" The annual report, largely based on unconfirmed media reports and
groundless allegations from outlawed groups and organizations with ulterior
motives, is nothing but a political tool used by the U.S. government to
exert pressure on other countries, mostly deemed as its rivals"
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2012/07/31/53s714474.htm
Commentary: US Report on Religious Freedom Unimaginative, Counterproductive
2012-07-31 10:02:05 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhang
The U.S. government on Monday released the 2011 Report on International
Religious Freedom, continuing a notorious practice of blatantly interfering
in the internal affairs of other countries, including China, in the name of
religion.
The report once again designated eight countries, namely Myanmar, China,
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Sudan and Uzbekistan, as Countries of Particular Concern for alleged
violations of religious freedom.
Without providing factual proof, it alleged that the situation of religious
freedom "deteriorated" in 2011 in countries including China, Eritrea, Iran
and Pakistan, which was not listed among Countries of Particular Concern.
The U.S. State Department has been issuing to the Congress the annual
Report on International Religious Freedom, which covers nearly 200
countries and territories, since 1999, under the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998.
The annual report, largely based on unconfirmed media reports and
groundless allegations from outlawed groups and organizations with ulterior
motives, is nothing but a political tool used by the U.S. government to
exert pressure on other countries, mostly deemed as its rivals.
Equality and mutual respect have been the cornerstones for building
nation-to-nation relations, but the United States has shown no respect to
others by imposing its own standards on religious policies, regardless of
the differences in history, cultural tradition, and economic and political
realities.
The U.S. practice of releasing such a report, which is full of prejudice,
arrogance and ignorance, is unimaginative and even counterproductive.
The U.S. action will only backfire by creating more suspicion and distrust
rather than fostering mutual understanding and improving relations with
other countries. In fact, the report has been repeatedly rejected and
condemned by countries that Washington has accused year after year.
China, a multi-religious country where religious freedom is fully protected
under the Constitution and state laws, has been consistent in rejecting the
U.S. interference in its internal affairs under the pretext of protecting
religious freedom.
By blaming China for "marked deterioration" in religious freedom, the
report apparently ignored the basic facts and realities in China, which has
been making utmost efforts to defend the freedom of religion and rights to
express religious belief on condition that the laws are respected.
It's undeniable that, for the past decades, China has already made great
strides in consolidating the rule of law to ensure the protection of
religious freedom so that all practitioners of lawful religions can
practice their faith freely. In today's China, no one will be persecuted
just because he or she is affiliated with any of the lawful religions.
Only a few members from banned cults and illegal extremist religious
organizations, which engage in illegal or splittist activities under the
guise of seeking religious freedom, have been punished in China strictly
according to the laws.
Contrary to the U.S. report's claims that "increased restrictions on
religious freedom" led to at least 12 self-immolations by Tibetans in 2011,
these incidents were in fact politically-motivated, as they were part of
the Dalai Lama clique's scheme to internationalize the Tibet issue.
As a sovereign country, China has every right to maintain its social
stability and territorial integrity by cracking down on religious
extremism, splittism and terrorism which advocate violence in the name of
seeking religious freedom and human rights.
China has been, and will be, open to dialogues and exchanges of opinion
with governments and religious figures from Western countries, including
the United States, on religious issues of common concern on the basis of
equality and mutual respect.
Actually, China has been conducting direct and candid dialogues with the
United States and other countries in the past years, with an aim to promote
mutual understanding and seek ways to address mutual concerns on religious
policies and other matters.
So when all channels of dialogue are wide open, there is no justification
for Washington to release the annual report on religious freedom, which is
surely counterproductive to the development of the U.S.-China relations.
Received on Tue Jul 31 2012 - 15:31:48 EDT
