The TPNRD Secretariat has released a new report on Religion, Secularism, and the Pursuit of Peace in Myanmar by Susan Hayward and Iselin Frydenlund. Commissioned at the request of TPNRD participants, the paper explores the reasons behind the “Buddhist nationalist rhetoric and activism that has flourished since the political reforms were introduced in 2011, finding new forms of expression and civic mobilization in the space of democratic openings and often driving exclusionary attitudes, particularly against Myanmar’s Muslim population.”
Susan Hayward is Senior Advisor for Religion & Inclusive Societies at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Iselin Frydenlund is Associate Professor at the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society. Frydenlund presented the paper at the May 2019 TPNRD conference in Berne, Switzerland.