Myanmar began a parliamentary session Wednesday that will see lawmakers debate restrictions to religious conversions, part of a series of bills that could also bar interfaith marriages under the guise of protecting the country’s Buddhist identity.

The first of the proposed measures would require anyone seeking to change their religion to get permission from a panel of government officials, according to a draft published by a state-run newspaper.

Other bills are expected to deal with population control measures and a curb on interfaith marriage. The measures have been taken by some as further proof of persecution of the country’s Muslim minority.

They come amid rising sectarian unrest in Myanmar, which is commonly referred to as Burma. In recent months, tension has escalated into violence directed largely toward the Rohingya community – the country’s Muslim minority – by the Buddhist majority.

Dhammapiya, a senior monk who helped write the proposed laws, said they were meant to "protect" Buddhist women from being forced to covert to Islam when they married Muslim men.

"Many incidents happen, so this marriage law is to help the women do something," he said in an interview with Reuters.

But May Sabe Phyu, a Burmese women's rights activist, rejected the suggestion.

"Religion is an individual decision," she said. "For what purpose is this conversion of religion law really needed?"