Prayers Under the Scorching Sun: Dreams of New Mosques Amid Military Restrictions
Despite the sweltering summer heat, Muslims in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region, continue to pray every Friday under makeshift tents set up along roadsides and in open spaces. Their devotion isn’t limited to one day a week; they pray each Friday, enduring the burning sun, driven by faith and resilience.
They have resorted to this form of worship after the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on March 28 destroyed 135 mosques nationwide, including many in Amarapura. Now, they are hoping the military council will grant permission to build new mosques.
However, more than a month after the quake, Muslims have yet to receive approval to rebuild the collapsed mosques or even to clear the debris. In some cases, they continue to face restrictions when applying for permission to erect temporary prayer tents.
Given Myanmar’s long-standing history of restrictions on the construction and renovation of mosques under successive regimes, many Muslims fear that they may not receive the necessary approvals to rebuild.
Permissions to rebuild mosques that have become rubble
According to Islamic religious organizations, the March 28 earthquake destroyed more than 9,600 religious buildings across the country, including 135 mosques. The quake struck on the final Friday of Ramadan, resulting in the deaths of 673 worshippers as mosques collapsed during prayer.
Data collected by Muslim organizations show that 58 mosques were damaged in six townships across Mandalay Region—18 in Amarapura, 22 in Kyaukse District, one in Tada-U, 18 in Meiktila, and 18 in Yamethin.
“Rather than rebuilding, we urgently need permission just to clear the debris,” said U Thein Win Aung, a 60-year-old Islamic imam. “We’re restricted from doing even that. The rubble remains in many places, and we’re worried more restrictions will follow.”
He explained that in order to receive permission to rebuild, a formal request must be submitted to the Mandalay Region Chief Minister, who then forwards it to the Union Minister for Religious Affairs for final approval.
U Thein Win Aung and other imams are still in the process of applying to clear debris and seek approval to construct new mosques.
Some Muslim religious leaders, who asked not to be named, said they were informed that mosques may only be rebuilt in their original design. But Muslims argue that this will not meet current needs, as mosque structures in Myanmar have not been upgraded for over 60 years, and the community has grown significantly.
Compounding the problem, many Muslims lack citizenship cards due to decades of discrimination under military governments. This has resulted in a wide gap between official immigration data and the actual Muslim population.
Adding to the obstacles, the military council has mandated that all buildings constructed after March 28 must be capable of withstanding an earthquake of magnitude 8. Yet, it has remained reluctant to grant even the most basic permissions to rebuild mosques in their previous form.
“This hesitation is unacceptable,” said U Soe Nay Oo, another Islamic imam.
“The order to rebuild the mosques only in their original structure is a form of oppression,” said Islamic leader U Soe Nay Oo, criticizing the military dictatorship.
He added, “The permits have not yet been officially approved. Even if the junta allows us to rebuild the mosques, we won’t thank them—because their motive is simply to polish their image in the international community as much as they can.”
Prayers on the Roadside Instead of in Mosques
For Muslims, praying five times a day is a religious obligation. It must be performed physically, verbally, and mentally at specific times, in designated places, and in a prescribed manner. Believers hold that prayer strengthens spiritual growth, brings peace of mind, enhances morality, deepens connection with Allah, and fosters a sense of brotherhood through communal worship.
Although individual prayer is permitted, Muslims believe it is far more beneficial to pray together in a mosque. However, due to the devastation caused by the earthquake—and the ongoing oppression of the military regime—many are now forced to pray in the streets.
“Currently, we are praying in any available space,” said a Muslim from Mandalay. “Some mosques that haven’t fully collapsed are still being used, despite the risks.”
Even for roadside prayers, Muslims must request permission from junta authorities.
Senior Islamic Imam U Thein Win Aung explained the process: “To build a prayer tent, we must submit a formal letter. In that letter, we are required to detail the materials we intend to use for the temporary structure.”
Meanwhile, Muslims continue to brave extreme weather conditions as they await the junta’s permission to rebuild their destroyed mosques.
100-Year-Old Mosques Reduced to Rubble
There are nearly 3,000 mosques in Myanmar, many of them 30 to 100 years old. Yet, according to Muslim leaders, successive governments—including both military regimes and the National League for Democracy (NLD)—have consistently denied permission to repair or maintain these buildings.
“Repairing a mosque is treated like committing a crime,” said Imam Soe Nay Oo.
As a result, many structurally weak mosques collapsed during the recent earthquake, killing hundreds of worshippers beneath the rubble.
“Our mosques were reduced to ruins during the earthquake because we hadn’t been allowed to maintain or renovate them for many years,” said U Soe Nay Oo. “When the quake struck, they crumbled entirely.”
Human rights activists have condemned these restrictions as violations of the fundamental right to religious freedom. The rights to teach one’s religion or belief—publicly or privately—and to practice, worship, and study freely are core principles of religious liberty. Yet, in Myanmar, these rights have been systematically suppressed for generations.
According to an October 2024 report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the state of religious freedom in Myanmar continues to deteriorate.
“Will the Muslim Community’s Dream of Rebuilding Mosques Be Realized?”
The March 28 earthquake left a trail of destruction across central Myanmar—flattened villages, crumbled religious buildings, and devastated communities that remain in ruins more than a month, even two months later.
To this day, many survivors are still sleeping on the streets without proper shelter.
Similarly, Muslims, lacking any place to worship, continue to pray on roadsides under makeshift conditions.
The military council’s promises of reconstruction and rehabilitation remain vague and largely unfulfilled.
Despite the widespread devastation, the junta has continued launching brutal airstrikes, worsening the humanitarian crisis. It has also weaponized aid, according to the independent research group Justice For Myanmar.
The Ministry of Human Rights under the National Unity Government (NUG) reported that between March 28 and April 9 alone, the military carried out 92 air and artillery attacks, killing 72 civilians.
In addition to blocking, confiscating, and misusing humanitarian aid for its own benefit, the junta has targeted rescue workers and medical staff, while severely restricting media access and communication.
Data shows that the military council received approximately US$292.89 million in international donations for earthquake relief. Immediately after the quake, military chief Min Aung Hlaing solicited donations from local and foreign companies and cronies. By the second week of April, Justice For Myanmar revealed that these funds were already being diverted to military expenses.
In reality, relief and rehabilitation in quake-affected areas has largely depended on grassroots, person-to-person efforts.
Meanwhile, the junta-controlled media showcases Min Aung Hlaing inspecting collapsed pagodas and making grandiose donations, using the disaster as a public relations opportunity.
As Min Aung Hlaing and his inner circle profit in various ways from the catastrophe, ordinary people across Myanmar are left to survive the compounded effects of natural disaster and violent conflict.
For Muslims, the hope of rebuilding mosques under Min Aung Hlaing’s regime remains dim. Still, many hold on to hope that permission will be granted to restore their places of worship—however small.
Islamic Imam U Thein Win Aung spoke on behalf of earthquake-affected Muslims.
“We hope that places of worship will be allowed to be built in as many locations as needed—without restrictions, and without exceptions,” he said.
Although he expressed that hope, his tone was far from confident. He reflected on his own experiences with quiet resignation.
“In my 60 years, I’ve never heard of a new Islamic building being allowed,” he added.