China, an officially atheist government, closely controls the five recognized religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Taoism, and Buddhism. China keeps an especially close look at the northwestern Xinjiang region, where Islamic and separatist ties are strong. This weekend's New York Times took a look into how a rising China wants to blunt the rise of Islam.
Some restrictions include:
- Sermons at Friday Prayer cannot be longer than a half-hour.
- Prayer in public, outside the mosque, is forbidden.
- Many residents can only worship in mosques located in their cities.
- Government workers and Communist Party members cannot attend services.
- Non-official versions of the Koran are illegal.
- Only special government school may teach Arabic.
- Students and government workers must eat during Ramadan.
China seems more concerned with freedom from religion, than freedom of religion.
Betty Jackson
Shoe Studio
Bi La Li
China seems more concerned with freedom of religion, than freedom of religion...? hunh?
1I was just thinking the same thing, supercharger!
2Sorry! Supposed to say freedom from religion. Fixed!
3This is just pathetic. I could understand if Islam was a cult but it isn't it's religion worthy of respect just like, Judaism, Christianity, Bhuddism etc.
4Thanks, Liberty, that makes much more sense!
5"Students and government workers must eat during Ramadan." ??? really? Geeze! I somewhat "understand" the other listed rules/regulations seeing as the kind of government the Chinese have, but that one is a bit much.
6Wow, Catholicism is its own religion? Wow. Do we not believe in exactly the same God as do the Protestants?
7NYFashionista, I am with you for the most part, but I am wondering what it means by "student"? If they are talking about kids in upper elementary grades through high school, I kinda agree with it, simply because kids need to be nourished to learn.
My husband is Muslim and I asked him about fasting and going to school and he pointed out that in most Islamic nations, nearly everything shuts down during Ramadan. Not so in non-Islamic nations. So, for these kids to still be sitting through classes all day, needing to concentrate and learn, they need food.
But the gov't worker part - I don't agree with. Adults can make their own decisions about that. Hubby fasts during Ramadan and goes to work as usual (although, I must admit he is rather crabby!).
8God Bless America....
between this and countries forcing women to remove the hijab (France, Turkey, Tunisia - the last two being Muslim countries) I am so glad to live in a country where freedom is freedom, not freedom to follow someone else's rules.
9indielove ~ I'd carry that even further. All good-natured, peace-loving and clean-hearted people believe in one and the same God, because they believe in the same principles. Be it within or outside of Christianity.
10Austerity, I think there are plenty of good-natured, peace-loving and "clean-hearted" (whatever that means) people that don't believe in any god. But I guess I see what you're saying.
11"So, for these kids to still be sitting through classes all day, needing to concentrate and learn, they need food." - yeah I agree. As a child who is growing, fasting in general is probably a bad idea and I have to wonder how many Muslim children growing up here for example, are able to do that? My boyfriend (who is Muslim) was unable to do it because he played soccer everyday...
12I believe there is a rule against harming yourself - so older people, younger people, people with certain activities that make fasting harmful (school, pregnancy, etc...), and sick people are exempt. The choice is left to the person depending on if they can handle it or not, and those who fast despite causing unreasonable harm to themselves (or forcing their children to fast despite causing unreasonable harm to themselves) are considered to have committed bad deeds instead of good deeds, so devout Muslims have an incentive to do only what is within healthful limits.
13China puts restrictions on all religions.
14I can understand trying to regulate Islam to keep out the very radical fundimentalists, but where do you draw the line? Oh wait, this is China, they don't have true freedom, so draw the line wherever.
15i'm always baffled by the lengths that government goes to restrict various freedoms and this one is no different. i think that they are doing what they feel will bring them back to the type of country that they were back in the day - and knowing how diverse the world s getting, taking these freedoms and liberties away from those who want to practice is just a shame. we've always known China to be one of those countries that is more restrictive on just about everything, and this is just par for the course don't you think?
16Mich, I agree completely.
As for this post: I don't think it's right for any government to impose a specific religion on its citizens, but neither is it right for the government to impose such restrictions on the peaceful expression of its citizens' religions.
17I'm very much against organized religion of all kinds but to regulate the way others worship is not right. Though who are we to judge another country when our own country isn't a shining beacon of justice either?
18I read this with great sadness. As a Muslim this goes against our fundamental freedom of religion. I do not believe all the things that they've listed above as harmful to anyone, so why curb them. It is so so unfair.
As for children fasting, I'd would just like to record that young children do not need to fast. We only start to fast around the age of 12 - 14. And fasting is not that bad IMO, it is just having early breakfast, skipping lunch and having early dinner. But like Zeze has pointed out, if it harmful to us, then we are forbidden to fast.
19Suzaila, I think muslims observe the children fasting rule differently. My husband is a muslim and he began fasting at the age of 7, as did many of his friends.
For you, not fasting may not be a difficult thing, but not eating or drinking anything during daylight hours could be difficult on others, even children who are 12 or 14 or older. I've done it and it is hard on me, and I am an adult.
NYFashionista, I think you are right, many of our muslim friends who were raised here also didn't fast, for various reasons, sports being one. Zeze mentions the exemption for those who can't fast. I had never heard that there was an exemption for those in school, Zeze, that is interesting! (My husband says he wishes he had known about this exemption during college!
)
20Well MartiniLush fasting is supposed to be a little difficult. For one month in a year we experience the hardship faced by the less fortunate (ie the poor who do not even have enough to eat). And the age thing, actually children start to fast when they hit puberty so the age varies.
But if u do not want to fast that's up to u I guess. However, to force us to eat when we chose to fast ... that is the unfair part.
21"But if u do not want to fast that's up to you I guess". "You" as in Muslims who do not want to fast.
22Mich: "Austerity, I think there are plenty of good-natured, peace-loving and "clean-hearted" (whatever that means) people that don't believe in any god. But I guess I see what you're saying." Hehe, I'm not sure you'd refer to me with that statement, but,
23rats! my post got eaten!
Mich: "Austerity, I think there are plenty of good-natured, peace-loving and "clean-hearted" (whatever that means) people that don't believe in any god. But I guess I see what you're saying." Hehe, I'm not sure you'd refer to me with that statement, but I love it anyway!
As far as China goes- it does remind me of why we try so hard to preserve religious freedom here in America. Sometimes I get frustrated that we basically have a theocrat (at least in his own head) as a President, but squabbling about "under God" in the pledge is less worrisome than preventing an adult from fasting during Ramadan!
24Ok, I guess my statement was taken as an offense to atheists. Not what I meant. I basically meant all good-natured people are essentially the same. No matter what God they believe in, or whether or not they believe in a God. I meant to say such people often have the same morals and values in life, because they want to respect humanity. I guess I forgot to list 'those who don't believe' in that list. Which I believe is just another attitude to life like religion is. So yeah, those are included too.
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