Religious Minorities and China

Dr. Michael Dillon

Jan 2001 · Minority Rights Group

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About this ebook

The treatment of religious minorities in China regularly makes headlines in the West. In recent years, China’s treatment of the Falungong and its policies in Tibet and, to a lesser extent, Xinjiang, have attracted much comment, but this is rarely informed by an understanding of how China’s policies towards religious minorities as a whole have developed. This new MRG Report, Religious Minorities and China, fills that gap, providing an authoritative overview of the major world religions in China, Tibet and Xinjiang since 1949. The Report gives a history of the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to control and, during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, to attack religious institutions. It describes how, since the ‘Reform and Opening’ of 1978 onwards, officially registered religious groups are tolerated and have some representation in a national forum. Unofficial groups, however, are regarded as unpatriotic. The Report focuses on Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, which the state considers synonymous with separatist movements and a threat to China’s territorial integrity. Tibet and Xinjiang, with their Buddhist and Muslim populations respectively, are contested territories, and freedom of religion and association in these areas is particularly liable to suppression. The Report also looks at the rise of the new religions, focusing on the Falungong. It concludes with a set of Recommendations, urging China to implement the provisions of international standards on minority rights and freedom and to fulfil its obligations under the instruments to which it is party.

Please note that the terminology in the fields of minority rights and indigenous peoples’ rights has changed over time. MRG strives to reflect these changes as well as respect the right to self-identification on the part of minorities and indigenous peoples. At the same time, after over 50 years’ work, we know that our archive is of considerable interest to activists and researchers. Therefore, we make available as much of our back catalogue as possible, while being aware that the language used may not reflect current thinking on these issues.

About the author

Michael Dillon is Senior Lecturer in Modern Chinese History and Director of the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Durham in the UK. He studied Chinese language and history at Leeds and is the author of China’s Muslims (Oxford University Press) and China’s Muslim Hui Community (Curzon), and editor of China: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary (Curzon). He is a regular visitor to China, particularly the Muslim regions of the northwest.

Minority Rights Group (MRG) is the leading international human rights organization working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and indigenous peoples, and to promote understanding between communities. We are guided by the needs expressed by our worldwide network of over 300 partner organizations in more than 60 countries. Together, we challenge power structures that exclude and silence those who are different. We understand how age, class, gender, sexuality and disability can have multiplying impacts on discrimination for minorities.

MRG is an international non-governmental organization with an international governing Council that meets twice a year. We have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and observer status with the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights. MRG is also registered with the Organization of American States. MRG is registered as a charity and a company limited by guarantee under English law: registered charity no. 282305, limited company no. 1544957.

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