Oppression of Tibetan Religious Life- Post 2

By Jake Candelaria

When analyzing the struggle between Tibet and China, political and economic differences must be accounted for due to China’s control over Tibet as a territory. However, a large part of the dispute between Tibet and China stems from the social injustices that China has committed, namely its destruction of Tibetan religious life. China’s communism has played a large role in the destruction of Tibetan religions, especially considering that Chinese communism puts its political and economic laws before the social and religious freedoms of the Tibetan people.

            The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stated in the past and continues to declare that it does not impose any religious restrictions or denials of human rights to the Tibetan people. The Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law (REAL) that China uses to implement laws in its territories states that its laws allow the people of Tibet to manage their own affairs to develop culturally and social i.e. religiously. However, article 7 of the law that states that China has an obligation to protect the interests of the people of Tibet negates that law by stating that local government officlas are to put the interests of the People’s Republic of China before any other interests (Tibet). While the Dalai Lama has stated that he does not wish to seek independence for Tibet but to protect his people’s right to freely practice religion and maintain their culture, China has declared that the Dalai Lama wishes to separate from China all together (Tibet). They have used this idea to control Tibetan religious life by imposing Chinese restrictions on the religious life of the Tibetan people, namely by imprisoning prominent religious leaders who the Chinese have deemed as “endangering state security” (Tibet). An example can be seen in the peaceful protests of Tibetan monks and nuns who were detained after speaking out for religious freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama (China). These Chinese restrictions on Tibetan religious life are deeply rooted in Chinese communism because the Chinese government sees Tibetan religious leaders as political activists who seek independence from China. If China continues to persecute Tibetans for their religious practices, mostly Tibetan Buddhism, then the conflict will never be able to be ended.

            Tibet is rich in culture and religious history. Tibetan Buddhism has lasted for hundreds of years, and the autonomy of Tibet enjoyed religious freedom before Communist China assumed political control over the region to secure its political rights. The Chinese government will not allow Tibetans to freely practice their religions, therefore violating their own code of human rights for the Tibetan people. This conflict will not end if the communism that runs the People’s Republic of China does not release its grip on the social, cultural, and religious life of Tibetans.

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"China (Includes Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau)." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 01 May 2012. <http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168351.htm>.