The activists said the real reason for the laws was to further marginalize Muslims in the country. "It's based on extreme hatred," May Sabe Phyu added. "It's focused on a particular religion."
Myanmar's quasi-civilian government has adopted sweeping political and economic reforms since taking over from a military junta in March 2011.
But it has struggled to contain religious tension. Since June 2012, at least 237 people have been killed in ethnic unrest, according to international aid groups. The vast majority of victims were Muslims who make up only about 5 percent of Myanmar's population of 60 million.
According the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the legislative push came about after President Thein Sein sent a letter to Shwe Mann, the speaker of parliament, suggesting that the body draft the four laws to "preserve race and religion."
HRW said it saw a draft of the interfaith marriage law, which would restrict Buddhist women to marrying fellow Buddhists and require people of other faiths to convert to Buddhism before marrying a Buddhist.
But no women's groups or religious bodies except for Buddhists were consulted in drafting the laws, said May Sabe Phyu, whose parents are Buddhist and Christian.
"Whether you marry a Muslim, a Buddhist or a Christian man, many women are forced to suffer violence in their home," she said. "Instead of having these laws, why not have a law to protect women against violence?"
Al Jazeera and Reuters
Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/05/29/myanmar-lawmakers-to-mull-law-curbing-religious-conversions/
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