There are many who disparage the democratic process of India and claim it is less efficient and effective than the Chinese way; holding forward China’s prosperity and might as clinching evidence of this. After all the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The problem with China is that we don’t even know the colour of that metaphorical grass. So many of the freedoms that we take for granted here in India, are quite simply denied to the Chinese people, including religion. Yes religion!
In India, religion pervades every facet of our lives: our births, deaths, joys, sorrows, celebrations, entertainment is all colored by our religious practices and beliefs. The fact that our constitution views every religion as equal and gives us the freedom to practice the religion of our choice is an incredibly valuable and important right conferred on us. I say this even as a confirmed atheist.
In theory the Chinese state gives the citizen the freedom to practice the religion of their choice. Reality is however rather different! During the 60s and 70s religious buildings were looted and destroyed, religious adherents were harassed and persecuted under Chairman Mao.
Though the Chinese constitution permits freedom of religious belief, the Members of China's Communist Party (numbering about 90 million) are directed to remain atheistic in their belief. They need to give up religion or face the consequences it is announced.
Though the Chinese Constitution of 1982 grants freedom of religion, religious persecution continues and has in fact seen an uptick since 2012. About one third of Chinese who practice religion (denominations such as Protestant Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and Falun Gong) face high to very high levels of persecution. Protestant house churches are outlawed and members can be arrested, Muslim activities such as the observance of Ramzan is curtailed, Tibetan Buddhists are routinely persecuted and the Falun Gong movement is outlawed.
We already know that there is no Facebook, Twitter allowed to the common people in China. Additionally there is much that one cannot be seen to say in China. Anything considered “dangerous” or “threatening to state security” is blocked, people cannot speak or write anything critical of the Party, historical errors made, about civil rights, judicial independence or crony capitalism.
China’s population was identified as the root cause of many problems besieging the country. So the government decided that the Chinese should be restricted in the number of kids they could have. 36% of the population was subjected to the one child rule. And 53% were allowed to have a second child if their first child was a girl. About 400 million births were thus prevented. This policy has only recently been relaxed because the aging population is now seen as a new problem. Can we in India even imagine what the implications of something like this could have?
There are many issues: the harassment of dissidents and activists, religious persecution, ethnic persecution (ethnic Uighurs, part of China's Muslim minority are persecuted under the guise of fighting terror) and so many other ways in which the rights and activities of people, even their beliefs are circumscribed.
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