Jakarta. Tens of thousands of Indonesians have called for the revocation of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi over anti-Muslim remarks she allegedly made during a media interview.
A newly published biography written by Peter Popham, titled "The Lady and The Generals," revealed that Suu Kyi lost her temper after a heated interview in October 2013 with BBC Today anchor Mishal Husain.
Husain, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, repeatedly questioned why the Nobel laureate refused to condemn anti-Islamic sentiment and massacres of Muslims in her country, which she refused to do throughout the interview.
After the interview, Popham writes, Suu Kyi reportedly said: "No one told me I would be interviewed by a Muslim."
"Many people were shocked that such words came from Suu Kyi. It might be just one sentence, but they have deep meanings for every person who loves peace," said Emerson Yuntho, an antigraft activist who co-initiated an online petition demanding the Norwegian Nobel Committee retract the award.
"Only those who seriously maintain peace are suitable for the Nobel Peace Prize," the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activist added.
Emerson, along with around 120 other Indonesians, started the petition on the website Change.org on Monday, and it had been signed by over 35,000 people as of Tuesday.
Husain had been asking Suu Kyi about the fate of the Rohingya, Muslim minority group in Myanmar that has suffered persecution in recent years at the hands of the Buddhist-majority population, with Myanmar authorities being accused of turning a blind eye.
Suu Kyi has remained largely silent about the Rohingya issue.
"This has again raised questions by the international community regarding Suu Kyi's attitude towards Muslim minority groups in Myanmar," Emerson said.
See more at - http://www.jakartaglobe.beritasatu....tition-strip-anti-muslim-suu-kyi-nobel-prize/
A newly published biography written by Peter Popham, titled "The Lady and The Generals," revealed that Suu Kyi lost her temper after a heated interview in October 2013 with BBC Today anchor Mishal Husain.
Husain, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, repeatedly questioned why the Nobel laureate refused to condemn anti-Islamic sentiment and massacres of Muslims in her country, which she refused to do throughout the interview.
After the interview, Popham writes, Suu Kyi reportedly said: "No one told me I would be interviewed by a Muslim."
"Many people were shocked that such words came from Suu Kyi. It might be just one sentence, but they have deep meanings for every person who loves peace," said Emerson Yuntho, an antigraft activist who co-initiated an online petition demanding the Norwegian Nobel Committee retract the award.
"Only those who seriously maintain peace are suitable for the Nobel Peace Prize," the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activist added.
Emerson, along with around 120 other Indonesians, started the petition on the website Change.org on Monday, and it had been signed by over 35,000 people as of Tuesday.
Husain had been asking Suu Kyi about the fate of the Rohingya, Muslim minority group in Myanmar that has suffered persecution in recent years at the hands of the Buddhist-majority population, with Myanmar authorities being accused of turning a blind eye.
Suu Kyi has remained largely silent about the Rohingya issue.
"This has again raised questions by the international community regarding Suu Kyi's attitude towards Muslim minority groups in Myanmar," Emerson said.
See more at - http://www.jakartaglobe.beritasatu....tition-strip-anti-muslim-suu-kyi-nobel-prize/
