Buddhism and Islam face persecution in China, but another group which faces its own unique set of challenges, the Falun Gong, is addressed in another article found here.
What is the Clash Between the Chinese Government and Buddhism?
Buddhism has existed in China and Tibet for over a thousand years. However, it has clashed with the government on a political level, resulting in crackdowns aimed at not the beliefs of Buddhism, but the organization that unifies them.
Since the Dalai Lama backed a failed revolt when the People’s Republic of China managed to conquer the largely theocratic Tibet, he and his followers have been viewed as insurgents or enemies of the state. Under the mandate of protecting the people of China from dangerous enemies, then, the government has gone to great lengths to undermine the authority of the Buddhist organization under the Dalai Lama.
What is China Doing to Undermine the Dalai Lama's Authority?
A 2007, a law passed by the Chinese government actually mandates that no person may reincarnate without government permission, an action that the London Times suggests is a move to limit the authority of lamas over their own followers. Because followers of Buddhism believe that the Dalai Lama will reincarnate after his death, the idea of reincarnation is central to the stability of the religion as a whole.
When the Dalai Lama inevitably dies, then, the Chinese government can either claim that the Dalai Lama violated the law by reincarnating as a certain successor, or sponsor a new Dalai Lama who will align with the government more closely. By seeking to eliminate alternate group identities to which Buddhists may adhere, China might even be restricting on the right of a free person to an identity.
How Do Muslims in China Try to Worship?
Muslims in China hold many beliefs that are in line with the majority of the Islamic world. Most believe in the importance of daily prayers facing Mecca, in the hajj, and in the religious mandate of fasting on the holy festival of Ramadan.
For Muslims, these calls to action would seem to be an integral part of their own religious beliefs. Coming from a religion that requires a strict code of conduct, such as Islam, the right to act on religious beliefs is especially important. Failure to do so is to lose one’s own agency, and thus lose access to the secure claim to lead one’s own life.
What Restrictions Do the Chinese Place on Muslims?
China’s restrictions on Islam follow a similar pattern as other religious restrictions. While it is not overtly illegal to be a Muslim in China, the government has made it difficult. Some restrictions by the Communist party of China declare that sermons run no longer than a half-hour, the Koran cannot be taught in private, and residents of China may not travel to Mecca by any means other than government-run tours. Of course, these prohibitions do not stand alone. Men must shave their beards, women cannot wear veils, and the study of Arabic is only allowed at certain schools.
However, while these hinder a person’s ability to practice their faith, they do not outright ban Islam. These hindrances, though, are rather selective – the state keeps a closer eye on school curricula in Uighur areas, and as children are not permitted to enter mosques (allegedly in case they be indoctrinated against the state), and Muslims cannot teach their children by any means other than enrolling them in state-controlled schools.
China has defended its restrictions by pointing out rightly that it is not actually illegal to be a Muslim in China. These restrictions lend themselves to the argument that the right to act on one’s beliefs is a critical component of religious rights. While it is illegal for non-Muslims to travel to Mecca without a Chinese escort, the law disproportionately impacts Muslims, and the Chinese government knows this. Anything less than giving people the freedom to live their religion is merely lip service to the idea of human rights.
Have the Uighurs Suffered Under Chinese Restrictions on Islam?
In addition to the restrictions which China has placed on the followers of Islam, it has selected them as scapegoats for its social troubles. As an ally of the United States in the War on Terror, China let seventeen Uighur Muslims be sent to Guantanamo Bay claiming they were terrorists.
It was only years later that the United States’ State Department found there was no evidence against the men who had been detained. Now that their names have been cleared, the prisoners are effectively stateless. This abuse of power by the Chinese displays contempt for religious respect, taking advantage of extremist Islam to oppress those who ascribe to a more moderate school of thought.
The pattern of unique restrictions used by China demonstrates a new degree of creativity in attempting to remain a dominant force in the lives of its people. While China rightly points out that it does not outright ban either religion, government's laws can effectively do so in highly unique and restrictive ways.
