Shia Community in Myanmar’s Mandalay Appeals for Aid 100 Days After Devastating Earthquake

Shia Community in Myanmar’s Mandalay Appeals for Aid 100 Days After Devastating Earthquake
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More than 100 days after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, the Shia Muslim community in Mandalay has issued an urgent appeal for international assistance. In a statement obtained by Shia Waves Agency, local leaders called on governments, humanitarian organizations, and donors—particularly in the Muslim world—to provide immediate relief to those affected.

The earthquake, which occurred on Friday, March 28, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. local time, caused severe damage in Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s historic cities. Among the destruction was the city’s 300-year-old central mosque, along with numerous residential buildings, resulting in dozens of casualties and missing persons.
Mandalay’s Shia population, estimated at around 5,000 people of Iranian, Indian, Arab, and Afghan descent, faces extreme hardship, compounded by the timing of the disaster during Ramadan.

The statement highlighted the dire conditions of vulnerable groups, including children and the elderly, many of whom remain without basic necessities. It emphasized that the broader population of Myanmar—approximately 58 million, predominantly Buddhist—includes small Muslim, Christian, and Hindu minorities who have also been affected.

Community leaders urged the international community and humanitarian agencies to provide urgent aid, stressing that residents of Mandalay continue to struggle for survival more than three months after the catastrophe.