Myanmar’s earthquake exposed decades of restrictions on Muslim places of worship

When a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, it struck at a particularly devastating moment for the country’s Muslim community. Thousands of Muslims had gathered in mosques for Friday prayers when buildings collapsed, killing worshippers and destroying or severely damaging Islamic religious sites.

According to documentation by the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN), at least 180 mosques and other Islamic religious buildings were affected across 29 municipalities in Mandalay District, Sagaing District, Naypyidaw Region, Bago Region and southern Shan State. At least 670 Muslims were killed when mosques and other Islamic religious buildings collapsed.

Yet the disaster was not simply a story of an earthquake destroying vulnerable buildings. BHRN’s findings point to a deeper problem: years of restrictions, uncertainty and discrimination surrounding the construction, repair and renovation of Muslim places of worship had left some communities unable-or afraid-to address structural problems before the earthquake. After the disaster, many of the same restrictions continued to prevent communities from safely demolishing, repairing or rebuilding damaged mosques.