Authorities Nurture Burma’s Buddhist Chauvinism, Analysts Say

"...headed towards a Buddhist xenophobia similar to the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka". ? Buddhist xenophobia? What's that? First and foremost, xenophobia is a fear of foreigners or that which is foreign. What's that got to do with Sri Lanka? And what's that got to do with religion or faith? There were no foreigners in the equation in Sri Lanka (except perhaps those who were meddling in its affairs). They were all Sri Lankans and citizens of Sri Lanka, albeit of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The war was predominantly related to a collection of militants or terrorists, professing to represent a particular ethnic group, trying to divide a small island, a single country. How does what went on in Sri Lanka equate to the Rohingya issue? And your reference to "Buddhist xenophobia" means a fear of Buddhists? Or fear shown by Buddhists?
"..a Buddhist xenophobia similar to the Sinhalese..."?? I think you need to rephrase that sentence in correct English and correct facts (bearing in mind that there are Sinhalese practising different faiths) to make any sense out of that.

While I detest violence in the name of any faith or ethnicity, I also detest the way the media and narrow-minded or one-track-minded scholars foment matters by focusing on and magnifying one or two elements and taking a stance that makes a great scandal out of an event.

I strongly disgust this word "Chauvinism" and "Rohingya", the author should not use these words.These monks are not naive. There is no Rohingya in this World and they are Bengali (from Bangladesh and they themselves named rohingya ). They had already deceived the World . They are minority in Myanmar, BUT THEY ARE MAJORITY IN RAKHINE. You only just write your article with narrow-mind or bias.. While the 2007 Saffron Revolution called for love and democracy,where Bengali are. I know they just wait time for their benefits and they had already spoil our culture.Do you know if they were majority, what they will do. Do you ensure they will be Humanism.

I'm an Indian, not Burmese, but I wish to express solidarity with the views of the commentators to the article and not the article itself.

Show me three secular islamic countries? They don't exist. Even Turkey and Indonesia, the two large so called constitutionally secular democracies with 90%+ muslims are culturally intolerant of non-muslim minorities. You have to live in these societies to know this. Every other islamic country in the world, without except, is non-secular and constitutionally intolerant of non-muslims. Islam has no tradition of tolerance, save for a few periods in history and a few broad minded thinkers that have often been over-ruled or worse. History is proof. As another commenter points out these Rohingyas are ethnically not-Burmese and have seeped in through the porous borders and now threatening to becoming a majority in certain states. These Rohingyas themselves are victims of racist Hindu and caste system in place for thousands of years and
conversion to islam was their only hope of an escape from the indentured cruelty of the caste system. Unfortunately, these Bengali converts to islam chose a faith that promotes violent confrontation and violent proselytization and now they find themselves in a conflict that has assumed ethnic and religious dimensions. If Israel, secular democracy, has a constitutional provision against the right of return for ethnically cleansed Palestinians, that is acceptable to the world, why then can't Burma. Australia routinely turns back waves of boat people from all over the world to camps in Indonesia and even recently passed law that took effect Sept 1, 2012, that allows the Aussie Coast Guard to intercept the boat people before they enter Aussie territorial waters, ie, in international waters and turn them away presumable to Aussie paid/run staging camps in Indonesia, why then can't Burma seek retain its national identity by preventing a foreign ethnic group that could dilute or even threaten your own majority ethnic status? That's what the Israelis and Aussies are mortally scared of. Both countries have small populations and injecting foreign ethnic groups that have explosively higher reproductive rates could mean in a few decades, you've lost your founding ethnic identity! Something that is debated openly in the US of A wrt to immigration and especially to Latin and Asian ethnic groups in border or coast states like Texas, California, New York, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.

Bottom line, I think it's well within the Burmese rights to preserve their national ethnical identity.

Most Islamic countries use the word "Islamic" in the official names of the countries. Myanmar does not use the word "Buddhist" in the official name of Myanmar. Myanmar has freedom of faith by seeing Mosques, Churches and Temples in the whole country.
Is there freedom of faith in Islamic countries? Is there any religious rights for Christians, Buddhists and so on ....?

There is no such official ethnic race called Rohingya in Rakhine state of Myanmar. The Roo-in-ga speaking Mohamedins lived there 200 years ago in Rakhine. They seemed to have become extinct or immigrated away before Burma gained Independence in 1948. There were no records of Rohingya race even under British rules for several decades. The name Rohingya appeared to have been created in 1950s linked to the historic Roo-in-ga speaking settlers, and given to the modern day economic immigrants from the neighbouring country. The Burmese called them Bengalis as they speak and look like people from Bangladesh. Most of these settlers do not know anything about Rohingya tribe, the histroy, culture, language, etc. Therefore almost all the Myanmar monks and people appear hostile and racist towards the Bengalis who are believed to have recently crossed the border from another country.
Myanmar is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Even Bangladesh is richer. Bengalis in refugee camps are well looked after and better off than millions of poor Myanmar villagers all over the country. This is the real life in Myanmar. Please be fair. How can poor Myanmar look after the aliens when its own citizens are suffering?

Burma is invading by bangladeshis by the name of rohingyas.
They are not native of Rakhine . May be less than hundred are native, but not 1 million . Burma has every right to defend her country from those invading bengalis.