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Freedom of religion in China may be referring to the following entities separated by the Taiwan Strait:
- In the People's Republic of China (PRC), freedom of religion is provided for in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China,
yet with a caveat: the government controls what it calls "normal
religious activity", defined in practice as activities that take place
within government-sanctioned religious organizations and registered
places of worship. Although the PRC's communist government claimed
responsibility for the practice of religion,
human rights bodies such as United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have much criticized this differentiation as
falling short of international standards for the protection of religious
freedom.
- In the Republic of China (ROC), it is provided for by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which is in force on Taiwan. The ROC's government generally respects freedom of religion in practice, with policies which contribute to the generally free practice of religion.
The long history in ROC's constraint of the freedom of religion is a prelude to that of the PRC; the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially espouses state atheism, and has conducted antireligious campaigns to this end. China's five officially sanctioned religious organizations are the Buddhist Association of China, Chinese Taoist Association, Islamic Association of China, Three-Self Patriotic Movement and Catholic Patriotic Association. These groups have been overseen and controlled by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party since the State Administration for Religious Affairs' absorption into the United Front Work Department in 2018. Unregistered religious groups—including house churches, Falun Gong, and underground Catholics—face varying degrees of harassment, including imprisonment and torture under Xi Jinping Administration.
This is also compared to the ROC with PRC's strong neglect of human
rights protections, state-sanctioned discrimination, and generally low
regard for freedom of religion or belief.
As for the Taiwan, Freedom House gave it the top score for religious freedoms in 2018.
Possibly the only coercion to practice a certain faith in Taiwan comes
from within the family, where the choice to adopt a non-traditional
faith can sometimes lead to ostracism "because they stop performing
ancestor worship rites and rituals."
Legal framework
Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China
provides for freedom of religion, and the authorities generally respect
this right in practice. Authorities at all levels protect this right in
full, and do not tolerate its abuse, either by official or private
actors. There is no state religion.
According to Article 13 of the Constitution of the Republic of China of 1947:
The people shall have freedom of religious belief.
Although registration is not mandatory, 26 religious organizations
have registered with the MOI's Religious Affairs Section. Religious
organizations may register with the central authorities through their
island-wide associations under the Temple Management Law, the Civic Organizations Law,
or the chapter of the Civil Code that governs foundations and
associations. While individual places of worship may register with local
authorities, many choose not to do so and operate as the personal
property of their leaders. Registered religious organizations operate on
a tax-free basis and are required to submit annual reports of their
financial operations. The only ramification for nonregistration is the
forfeiture of the tax advantages that are available for registered
religious organizations. There were no reports that the authorities have
sought to deny registration to new religions.
Religious organizations are permitted to operate schools, but
compulsory religious instruction is not permitted in any public or
private elementary, middle, or high school accredited by the Ministry of
Education (MOE). High schools accredited by the MOE, while not allowed
to require religious instruction, may provide elective courses in
religious studies, provided such courses do not promote certain
religious beliefs over others. Universities and research institutions
may have religious studies departments. Before 2004, legislation barred
religious schools and theological institutes from applying for MOE
accreditation, and the MOE did not recognize university-level degrees
granted by these types of schools. In March 2004, the Legislative Yuan
revised the Private Schools Act authorized the MOE to establish an
accreditation process for university-level religious education
institutions supported by religious organizations or private funds. In
April 2006, the MOE promulgated regulations governing the accreditation
process. In August 2006, the MOE accredited its first seminary, the
Dharma Drum Buddhist College.
People's Republic of China
Article 36 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China of 1982 specifies that:
Citizens of the People's Republic
of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public
organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to
believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who
believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The state protects
normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion to engage
in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens
or interfere with the educational system of the state. Religious bodies
and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.
This protection is extended only to what are called "normal religious
activities", generally understood to refer to religions that submit to
state control via the State Administration for Religious Affairs.
The Constitution further forbids the use of religion to "engage in
activities that disrupt social order, impair the health of citizens or
interfere with the educational system of the state." Furthermore, it
states that "[r]eligious organizations and religious affairs are not
subject to any foreign dominance."
The law affords protection to five officially sanctioned religions: the Buddhist Association of China, Chinese Taoist Association, Islamic Association of China, Three-Self Patriotic Movement and Catholic Patriotic Association.
Religious groups are required to register with the State Administration
for Religious Affairs (SARA, formerly known as the central Religious
Affairs Bureau) or its provincial and local offices (still known as
Religious Affairs Bureaus (RABs)). SARA and the RABs are responsible for
monitoring and judging the legitimacy of religious activity.
Proselytizing is only permitted in private settings or within
registered houses of worship. Proselytization in public, in unregistered
churches or temples, or by foreigners is prohibited. Members of the officially atheist Communist Party are strongly discouraged from holding religious faith.
A significant number of non-sanctioned churches and temples
exist, attended by locals and foreigners alike. Unregistered or
underground churches are not officially banned, but are not permitted to conduct religious activities.
These bodies may face varying degrees of interference, harassment, and
persecution by state and party organs. In some instances, unregistered
religious believers and leaders have been charged with "illegal
religious activities" or "disrupting social stability".
Religious believers have also been charged under article 300 of the
criminal code, which forbids using heretical organizations to "undermine
the implementation of the law". An extrajudicial, Communist Party-led security organ called the 6-10 Office oversees the suppression of Falun Gong and, increasingly, other unregistered religious organizations.
Folk religions, though not officially protected, are sometimes
tolerated by authorities. The State Administration for Religious Affairs
has created a department to oversee the management of folk religion.
Although the Chinese Communist Party has a long history of
restricting religious freedom, in recent years it has become
increasingly hostile toward religion and has initiated campaigns to
“sinicize" Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christianity to rid them of what
it deems “foreign" influences. The 2018 Revised Regulations on
Religious Affairs effectively ban “unauthorized" religious teaching and
expand the role of local authorities in controlling religious
activities. In 2019, religious freedom conditions in China continued to
deteriorate. The Chinese government has created a high-tech surveillance
state, utilizing facial recognition and artificial intelligence to
monitor religious minorities. On 1 April 2019, a new regulation
requiring religious venues to have legal representatives and
professional accountants went into effect. Some smaller religious
venues, especially in rural areas, found these requirements impossible
to fulfill.
Christianity
Christianity has had a presence in China dating as far back as the Tang dynasty, and accumulated a following in China with the arrival of large numbers of missionaries during the Qing dynasty.
Missionaries were expelled from China in 1949 when the Communist Party
came to power, and the religion was associated with Western imperialism.
However, Christianity experienced a resurgence of popularity since the
reforms under Deng Xiaoping
in the late 1970s and 1980s. By 2011, approximately 60 million Chinese
citizens were estimated to be practicing Protestantism or Catholicism.
The majority of these do not belong to the state-sanctioned churches. The government declared in 2018 that there are over 44 million Christians in China.
In reports of countries with the strongest anti-Christian persecution, China was ranked by the Open Doors organisation in 2019 as the 27th most severe country and in 2020 as 23rd most severe.
Religious practices are still often tightly controlled by government
authorities. Chinese children in Mainland China are permitted to be
involved with officially sanctioned Christian meetings through the Three-Self Patriotic Movement or the Catholic Patriotic Association.
In early January 2018, Chinese authorities in Shanxi province
demolished a church, which created a wave of fear among the Christians.
Roman Catholicism
A Roman Catholic church by the Lancang (Mekong) River at Cizhong, Yunnan Province, China
China is home to an estimated 12 million Catholics, the majority of whom worship outside the official Catholic Patriotic Association
(CPA). The State Administration for Religious Affairs states that there
are 5.3 million Catholics belonging to the state-sanctioned Catholic
Patriotic Association, which oversees 70 bishops, and approximately
6,000 churches nationwide.
In addition, there are roughly 40 bishops unordained by the CPA who
operate unofficially, and recognize the authority of the Vatican.
The state-sanctioned church appoints its own bishops, and as with
all official religious, exercises control over the doctrine and
leadership of the religion. As a matter of maintaining autonomy and rejecting foreign intervention, the official church has no official contact with the Vatican,
and does not recognize its authority. However, the CPA has allowed for
unofficial Vatican approval of ordinations. Although the CPA continues
to carry out ordinations opposed by the Holy See, the majority of CPA
bishops are now recognized by both authorities. In addition to overseeing the practice of the Catholic faith, the CPA espouses politically oriented objectives as well. Liu Bainian,
chairman of the CPA and the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church
in China, stated in a 2011 interview that the church needed individuals
who "love the country and love religion: politically, they should
respect the Constitution, respect the law, and fervently love the
socialist motherland."
Some Catholics who recognize the authority of the Holy See choose
to worship clandestinely due to the risk of harassment from
authorities. Several underground Catholic bishops have been reported
disappeared or imprisoned, and harassment of unregistered bishops and
priests is common.
There are reports of Catholic bishops and priests being forced by
authorities to attend the ordination ceremonies for bishops who had not
gained Vatican approval.
Chinese authorities also have reportedly pressured Catholics to break
communion with the Vatican by requiring them to renounce an essential
belief in Roman Catholicism, the primacy of the Roman Pontiff. In other instances, however, authorities have permitted Vatican-loyal churches to carry out operations.
Protestantism
The Three-Self Patriotic Movement,
National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the
Protestant Churches in China; the Three-Self Church or "TSPM" is the
government-sanctioned ("patriotic") Christian organization in China. Known in combination with the China Christian Council as the lianghui, they form the only state-sanctioned ("registered") Protestant church in mainland China. All other Protestant denominations are illegal.
Chinese house churches are a religious movement of unregistered assemblies of Christians
in China, which operate independently of the government-run Three-Self
Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council (CCC) for
Protestant groups and the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) and the
Chinese Catholic Bishops Council (CCBC) for Catholics. They are also
known as the "Underground" Church or the "Unofficial" Church, although
this is somewhat of a misnomer as they are collections of unrelated
individual churches rather than a single unified church. They are called
"house churches" because as they are not officially registered
organizations, they cannot independently own property and hence they
meet in private houses, often in secret for fear of arrest or
imprisonment.
Others outside the mainland
Several foreign missionary religious groups are also present outside mainland China. The Church of Scientology, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Unification Church are registered. Other Christian denominations present include Presbyterians, the True Jesus Church, Baptists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, and Episcopalians.
Approximately 70 percent of the 475,000 Aborigines of Taiwan are Christian. Jehovah's Witnesses
are outlawed in Mainland China (except in the territories of Hong Kong
and Macau with up to 5,975 members in the two territories and 11,284 members in the Taiwan Area.)
Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Two young Tibetan Buddhists at the Sakya Monastery in southern Tibet
China took full control of Tibet in 1959. In the wake of the takeover and especially during the cultural revolution many monasteries were destroyed and many monks and laypeople killed. The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India and has since ceded temporal power to an elected government-in-exile. The current Dalai Lama
has attempted to negotiate with the Chinese authorities for greater
autonomy and religious freedom for Tibet. As various high-ranking Lamas
in the country have died, the authorities have proposed their own
candidates on the religious authorities, which has led at times to rival
claimants to the same position. In an effort to control this, the
Chinese government passed a law in 2007 requiring a Reincarnation Application be completed and approved for all lamas wishing to reincarnate.
The present incarnation of the Panchen Lama is disputed. The Dalai Lama recognises Gedhun Choekyi Nyima; however, the Chinese government recognises Gyaincain Norbu as the incarnation of the 11th Panchen Lama. Exile Tibetan sources allege that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was kidnapped by the Chinese government.
The identity of the Panchen Lama is of critical importance to Tibetan
Buddhism because he is one of the authorities that must approve the next
Dalai Lama.
Judaism
There are also a small number of adherents of Judaism in Taiwan, mainly expatriates. In mainland China, there are 2,800 Kaifeng Jews.
Taoism
Taoist
practitioners are required to register with the PRC-controlled Chinese
Taoist Association (CTA), which exercises control over religious
doctrine and personnel.
Local governments restrict the construction of Taoist temples and
statues, and call for abandonment of practices they deem to be
"superstitious" or "feudal". The CTA dictates the proper interpretation
of Taoist doctrine, and exhorts Taoist practitioners to support the
Communist Party and the state. For example, a Taoist scripture reading
class held by the CTA in November 2010 required participants to
"fervently love the socialist motherland [and] uphold the leadership of
the Chinese Communist Party."
In contrast with the PRC, the ROC's Taoist faith also followed a collection of beliefs deeply ingrained in Chinese culture that can be termed "traditional Chinese folk religion". These beliefs may include some aspects of shamanism, ancestor worship, belief in ghosts and other spirits, and animism. Researchers and academics estimate that as much as 80 percent of the population believes in some form of traditional folk religion. Such folk religions may overlap with an individual's belief in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism,
or other traditional Chinese religions. Traditional Chinese religions
with adherents constituting less than 5 percent of the population
include: I Kuan Tao, Tien Ti Chiao (Heaven Emperor Religion), Tien Te Chiao (Heaven Virtue Religion), Li-ism, Hsuan Yuan Chiao (Yellow Emperor Religion), Tian Li Chiao (Tenrikyo), Universe Maitreya Emperor Religion, Hai Tze Tao, Zhonghua Sheng Chiao (Chinese Holy Religion), Da Yi Chiao (Great Changes Religion), Pre-cosmic Salvationism, and Huang Chung Chiao (Yellow Middle Religion).
Islam
An ethnic Hui family celebrates Eid
The State Administration for Religious Affairs places the number of
Muslims in China at approximately 21 million, while independent
estimates suggest that the number could be upwards of 50 million or
more.
According to a 2000 census, 96 percent of 20.3 million reported Muslims
belong to three ethnic groups: Hui, Uyghur, and Kazakh. Most Hui
Muslims live in Ningxia, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces, while Uyghur Muslims are predominantly found in Xinjiang.
The state-run Islamic Association of China
(IAC) oversees the practice of Islam, though many Muslims worship
outside the state system. The IAC regulates the content of sermons and
the interpretation of religious scripture, exercises control over the
confirmation of religious leaders, and monitors overseas pilgrimages. In
2001, the IAC established a committee to ensure that scriptures were
interpreted in a manner that would serve the interests of the Chinese
government and the Communist Party.
Authorities in Xinjiang impose rigid controls over religious
expression, particularly over Uyghurs. Human rights reports indicate
that crackdowns on religion are frequently integrated into security
campaigns. Authorities monitor mosques, restrict the observation of Ramadan by government officials and students, and enact campaigns to prevent Uyghur men from wearing beards. Uyghur Muslims who worship independently have been detained and charged with conducting "illegal religious activities".
However, the suppression of the Uyghurs has more to do with the
fact that they are separatists, rather than Muslims. China banned a book
titled "Xing Fengsu" ("Sexual Customs") which insulted Islam and placed
its authors under arrest in 1989 after protests in Lanzhou and Beijing
by Chinese Hui
Muslims, during which the Chinese police provided protection to the Hui
Muslim protesters, and the Chinese government organized public burnings
of the book.
The Chinese government assisted them and gave into their demands
because the Hui do not have a separatist movement, unlike the Uyghurs.
Hui Muslim protesters who violently rioted by vandalizing property
during the protests against the book were let off by the Chinese
government and went unpunished while Uyghur protesters were imprisoned.
In 2007, anticipating the coming "Year of the Pig" in the Chinese calendar, depictions of pigs were banned from CCTV "to avoid conflicts with ethnic minorities". This is believed to refer to China's population of 20 million Muslims (to whom pigs are considered "unclean").
In response to the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting, Chinese state-run media attacked Charlie Hebdo for publishing the cartoons which insulted Muhammad, with the state-run Xinhua advocating limits on freedom of speech, while another state-run newspaper Global Times said the attack was "payback" for what it characterized as Western colonialism, and it also accused Charlie Hebdo of trying to incite a clash of civilizations.
Different Muslim ethnic groups in different regions of China are
treated differently by the Chinese government with regards to religious
freedom. Religious freedom is present for Hui Muslims, who can practice
their religion, build Mosques, and have their children attend Mosques,
while more controls are placed on Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Since the 1980s, Islamic private schools have been supported and
permitted by the Chinese government in Muslim areas, while only Xinjiang
is specifically prevented from allowing these schools because of the
separatist sentiment which exists there.
The Diplomat
reported that Chinese government policy towards Uyghurs in Xinjiang is
not directed towards Islam in general, but rather towards aggressively
stamping out the Uyghur separatist threat.
Although religious education for children is officially forbidden
by law in China, the Communist party allows Hui Muslims to violate this
law and have their children educated in religion and attend mosques
while the law is enforced on Uyghurs. After secondary education is
completed, China then allows Hui students to embark on religious studies
under the direction of an Imam. China does not enforce a law against children attending mosques on non-Uyghurs in areas outside Xinjiang.
Hui Muslims who are employed by the state are allowed to fast
during Ramadan unlike Uyghurs who hold the same job positions, the
amount of Hui who are going on Hajj is expanding, and Hui women are allowed to wear veils, while Uyghur women are discouraged from wearing them.
The Xinjiang Muslim Association in China and the Chinese embassy in
Malaysia have denied that Uyghurs are banned from fasting, inviting
foreigners to come see it for themselves. The Star also reported in 2021 that Uyghurs in Xinjiang made prayers for Aidilfitri.
Hui religious schools are allowed to operate a massive autonomous network of mosques and schools that are run by a Hui Sufi leader, which was formed with the approval of the Chinese government even as he admitted to attending an event where Bin Laden spoke.
Uyghur views vary by the oasis where they live. China has
historically favored Turpan and Hami. Uyghurs in Turfan and Hami and
their leaders like Emin Khoja allied with the Qing against Uyghurs in Altishahr.
During the Qing dynasty, China enfeoffed the rulers of Turpan and Hami
(Kumul) as autonomous princes, while the rest of the Uyghurs in
Altishahr (the Tarim Basin) were ruled by Begs.
Uyghurs from Turpan and Hami were appointed by China as officials to
rule over Uyghurs in the Tarim Basin. Turpan is more economically
prosperous and it views China more positively than does the rebellious
Kashgar, which is the most anti-Chinese oasis. Uyghurs in Turpan are
treated leniently and favorably by China with regards to religious
policies, while Kashgar is subjected to controls by the government. In Turpan and Hami, religion is viewed more positively by China than religion in Kashgar and Khotan in southern Xinjiang.
Both Uyghur and Han Communist officials in Turpan turn a blind eye to
the law and allow religious Islamic education for Uyghur children. Celebrating at religious functions and going on Hajj to Mecca
is encouraged by the Chinese government, for Uyghur members of the
Communist party. From 1979–1989, 350 mosques were built in Turpan.
Han, Hui, and the Chinese government is viewed more positively by
Uyghurs in Turpan, where the government has given them better economic,
religious, and political treatment.
The Uyghur terrorist organization East Turkestan Islamic Movement's magazine Islamic Turkistan has accused the Chinese "Muslim Brotherhood" (the Yihewani)
of being responsible for the moderation of Hui Muslims and the lack of
Hui joining terrorist jihadist groups in addition to blaming other
things for the lack of Hui jihadists, such as the fact that for more
than 300 years Hui and Uyghurs have been enemies of each other, with no
separatist Islamist organizations operating among the Hui, the fact that
the Hui view China as their home, and the fact that the "infidel
Chinese" language is the language of the Hui.
After the communist takeover of the mainland in 1949, more than 20,000 Muslims fled to the island of Taiwan. On 23 January 2007, ROC President Chen Shui-ban personally congratulated local Muslims who had completed a pilgrimage to Mecca, and praised Taiwan's Muslim Association (Chinese Muslim Association,
an organization that is fully independent from the government) for
promoting frequent exchanges between Taiwan and the Islamic world.
President Chen also credited practicing Muslims on Taiwan for helping to
create a richer, more diverse culture on the island.
Tibetan-Muslim sectarian violence
In
Tibet, the majority of Muslims are Hui people. Hatred between Tibetans
and Muslims stems from events during the Muslim warlord Ma Bufang's rule in Qinghai such as Ngolok rebellions (1917–49) and the Sino-Tibetan War,
but in 1949 the Communists put an end to the violence between Tibetans
and Muslims, however, new Tibetan-Muslim violence broke out after China
engaged in liberalization. Riots broke out between Muslims and Tibetans
over incidents such as bones in soups and prices of balloons, and
Tibetans accused Muslims of being cannibals who cooked humans in their
soup and of contaminating food with urine. Tibetans attacked Muslim
restaurants. Fires set by Tibetans which burned the apartments and shops
of Muslims resulted in Muslim families being killed and wounded in the
2008 mid-March riots. Due to Tibetan violence against Muslims, the
traditional Islamic white caps have not been worn by many Muslims.
Scarfs were removed and replaced with hairnets by Muslim women in order
to hide. Muslims prayed in secret at home when in August 2008 the
Tibetans burned the Mosque. Incidents such as these which make Tibetans
look bad on the international stage are covered up by the Tibetan exile community. The repression of Tibetan separatism by the Chinese government is supported by Hui Muslims. In addition, Chinese-speaking Hui have problems with Tibetan Hui (the Tibetan speaking Kache minority of Muslims).
The main Mosque in Lhasa was burned down by Tibetans and Chinese Hui Muslims were violently assaulted by Tibetan rioters in the 2008 Tibetan unrest.
Tibetan exiles and foreign scholars alike ignore and do not talk about
sectarian violence between Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims.
The majority of Tibetans viewed the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan
after 9/11 positively and it had the effect of galvanizing anti-Muslim
attitudes among Tibetans and resulted in an anti-Muslim boycott against
Muslim-owned businesses.
Tibetan Buddhists propagate a false libel that Muslims cremate their
Imams and use the ashes to convert Tibetans to Islam by making Tibetans
inhale the ashes, even though the Tibetans seem to be aware that Muslims
practice burial and not cremation since they frequently clash against
proposed Muslim cemeteries in their area.
Since the Chinese government supports and backs up the Hui
Muslims, the Tibetans deliberately attack the Hui Muslims as a way to
demonstrate anti-government sentiment and because they have a background
of sectarian violence against each other since Ma Bufang's rule due to
their separate religions and ethnicity and Tibetans resent Hui economic
domination.
In 1936, after Sheng Shicai expelled 30,000 Kazakhs from Xinjiang to Qinghai, Hui led by General Ma Bufang massacred their fellow Muslim Kazakhs, until there were 135 of them left.
From Northern Xinjiang over 7,000 Kazakhs fled to the
Tibetan-Qinghai plateau region via Gansu and were wreaking massive havoc
so Ma Bufang solved the problem by relegating the Kazakhs into
designated pastureland in Qinghai, but Hui, Tibetans, and Kazakhs in the
region continued to clash against each other.
Tibetans attacked and fought against the Kazakhs as they entered Tibet via Gansu and Qinghai.
In northern Tibet Kazakhs clashed with Tibetan soldiers and then the Kazakhs were sent to Ladakh.
Tibetan troops robbed and killed Kazakhs 400 miles east of Lhasa at Chamdo when the Kazakhs were entering Tibet.
In 1934, 1935, 1936–1938 from Qumil Eliqsan led the Kerey Kazakhs
to migrate to Gansu and the amount was estimated at 18,000, and they
entered Gansu and Qinghai.
Tibetan troops serving under the Dalai Lama murdered the American CIA agent Douglas Mackiernan and his two White Russian helpers because he was dressed as a Kazakh, their enemy.
Falun Gong
Gao Rongrong, a Falun Gong practitioner, was
tortured to death in custody in 2005. She had been beaten by officials using electro-shock batons on her face and neck for 7 hours.
Following a period of meteoric growth of Falun Gong
in the 1990s, the Communist Party launched a campaign to "eradicate"
Falun Gong on 20 July 1999. The suppression is characterised by a
multifaceted propaganda campaign, a program of enforced ideological
conversion and re-education, and a variety of extralegal coercive
measures such as arbitrary arrests, forced labor, and physical torture, sometimes resulting in death.
An extra-constitutional body called the 6-10 Office was created to lead the suppression of Falun Gong.
The authorities mobilized the state media apparatus, judiciary, police,
army, the education system, families and workplaces against the group. The campaign is driven by large-scale propaganda through television, newspaper, radio and internet. There are reports of systematic torture, illegal imprisonment, forced labor, organ harvesting and abusive psychiatric measures, with the apparent aim of forcing practitioners to recant their belief in Falun Gong.
Foreign observers estimate that hundreds of thousands and perhaps
millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in
"re-education through labor" camps, prisons and other detention
facilities for refusing to renounce the spiritual practice.
Former prisoners have reported that Falun Gong practitioners
consistently received "the longest sentences and worst treatment" in
labor camps, and in some facilities Falun Gong practitioners formed the
substantial majority of detainees. As of 2009 at least 2,000 Falun Gong adherents had been tortured to death in the persecution campaign, with some observers putting the number much higher.
Some international observers and judicial authorities have described the campaign against Falun Gong as a genocide.
In 2009, courts in Spain and Argentina indicted senior Chinese
officials for genocide and crimes against humanity for their role in
orchestrating the suppression of Falun Gong.
However, the Falun Gong is generally considered a spiritual
movement and not a religion by the ROC government. The leading proponent
of Falun Gong in Taiwan reports that membership exceeds 500,000 and
continues to grow rapidly.
Organ harvesting allegation
In 2006, allegations emerged that the vital organs of non-consenting
Falun Gong practitioners had been used to supply China's organ tourism
industry. The Kilgour-Matas report
stated in 2006, "We believe that there has been and continues today to
be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners". Ethan Gutmann
interviewed over 100 witnesses and alleged that about 65,000 Falun Gong
prisoners were killed for their organs from 2000 to 2008.
In 2008, two United Nations Special Rapporteurs reiterated their
requests for "the Chinese government to fully explain the allegation of
taking vital organs from Falun Gong practitioners". The Chinese government has denied the allegation.
Religious freedom in the Republic of China
The
policies and practices of the Republic of China contribute to the
generally free practice of religion in contrast to the PRC. During the
martial law period, religious persecution became less common by the
authoritarian Nationalist government even though restrictions on
freedom were relaxed by the time martial law was lifted in 1987 with the
start of democratization.
A significant percentage of the population of the ROC is
nonreligious. Freedom of religion in Taiwan is strong. Taiwan's strong
human rights protections, lack of state-sanctioned discrimination, and
generally high regard for freedom of religion or belief earned it a
joint #1 ranking alongside the Netherlands and Belgium in the 2018 Freedom of Thought Report.
Taiwan is clearly an outlier in the
top 3, all-clear countries. It is non-European, and demographically
much more religious. But in its relatively open, democratic and tolerant
society we have recorded no evidence of laws or social discrimination
against members of the non-religious minority.
Religious demography
The Republic of China has an area of 13,800 square miles (36,000 km2) and a population of 23 million making up the Free area of the Republic of China since the loss of the mainland in 1949. The 2006 Government Information Office Yearbook, the Religious Affairs Section of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) states that 35 percent of the population consider themselves Buddhist and 33 percent Taoist.
While the overwhelming majority of religious adherents are either
Buddhist or Taoist, many people also consider themselves both Buddhist
and Taoist .
While the ROC authorities do not collect or independently verify
statistics on religious affiliation, they maintain registration
statistics voluntarily reported by religious organizations. Officials
from the MOI Religious Affairs Section believe these voluntarily
reported statistics significantly understate the number of people in
Taiwan who adhere to religious beliefs and participate in some form of
religious activities. The MOI Religious Affairs Section estimates that
approximately 50 percent of the population regularly participates in
some form of organized religious practice, as distinguished from
"traditional Chinese folk religions", and an estimated 14 percent of the
population is atheist.
Other religions include Baháʼí and Mahikari.
Religious beliefs cross political and geographical lines. Members of the political leadership practice various faiths.
Religious conversion
There are no reports of forced religious conversion in the ROC territories.
Improvements and Positive Developments in Respect for Religious Freedom
The
MOI promotes interfaith understanding among religious groups by
sponsoring symposiums or helping to defray the expenses of privately
sponsored symposiums on religious issues. The MOI also publishes and
updates an introduction to major religious beliefs and groups based on
material provided by the groups. This introduction is also available on
the internet. In May 2006, the MOI invited some 100 leaders from
religious organizations to participate in a two-day tour of outstanding
social services organizations operated by religious charities, to foster
cooperation among organizations with similar social welfare goals. The
MOI holds an annual ceremony to honor religious groups for their
contributions to public service, social welfare, and social harmony.
Some 170 different organizations and individuals are recognized.
Societal abuses and discrimination
There
have been no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on
religious belief or practice in the ROC-controlled Taiwan. Prominent
societal leaders have taken positive steps to promote
religious tolerance. For instance, the Taiwan Council for Religion and Peace, the
China Religious Believers Association, and the
Taiwan Religious Association
are private organizations that promote greater understanding and
tolerance among adherents of different religions. These associations and
various religious groups occasionally sponsor symposiums to promote
mutual understanding. The Taiwan Conference on Religion and Peace
sponsors summer seminars every year to help college students understand
the practice of major religions in Taiwan.
