This is how China treats its religious minorities
Some of you may have picked up the news on Friday that US has (once again) included China in its list of ”Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) mentioned in the International Religious Freedom’s annual report*. The report lists countries and regimes who restrict or suppress religious freedom..The worst violators are mentioned as “Countries of Particular Concern”.
China has been on this list since at least 2005 (possibly earlier) and was first included in 1999.
Against this backdrop, read how China treats its religious minorities in these excerpts from Ramadan Curbs Imposed in China:
…Local governments in a Muslim desert region in western China have imposed strict limits on religious practices during the traditional Muslim fasting month of Ramadan…according to the Web sites of four of those governments.
The rules include prohibiting women from wearing veils and men from growing beards, as well as barring government officials from observing Ramadan.
…The Web site of the town of Yingmaili lists nine rules put in place to maintain stability during Ramadan.
They include barring teachers and students from observing Ramadan, prohibiting retired government officials from entering mosques and requiring men to shave off beards and women to doff veils. Mosques
cannot let people from outside of town stay overnight and restaurants must maintain normal hours of business. Many restaurants close in daytime hours during Ramadan because of the sunrise-to-sunset fasting.In nearby Xinhe County, the government has decreed that Communist Party members, civil servants and retired officials must not observe Ramadan, enter mosques or take part in any religious activities during the month. Worshipers cannot make pilgrimages to tombs, so as to avoid any group event that might harm social stability…
…Shayar County, which includes the town of Yingmaili, said on its Web site that migrants must register with the police, and that any missionary work by outsiders is banned. Even outside Ramadan, China is wary of missionaries doing any kind of work in the country.
The city of Artux is also preventing its teachers and students from observing Ramadan. As a result, schools have to keep serving food and water, city authorities said.
More on CPCs here: http://www.stimson.org/pub.cfm?ID=603
P.S. In case you are curious, India has been mentioned too (although not as a CPC)
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