Thursday, May 1, 2008

'Tibet issue' is by no means a religious issue

I. 'Tibet issue' is by no means a religious issue, People Daily, April 29, 2008, http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90780/91342/6401073.html
II. The Dalai clique in Tibet has been stating that China has been denying religious rights to certain people in Tibet. However, China denies doing this and lets Tibetans practice what they wish and they guarantee normal religious practices in Tibet. Prayer wheels and reverential believers are seen all over in Tibet. Tibetans are allowed to live their lives normally as they have in the past. In the past, Buddhism was the only religion that was permissible to practice in Tibet, but now Tibetans are able to practice any religion. China believes that this 'issue' formed by the Dalai clique is just created to build sympathy from the rest of the world and break off from China.
III. A.) This article relates to the AP World History theme 'Development and interaction of cultures' because it shows the complaints of a group of religious members who are accused of lying by a government who has taken over their country.
B.) In 1951, China invaded Tibet and took over. Ever since, their have been heavy tensions between the two and many Tibetan uprisings and protests, which were put down by the Chinese government. They have been fighting for religious freedom, which China claims they have granted; however, Tibetans are still fighting for rights.
C.) This is a Chinese article written by People's Daily Online, which is most likely written by a committee of Chinese people.
D.) The point of view of this article is greatly skewed in that this may have been written by Chinese people, which means that they wouldn't want to admit to China doing anything wrong. This would cause them to strongly put down any hint that the Chinese government was denying Tibetan religious rights. Also, they accuse Tibetans of lying just to get sympathy from other world countries.
E.) In order to fully understand this topic, I would like to hear from a Tibetan that is in the Dalai clique, because it would help to understand how the Chinese government may be stripping Tibetans of religious rights.
F.) I think that there may be a chance that the Chinese government may be denying the Tibetans religious rights, because there have been so many uprisings and protests in the past. Also, the Chinese government is denying that they have done anything wrong, so it seems a bit suspicious.

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