[Buddha-l] Burmese Buddhist anti-Muslim nationalism: 969?

[Jamie Hubbard]

Hello-- there has been a lot of reporting on the Buddhist-Muslim strife in
Burma these days, and it seems a group either labeled or using "969" as its
slogan is spearheading the rhetoric and violence. Here is one link:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/myanmar/130326/969-anti-muslim-buddhist-riots-burma


According to this article: "Wirathu [the main Buddhist bad guy in most
reports] credits local Muslims with inspiring 969: for decades, Muslim
merchants have decorated their signage with the numbers 786, an allusion to
Islamic numerology."

I have looked around a bit and the only thing I could come up with at all
for 969 is: "9 stands for the nine special attributes of Lord Buddha, 6 for
the six special attributes of Buddha's teachings and the last 9 for the
nine special attributes of the Buddhist Sangha or Order."
http://www.maungzarni.com/2013/03/stop-969-burmas-fastest-growing-neo.html

I have no idea at all of these supposed attributes, and I also have not had
time to check the cred of any of the reporting sources, the alleged
military and government collusion,

Leaving aside all the vitriol of this situation (in the anti-Buddhist
rhetoric monks are called "Nazi skin-heads," and Aung San Suu Kyi does not
fare well either), I wonder if anybody out there can give any substance to
the numerology, either Buddhist or Muslim.

It also reminds us that not all Buddhist nationalisms are the same.
Particularly in places where you have slogans like, "To be Burmese is to be
Buddhist" (substitute Khmer, Sri Lankan, Thai, and a host of other places)
things do get ugly. I pray that the right thing happens for those directly
involved and also that this does not derail the liberalization process in
Burma.

In any case, any numerologists out there?

Jamie Hubbard
Yehan Numata Professor of Buddhist Studies
Director, Concentration in Buddhist Studies
Chair, Religion Department
Smith College