Chinese officials burn bibles, destroy crosses and force Christians to renounce their faith amid a massive religious crackdown, pastors say
China is waging a severe and systematic suppression on religion, experts say
A pastor posted video footage of what appeared to be piles of burning bibles
The largest ‘house church’ in Beijing was shut on Sunday during a raid
Muslims are facing political indoctrination in alleged ‘brainwashing camps’
One former detainee claimed China wanted to ‘exterminate’ Muslim people
DAILYMAIL.COM
10 September 2018
China’s government is burning bibles, destroying crosses, shutting churches and ordering Christian followers to sign papers renouncing their faith, according to pastors and a group that monitors religion in China.
The accounts have appeared amid an apparent, massive crackdown launched by Beijing against religion as a whole.
Besides Christianity, millions of Muslims in far-west China have been facing forced political indoctrination at alleged ‘brainwashing camps’ where they have to eat pork and drink alcohol as ‘punishment’, said human rights groups and former detainees.
Whereas, children in traditionally Buddhist Tibet have been banned from taking part in religious activities during the summer holidays.
Under President Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, religious believers are seeing their freedoms shrink dramatically even as the country undergoes a religious revival.
Experts and activists say that as he consolidates his power, Xi is waging the most severe systematic suppression of Christianity in the country since religious freedom was written into the Chinese constitution in 1982.
In explaining China’s motives of the alleged religious suppression, Sophie Richardson, the China Director of Human Rights Watch, told MailOnline: ‘The Chinese government has long treated any organised religious groups with disdain and hostility.’
‘It doesn’t matter if it is Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, it considers them as a vehicle and mechanism to carry out political disloyalty and separatism,’ Dr. Richardson added.
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