Story highlights A group of Islamic organizations in Myanmar has canceled Eid al-Adha celebrations

There have been violent clashes this week between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims

Dozens of people have been killed, and thousands of homes have been burnt down

Following a volatile week in Myanmar that has seen a surge in deadly sectarian violence, a group of Islamic organizations in the country announced that it had canceled all celebrations for Eid al-Adha , the four-day religious holiday observed by many Muslims.

No reason was given in the announcement from the All Myanmar Islam Association, a collaboration of five major Islamic organizations there. But locals are seeing it as a precautionary measure after the violence in recent days.

Clashes between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims have flared this week , killing dozens of people and burning thousands of homes to the ground in the western state of Rakhine.

There has been tension between the two ethnic groups since May, when violence began after three Muslim men were arrested on suspicion of raping and killing a Buddhist woman.

New satellite imagery obtained by Human Rights Watch shows what it said was extensive destruction of buildings in a predominantly Rohingya area of the coastal town of Kyauk Pyu. The swath of arson, the group said, stretched over 35 acres and included houseboats and floating barges.

New satellite imagery shows what Human Rights Watch says is extensive destruction in a Rohingya area of Kyauk Pyu.

The government in Myanmar "urgently needs to provide security for the Rohingya ... who are under vicious attack," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "Unless the authorities also start addressing the root causes of the violence, it is only likely to get worse."

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority who say they have been persecuted by the Myanmar military during its decades of authoritarian rule. Myanmar doesn't recognize them as citizens.

Unrest between the Rohingya and majority Buddhists has tested President Thein Sein's administration, which is trying to seek reconciliation with Myanmar's different ethnic groups and move the country toward more democratic governance.

Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A woman prays during Eid prayers at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, on Saturday, October 27. Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and honors the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, on the order of God, who according to the religion then provided a lamb in the boy's place. More than 2 million Muslims make the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Hide Caption 1 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A goat vendor waits for customers to buy animals for the sacrificial festival in New Delhi on Saturday. Hide Caption 2 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Arab Israeli children roll inside air balls floating on a pool at an amusement park on Saturday in the northern Israeli city of Acre. Hide Caption 3 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – An Arab Israeli woman walks with an inflatable giraffe on her back during a festival on the second day of Eid al-Adha Sturday in Acre. Hide Caption 4 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A boy poses for a photograph as Indian Muslims gather for Eid al-Adha prayers at the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi on Saturday. Hide Caption 5 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Indian Muslims gather for Saturday's prayers at the Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi. Hide Caption 6 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – An boy climbs on the back of a praying adult in Srinagar, India, on Saturday. Hide Caption 7 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Pakistani Muslims guide camels on the road in Lahore, Pakistan, on Friday, October 26. Hide Caption 8 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A man loads a sheep in a slaughterhouse in La Courneuve, France, on Friday. Hide Caption 9 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – An Iraqi woman sits next to the grave of a relative on Friday at the al-Ghazali cemetery in Baghdad. Hide Caption 10 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at pillars during the Jamarat ritual in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. During the stoning of Satan ritual, pilgrims pelt pillars symbolizing the devil with stones to show their defiance. Hide Caption 11 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A man shaves the head of a Muslim pilgrim after the Jamarat ritual in Mina. Hide Caption 12 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Javanese woman picks vegetables from the Gunungan, a structure in the shape of a mountain, during the Grebeg ritual as part of celebrations for Eid al-Adha on Friday in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. People offer vegetables, peppers, eggs, and other items at the Grand Mosque and receive part of the Gunungan to be blessed in the year ahead. Hide Caption 13 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Pakistani vendor sharpens knives at a stall ahead of the Muslim sacrificial festival in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday, October 25. Hide Caption 14 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Muslim pilgrims pray on Mount Arafat near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, ahead of the holiday of Eid al-Adha on Thursday, October 25. Hide Caption 15 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Crowds of Muslim pilgrims dressed in white flocked to Mount Arafat in the west of Saudi Arabia to take part in the main rituals of the annual Hajj on Thursday morning. Hide Caption 16 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Pakistani men wait for customers at a livestock market ahead on Thursday in Lahore. Hide Caption 17 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Pakistani men carry animals for the sacrificial festival on a motorcycle in Lahore on Thursday. Hide Caption 18 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Palestinian woman buys sweets in preparation for Eid al-Adha in Gaza City on Thursday. Hide Caption 19 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Pilgrims rest outside near Mount Arafat on Wednesday night. Hide Caption 20 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Palestinian boy looks at goats at a local cattle market in the West Bank village of Qabatiya on Wednesday, October 24. Hide Caption 21 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Palestinian pilgrim prays near the Haram Sharif Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, October 23. Hide Caption 22 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Bosnian Muslim pilgrim Senad Hadzic, 47, who left December on a pilgrimage to Mecca by foot, walks in the holy city on Tuesday. Hadzic said he had walked through Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and Jordan with a backpack weighing 20 kilograms, or 44 pounds. Hide Caption 23 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Pakistani youth stands with a goat at a livestock market in Quetta on Tuesday ahead of the Muslim sacrificial festival of Eid al-Adha. Hide Caption 24 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims prepare for Eid al-Adha – A flock of sheep feeds at an animal market in the southern Turkish city of Kilis on Tuesday. Hide Caption 25 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Yemeni boy carries a goat at an animal market in the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday. Hide Caption 26 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A child looks on as Muslim pilgrims perform evening prayers along a street close to the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Tuesday. Hide Caption 27 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Muslim pilgrims perform their evening prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday, October 22. Hide Caption 28 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Blacksmiths sharpen various tools and knives to be used to sacrifice animals on Monday in Peshawar, Pakistan. Hide Caption 29 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Palestinian children gather around a makeshift cube representing the holy Kaaba in Gaza City on Monday in a training sesson for children on how to celebrate the hajj pilgrimage. Hide Caption 30 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Pakistani livestock trader shows the teeth of his camel at one of the main animal markets in Islamabad on Friday, October 19. Hide Caption 31 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – A Pakistani livestock trader takes a bath beside camels at one of the main animal markets in Islamabad on Friday. Hide Caption 32 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Palestinians gather at a sheep market Wednesday in Bethlehem, West Bank. Hide Caption 33 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – An Afghan man sells dried fruits on a roadside in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, October 24. Hide Caption 34 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – An Afghan man gestures toward a sheep at an animal market as he waits for customers in the outskirts of Jalalabad on Saturday, October 20. Hide Caption 35 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Muslim pilgrims walk up Jabal al-Noor, the "Mountain of Light," overlooking the holy city of Mecca, on Sunday, October 21. Hide Caption 36 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Muslim pilgrims wait for the start of prayers at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Monday. Hide Caption 37 of 38 Photos: Photos: Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha – Pakistani farmers bathe their bull near an animal market in Islamabad on Friday. Hide Caption 38 of 38

The government has sent extra security into the troubled region and declared a state of emergency. The president's office warned Thursday that "manipulators" behind the violence can expect to be found and prosecuted.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, speaking in Parliament on Friday, called for a greater security presence and urged authorities to investigate suspected human rights offenses.