More than eight months after the powerful earthquake in Sagaing, the Muslim community reports that they still have not been granted permission to rebuild the mosques that were damaged or collapsed.
Local residents say that some mosques that were even granted demolition approval are being left standing because people fear that once demolished, they may never receive permission to rebuild.
According to residents of Mandalay, permission to rebuild requires applications to be submitted to the Department of Religious Affairs and the municipal authorities, after which the General Administration Department must approve it. Due to delays in this process, not a single mosque has received reconstruction approval so far.
Although the junta officially claims that 136 mosques were damaged, independent record keepers state that at least 181 mosques were affected. This discrepancy with the military council’s figures has caused concern among the community.
Most of the mosques were constructed with bricks during the 18th–19th centuries. Because permission to renovate has been repeatedly denied across generations, they could not be properly reinforced, making them more vulnerable to collapse during the earthquake, according to those who have studied the damage.
The primary reason for the denial of reconstruction permission is that much of the mosque land donated during the era of Myanmar’s former kings is not officially listed as religious land, and the documents are incomplete, making approval difficult to obtain.
Although the military council has publicly stated that religious buildings will be allowed to be rebuilt in their original form, Muslim community leaders say that, in practice, even temporary metal roofing structures are not being permitted, forcing people to continue praying in makeshift shelters.
In addition to denying permission to repair damaged mosques, authorities reportedly closed several mosques in Sagaing—such as the lightly damaged Gat Tan Mosque—in May 2025, further worsening the situation for the Muslim community.
