The
Protection of Ethnic Minorities' Freedom of Religious Belief
The Chinese government has
spared no effort to promote economic, cultural and educational progress
in the areas inhabited by minority people, and to improve the material,
cultural and living standards of the broad masses of the minority
people while attaching great importance to respecting their religious
beliefs and customs, and protecting their cultural legacy.
Most Tibetans believe in
Tibetan Buddhism. Now Tibet has more than 1,700 places for Buddhist
activities, with more than 46,000 lamas resident in monasteries.
Almost every Buddhist dwelling has a small scripture hall or
prayer niche. Every year, the number of Buddhists going to
Lhasa to worship totals more than one million. Since the 1980s,
the Central Government has allocated more than 200 million RMB yuan
to Tibet for the renovation of the Potala Palace, the Tashilhunpo
Monastery, the Jokhang Temple, the Samye Monastery, and other places
of worship. In addition, special funds were allocated for the publication
of the Tibetan editions of The Tripitaka (The Buddhist Canon) and
other classics, and the China Advanced Institute of Tibetan Buddhism
was founded in Beijing, and
the Institute of Tibetan Buddhism, in Lhasa. In 1995, in accordance
with the religious rituals and historical conventions of Tibetan
Buddhism, including lot-drawing from a golden urn, the reincarnation
of the 10th Panchen Erdeni was discovered. Thus, China completed
the identification, confirmation and enthronement of the 11th Panchen
Erdeni.
In Xinjiang and Ningxia,
the government provides various services to Moslems for pilgrimages.
Since the 1980s, more
than 40,000 Chinese Muslims have gone to Mecca. Now Xinjiang has
more than 23,000 mosques, and 29,000 clergy to meet the religious
needs of Muslims. The Islamic Association of Xinjiang has founded
the Institute of Islamic Theology, and published the Koran in the
Uygur language. The Chinese government respects the dietetic customs
and burial rites of the minority peoples who believe in Islam, and
has worked out laws and regulations on producing Muslim food and
opened Muslim cemeteries.
