胜魂灵 ,革除各种迷信。只有振兴科学 ,弘扬真理 ,完善宗教内容 ,匡正宗教本质 ,才能清除宗教中的迷信成分 ,彻底与魔鬼决裂 ;才能使宗教真正成为净化人心 ,推进文明 ,维护安定 ,保障社会秩序的积极因素。     

浅析加拿大多元文化政策的成因及其族裔问题

从建国之初的一元文化主义到20世纪中期的二元文化主义与多元文化主义,加拿大的民族文化政策经历了戏剧性的变化,这既有其历史成因,也有其现实环境。加拿大多元文化政策在协调与解决多民族国家共存的族裔矛盾、保持民族文化多样性问题上具有相当大的示范作用。但是,制定政策的理想性与政策执行的现实性之间的矛盾、政策存在的短暂历史空间以及移民源国复杂而又多样的文化差异性,注定了其在实施过程中步履维艰。因而,了解与分析加拿大多元文化政策所给予的训示具有现实意义。     

论马克思主义宗教观的创立与发展

本文从历史的角度,着重探讨了马克思主义宗教观创立以来,列宁和中国三代领导集体,根据不同环境条件和不同革命目标及任务,对马克思主义宗教理论的创造性地推进和发展。     

The use of oral data on life and thought in independent Latvia: A proposal for research

This article provides both historical and ethnographic views of Eastern religion in Lithuania. The historical component is an examination of the evolution of Lithuanian interest in Eastern religions from nineteenth-century studies of Indo-European comparative linguistics and mythology, which linked pre-Christian Lithuanian religion with India and Hinduism, to increasing literary, scholarly and popular interest in India and Asia in the twentieth century, before, during and after Soviet occupation. The ethnographic aspect utilizes fieldwork and interviews to examine three Eastern-inspired religious movements, (Pagan) Romuva, (Hindu) Krishna Consciousness, and (Buddhist) Diamond Way, demonstrating three different adaptations of Eastern religion in Lithuania.     

论宗教信仰重建的内在发生机制

宗教信仰是理性与非理性的统一认知和价值的统一.现实性与理想性的统一具有稳定性.宗教信仰发生重建的条件主要是环境变化、价值观念变化、感情上发生重大波折等.宗教信仰重建的内容也主要在上述方面.     

如何消除宗族势力对我国农村基层党建的影响

当前复兴的宗族势力对我国农村的基层党建已造成严重影响,主要表现在宗族意识对党员干部的影响、宗族组织向党组织的渗透、宗族利益同党的方针政策的对抗、宗族权力对党的领导的威胁四个方面,而且,这种影响有进一步恶化的趋势。文章认为对宗族势力应采取“有保有压”的方法,从而最大限度地减少它对农村基层党建的影响,为党的农村基层建设提供有利的环境。     

论西部开发中的民族法制建设

民族地区法制建设是我国法治现代化进程中既现实又迫切的重大理论与实践问题 ,西部大开发与民族地区及其民族法制建设交织包容 ,共同构成了我国西部大开发中不可或缺的重要组成部分。我国民族地区法制建设所走过的独特发展道路 ,我国法制建设中民族法制的地位、指导思想、基本原则、具体法律制度等 ,需要在西部开发中进行新的构建。