The 969 movement is a decentralized, loose grouping of monks
and laypeople. While many commentators have portrayed U Wirathu
as the “leader” of the movement, this is an incorrect characterization,
as even the monks who have claimed
credit for the contemporary revival
of the 969 symbol have emphasized
its leaderless nature. The movement
has complex, culturally embedded
elements and has evoked seemingly
contradictory interpretations and impulses.
Its name is a contemporary
repurposing of Buddhist numerological
symbolism related to the Buddha,
the dhamma (his teachings), and the sangha, known collectively as the
“Triple Gems.” Lists of attributes are commonly found in Theravada
Buddhist teachings, most likely originating as a memorization device
when the religion was transmitted orally. In this case, there are nine
distinctive noble qualities of the Buddha, six of the dhamma, and nine of the sangha. Thus, Burmese Buddhists occasionally use “969”
as shorthand to refer to the Triple Gems. The logo of the 969 movement
includes a stone pillar flanked by three lions, meant to represent
the ancient pillar of Emperor Ashoka, a third-century BCE ruler of the
territory now known as India who is commonly associated with Buddhism
(Arai 2013).
The movement imagines “969” as a symbolic counter to the number
786, a numerological representation of “Bismillah ar-Rahman arRahim”
(“in the name of Allah”) and a shorthand for Islam used among
some Muslims in Asian countries. The number 786 has a practical
purpose, as Muslim restaurants
display a 786 sticker to indicate
to customers that they serve halal
food, although it also functions as
a more general notification that
the business is Muslim-owned. In
response to this, the 969 movement
distributed stickers for their followers to designate businesses as
Buddhist-owned, and encouraged followers to “Buy Buddhist.” Behind
this campaign may lie resentments about the economic success of some
members of the Myanmar Muslim community, who historically comprised
the mercantile class and so enjoyed financial success.