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 eligious
persecution in China has reached a level unrivaled since two Christian
aid workers faced trial and possible execution by a Taliban court
last year. Lai Kwong-keung, a 38-year-old Hong Kong businessman,
was detained by police for transporting 33,000 copies of the New
Testament to Fuqing City in the Fujian Province last year. He was
issued an "evil cult" indictment and may face the death
penalty for Bible smuggling. Interfaith coalitions and human-rights
organizations have joined U.S. President Bush in his concern over
this particular case, and have seemingly caused a delay in Mr. Lai's
sentencing. However, prominent religious leaders inside China say
that his case is just the tip of the iceberg.
The
Center for Religious Freedom issued a press release on January
11th protesting against the Chinese government's crackdown on Chinese
Christian churches. "A letter from members of an underground
Chinese Christian church, dated December 31, 2001, and smuggled
to the New York-based Committee for Investigation on Persecution
of Religion in China, reveals graphic details and new information
about the Chinese government's crackdown on Pastor Gong Shengliang
and his South China Church in central Hubei province." The
letter provides details about "two women, Li Tongjin and Chi
Tongyuan, from Shayang, who were arrested and tortured by police
with electric prods, resulting in blisters and burns all over their
bodies." The letter also reports "numerous other cases
from May to December 2001 of brutal police beatings of the congregants."
This recent
crackdown comes as no surprise. During last December's National
Religious Working Conference in Beijing, President Jiang Zemin called
for the elimination of spirituality's encroachment on China's Communist
Party rule. The three-day meeting was attended by a "who's
who" list of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
China and the State Council. Top leaders included Li Peng, Zhu Rongji,
Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing, and Li Lanqing, as well as
senior regional and ministerial officials. They all stressed the
adherence to China's policy of "religious independence".
But religious independence from what — or from whom?
The CPC insists
on controlling China as an atheist state. Yet, despite China's communistic
ideological principles, religion and spirituality have flourished.
Over the last few years, there has been a tremendous growth of Christianity
in China. Born-again sects such as the Shouters are among the fastest
growing with more than 500,000 adherents. Millions of people in
China have also found peace in practicing the breathing and spiritual
exercises of Falun Gong. One might think that people of faith might
make better citizens; but CPC officials worry about these "religious
problems" and have decided that all forms of spirituality must
be clamped down on with "management networks" as the government
reinforces Communist Party Control.
In his speech
at the National Religious Working Conference, Jiang Zemin emphasized
that the CPC's work related to religion is an important part of
what the China's Communist Party must now do. In describing how
this should be done, he seemed to be suggesting an all-out effort
to confiscate the best attributes of various religious activities
— while disregarding any actual tenets of the faith. Accordingly,
any results might only force a stranglehold on benevolent acts of
faith while depriving believers of the glory of salvation. Though
China claims that all are free to believe, or not believe, in religion,
all Central Committee officials are atheists and must approach religion
from a skeptic's point of view.
Of the situation's
impact on Hong Kong's identity and the future of its citizens, Ann
Lau, a Chinese human-rights activist living in the U.S. remarked,
"The anomaly is not that there are various religious sects
of Christianity in the PRC, nor PRC's persecution of Lai Kwing-keung
who smuggled thousands of Bibles into the PRC — it is the silence
of Hong Kong officials and the people of Hong Kong to defend their
own and leaving such task to President Bush of the U.S."
This week in
Hong Kong, U.S. Ambassador Clark Randt raised the issue of religious
freedom in China. According to Mr. Randt, "The President has
expressed his grave personal concern over the case of Hong Kong
businessman Lai Kwong-keung, who sits in a jail awaiting trial,
apparently for importing Bibles. The importance of the Bible to
Christians and the negative impact of such a story on the image
of China in the United States cannot be overestimated."
In a statement
to the Laogai Research Foundation, Hong Kong legislator Emily Lau
said, "It is very sad to learn that shipping Bibles to mainland
China can attract the death penalty. Now that China has acceded
to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, I hope
Beijing will learn to respect the rights of its people and adopt
the behaviour of the civilized world."
As President
Bush prepares to embark on a state visit to China next month, religious
leaders and human-rights leaders continue to offer hope to Mrs.
Lai and her family, all hoping that US pressure will help secure
the release of her husband, and allow for all citizens inside China
to live and worship in peace.
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