UN/SUB - COMMISSION: DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RELIGION

UN Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities

Forty-ninth session
Item 11 Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion and belief

delivered by Afrim Gjonbalaj

Geneva, 25 August 1997

Mr. Chairman,

Religious intolerance is usually looked upon as a separate issue in the context of Human Rights. However it is important to look at individual situations of human rights violations as a part of a larger whole. For example in some cases prohibiting the free practice of religion is part of a government policy to repress, and should in that case not be looked upon as a separate issue. In cases such as these it is important to look at the overall policy of a government to see what the reasons are for religious intolerance.Policies of religious intolerance quite often lead to rising tension between States and ethnic groups sometimes resulting in open conflict.

In East Timor Indonesian troops desecrated churches through their disrespectful behaviour causing more tension between Indonesian troops and the East Timorese which escalated into riots.Likewise in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) there is a strong clamp on religious freedom by Chinese authorities as part of an overall policy of repression which eventually leads to open conflict. As was noted in the resolution of April 10, 1997 by the European Parliament the "freedom of religion is severely repressed" and over the last year more than 100 Koranic schools were closed down and 180 Muslim clerics, professors and students arrested. During a trip to Xinjiang on September 11, Premier Li Peng said that relevant Chinese departments should 'step up the control of religious affairs'; Li also stated that China upholds freedom of religious believe, but added that religion 'should serve the aims of socialism.'" However instead of diffusing tension the opposite is achieved through restriction of religious activity.

In February of this year 32 Uighurs were killed in clashes with the Chinese police in Ghulje city (Yining), while hundreds of others were injured. This incident was started by the Chinese police's attempt to arrest two Uighur religious school students in a mosque during religious services in the month of Ramadan. Seeing this as an insult to religious rights, worshippers refused to release the students causing a fight to break out. The police opened fire and killed two Uighurs in the mosque.As is made clear from the 10 Point Resolution adopted by the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee Political Bureau Standing Committee on Xinjiang from the March 1996 meeting Chinese authorities intend to crackdown hard on all religious activities. Point 3 of the resolution says that religious activities must be controlled by the state. All private religious teachings must be banned. It is prohibited for Party members to take part in religious activities.

People must be protected against religious propaganda. Those who get themselves engaged in religious activities must be removed from the party immediately.According to reports Islamic schools and mosques were declared illegal last year in Eastern Turkestan, in order to combat "Muslim fundamentalism". Also a "major religious crackdown last year, targeting underground schools and mosques ..." was reported. According to Uighur exiles in Kazakhstan, around 57,000 people were arrested in Eastern Turkestan in 1996, including religious scholars. "Xinjiang's top government official warned that separatism and illegal religious activity would be the main targets of law enforcers through 1997".

Similarly religious intolerance in Tibet is part of a policy aimed at supressing all dissent. In Tibet Buddhist religion is the cultural and spiritual identity of the Tibetan people. Under the guise of uprooting so called splitist elements Chinese authorities in Tibet force the closure of many monasteries and restrict religious practice aiming to stifle promotion of national independence and political dissent.Shortly after being recognized as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995, 6 year old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents disappeared. Finally in May 1996 the Chinese authorities did admit that the boy was in Beijing's custody. A large number of monks have also left or been expelled from their monasteries for refusing to denounce Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation . As part of the re-education process, it is common practice for Chinese "work teams" to be sent into monasteries to instruct monks on the evils of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan nationalism. Should the monks refuse to be reeducated, they may suffer harassment, expulsion or arrest.

In April 1996, the Chinese Government launched the nation-wide "Strike Hard"or "Crack Down Severely on Crimes" campaign aimed at crushing corruption and crime. In Tibet the main sub-campaign of "Strike Hard" is the so-called "Patriotic Re-education Campaign and followed from earlier campaigns, such as that banning photographs of the Dalai Lama, which aimed to stifle politically restive monks. In January 1996 the order was given by the Tibet Autonomous Region's Department of Culture to Norbulingka and Potala Palace to remove all photographs of the Dalai Lama. Following this order, the ban was extended to public institutions and private homes.In all of the above mentioned cases the denial of religious freedom is part of a broader policy aimed at repressing certain groups of people. In these cases religious intolerance is just another tool in carrying out a policy of supression. We therefore would like to request the Subcommission to not only look at individual cases of religious intolerance but to see it in the light of the broader repressive policies violating fundamental human rights carried out by certain governments.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman