Chinese City Offering Rewards for Reporting ‘Illegal Religious Activities,’ Raising Further Concerns for House Churches

By The Editor

Originally Published on This Site

GUANGZHOU, Guangdong — Officials in the Chinese city of Guangzhou have announced that rewards are being offered for those who report “illegal religious activities,” a term that applies not only to terrorist activities, or those who “use religion to … undermine national unity,” but also those who “establish religious venues without authorization” or “conduct religious education and training without authorization.”

The announcement, entitled “Measures for the People in Guangzhou to Report Unlawful Religious Activities,”was posted online on March 20 by the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

It asks residents to report those who “[p]romote, support, or fund religious extremism, or use religion to endanger national security, public security, undermine national unity, split the country and terrorist activities, violate citizens’ personal rights, democratic rights, hinder social management order, and infringe public and private property.”

However, the segment also requests that “[t]hose who establish religious venues without authorization, or non-religious groups, non-religious institutions, non-religious venues, non-religious temporary venues, religious activities, and religious donations” and those who “[o]rganize citizens to participate in religious training, conferences, pilgrimages, etc. without authorization, or conduct religious education and training without authorization” also be reported.

Those who provide substantiated tips can be rewarded between 100 and 1,000 yuan (approximately $15 to $150 dollars), and those who assist with “the seizure of the leading elements of illegal religious organizations abroad, ascertaining the organization structure and key personnel of the organization,” can be rewarded between 5,000 to 10,00 yuan (approximately $745 to $1,500).

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