This article highlights the convenient excuse of (il)legality used by (1) religious majoritarian mobs to justify attacks against places of worship and religious buildings of minorities; and (2) police and local authorities to absolve themselves of the failure to uphold public order and the rule of law, protect religious minorities, and to punish religious minorities. This article traces the emergence of legal violence in the form of anti-mosque vigilante extremism in Myanmar from 2012 onwards and analyzes cases of attacks against: (1) “illegal” mosques; (2) madrasas being used as or reconstructed into mosques; (3) buildings allegedly being constructed as mosques; (4) private homes and public spaces being used as mosques; and cases of (5) closed mosques not being allowed to reopen. The author primarily used Myanmar-language resources as well as interviews to conduct the research.

中文翻译：

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歧视和迫害宗教少数群体的（非法）合法性借口：缅甸的反清真寺法律暴力

这篇文章强调了（1）宗教多数派暴徒使用（非法）合法性的方便借口来为攻击少数群体的礼拜场所和宗教建筑辩护；(2) 警察和地方当局为维护公共秩序和法治、保护宗教少数群体和惩罚宗教少数群体的行为开脱罪责。本文追溯了 2012 年以来缅甸以反清真寺义务警员极端主义形式出现的法律暴力事件，并分析了针对以下方面的袭击案例：（1）“非法”清真寺；(2) 经学校用作或改建为清真寺；(3) 据称被建造为清真寺的建筑物；（四）私人住宅和公共场所被用作清真寺；(5) 关闭的清真寺不允许重新开放的情况。