"Myanmar's Junta Arrests Swiss Filmmaker, 13 Cast Members for Defaming Buddhism"

Radio Free Asia reports:

[The defendants] are accused of insulting Buddhist cultural traditions and the morals of Buddhist monks, according to state media. Authorities haven't specified under which law they would be prosecuted….

The film, titled "Don't Expect Anything," portrays the message that it is meaningless to worship Buddha images or pagodas, and instead it's important to follow Buddha's teachings.

The 12-year-old main character uses harsh words in the film to describe how the monks enjoy the food donated by lay people every day. The film portrays her as a reincarnation of a hermit who practiced Buddhist teaching in a previous life.

The film, linked to in the Radio Free Asia article, is apparently this:

Thanks to the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC) MediaLawDaily for the pointer.

Comments

[Life of Brian]

Yikes. Reminds me of the touchiness of another self-proclaimed "religion of peace" over jabs at its leader, but this one surprises me a good deal more.

[Bill Poser]

Buddhism is generally quite tolerant but in Burma and Sri Lanka, where it is closely tied to nationalism and the power structure, is authoritarian and touchy.

[Krychek_2]

I think that's the key. Religions do not truly become religions of peace until they lose political power, and sometimes not even then.

[Eugene Volokh]

Do you mean the one whose principal figure has at times been labeled the "Prince of Peace"? (I mean, with your user name ....)

[Life of Brian]

Ah, proof positive double entendre is the best kind.

But to your question, I think the fact that John Cleese et al. are still alive while a wide swath of Charlie Hebdo journalists are not illustrates my point crisply enough.

[Eugene Volokh]

I entirely agree that modern Christianity is much less into killing, or even punishing, blasphemers than is modern Islam. And that's certainly important to those of us who live in modern times. But my point is simply that, at various times in its history, Christianity seems to have been quite conducive to religious wars (as well as punishment of blasphemers, heretics, and the like) -- even though Jesus was labeled "prince of peace" even back then. Just goes to show how little thinking of yourself as a religion of peace seems to help.

[Krychek_2]

But Eugene, you're overlooking how these religions define peace. After you've killed off all your enemies and there is no longer any opposition to your religion, then there's peace. That's both Islam and Christianity.

[Life of Brian]

After you’ve killed off all your enemies and there is no longer any opposition to your religion, then there’s peace.

There's no longer any opposition to Christianity? Really? Hopefully that's just a bit of a rhetorical flair.

[Krychek_2]

Did I say there was no longer any opposition to Christianity? For Christians, no opposition to Christianity is aspirational, and if/when it ever happens they'll consider it peace.

[Life of Brian]

Yes, of course it's a historic fact that Christianity has been one of the religions used as an excuse for people to gather and exercise power and control over their fellow humans -- sometimes in quite ghastly ways. But thankfully for the most part we as a species have moved on from those more barbaric times, so the present-day stragglers tend to (and I think fairly should) stand out from the pack.

[Yogis_dad]

I didn't think it was possible to defame a fantasy.

[Krayt]

Go on a forum and claim the Enterprise could smoke a Star Destroyer.

[darkknight9]

"I didn’t think it was possible to defame a fantasy."
"Go on a forum and claim the Enterprise could smoke a Star Destroyer."

I hope you don't mind but I snipped a copy of this and am gleefully posting it anywhere I can.

This wins the internet for today.

[darkknight9]

Political situations aside, it was one line from a conceited character (a 12 y/o girl) Talking shit about monks enjoying their food that others give them.

Myanmar she's 12. Don't shoot the messenger. Only 4 actors weren't arrested. A servant, 2 bodyguards, and the youngest girl at the end of the movie.

Junta arrests, culture minister in charge of this is unaware of the charges and the local monks IRL are asking that the actors not be arrested and/or held.

(sigh)

Bad Junta! Bad! No supper for you!

[gormadoc]

"Myanmar she’s 12. Don’t shoot the messenger."
The military has been targeting noncombatants, including children, for a long time now. They really have bigger things to worry about than a movie nobody would have known about.

[darkknight9]

***Political situations aside***

*'s added by me for clarity.

[BravoCharlieDelta]

In USA they will murder you in a pre-dawn raid if you insult Bidenism

[Eugene Volokh]

And yet here you are.

[BravoCharlieDelta]

I don't post spicy memes on Twitter or Facebook. Hence no pre-dawn raids by heavily armed FBI Democrats.

[Sarcastr0]

If the government is only trying to kill the spicy memes brigade, and not bothering with killing you for your truth bombs, maybe you're not doing it right?

[darkknight9]

The Star Trek/Star Wars thing above is gold.

But this was pretty good too. 🙂

[SRG2]

And then after they've murdered you, they'll hold you in solitary for two years without a charge, etc etc