Experts denounce Western politicians' slander against China under "religious freedom" pretext

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese experts have refuted absurd remarks about China made by the United States and other Western countries at the International Ministerial Conference on "Freedom of Religion or Belief."

The event, held from July 5 to 6 in London, saw certain countries' politicians, under the pretext of "religious freedom," point fingers at other countries and slander China disregarding the facts.

Zhang Xunmou, director of the religious research center under the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, noted that as China's national strength and international influence increase, the anxious anti-China forces in the United States and the West have ramped up efforts to encircle and contain China, with religious topics being one of their methods.

Zhang urged U.S. politicians to face up to their own country's problems, improve domestic religious and human rights conditions, and stop fooling themselves.

Fu Suixin, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said the United States was never a country with freedom of religion but frequently attacked human rights in other countries under the pretext of religious freedom.

Religious discrimination, violence, scandals, and human rights violations, are commonplace problems in the United States, Fu noted. Eighty-two percent of American adults say Muslims are subject to discrimination in the United States today, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

"The United States considers Anglo-Saxon Protestantism at the core of its national identity and other religions have long been subject to discrimination and oppression there," said Fu.

Li Lin, a scholar on Islamic studies at the Institute of World Religions under the CASS, said since the advent of modern times, China's Islamic community and Muslims have made an important historical contribution to the country's struggles for national liberation and independence.

In the new era, China's Islam has carried forward the fine tradition of patriotism, observed the core socialist values, and continued to interpret religious teachings and rules to conform to the core socialist values and integrate religious teachings and rules with Chinese culture, added Li.

Speaking about the religious condition in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Li said the region enjoys harmony between religions and all the believers of different religions are members of the big family of the Chinese nation who share a common future and are joining hands for the country's development.

"Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have enjoyed greater human rights and freedoms than ever before," Zhang said.

The Chinese government supports China's religions in adapting themselves to the Chinese context and supports them in interpreting religious teachings and rules to conform to the demands of China's development and the fine Chinese traditions and culture while maintaining their basic beliefs, core religious teachings, and etiquette system, he said.

"This is not intended to change religious beliefs or remold religions, but rather see that religions can better adapt to the characteristics of China's national conditions and can be better preserved," Zhang added.