Read and sign this open letter from the Buddhist community regarding Islamophobia

A group of Buddhists has issued this open letter expressing their concerns about Islamophobia from governments and the Buddhist community.

Lion’ s Roar2 August 2012
Photo by Edward Musiak.

Organized by Joshua Eaton and Buddhadharma News reporter Danny Fisher, the letter points to examples of Muslims being targeted for hate crimes, police profiling, and basic human rights abuses — including recent attempts by Buddhist monks in Burma to block humanitarian aid from reaching persecuted Rohingya Muslims — and calls for them to stop.

“In our own countries, we ask law enforcement agencies to stop targeting Muslim communities with indiscriminate surveillance and profiling. And we call on Americans to see their Muslims neighbors as fellow citizens, bound together with them through the shared values of democracy, equality, and freedom.

In the wider Buddhist community, we ask our fellow Buddhists to refrain from using the Dharma to support nationalism, ethnic conflict, and Islamophobia. We believe that these values are antithetical to the Buddha’s teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.”

You can read the full letter here, and add your name.

Lion s Roar Staff

Lion’ s Roar

Lion’s Roar is the website of Lion’s Roar magazine (formerly the Shambhala Sun) and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, with exclusive Buddhist news, teachings, art, and commentary. Sign up for the Lion’s Roar weekly newsletter and follow Lion’s Roar on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.