(China) – A new inquiry system for religious personnel launched in May. The system strengthened the overall surveillance of state-sanctioned religious personnel.
Growing inquiry systems
Previously, the information inquiry system for Chinese Buddhist and Taoist clergy went live on February 22. On May 23, the government-affiliated Islamic Association of China (IAC), the Catholic Church of China (CCC), and the Chinese Christian Council/the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (CCC/TSPM) officially launched their information inquiry systems of the clergy. These organizations are under the political guidance and administrative supervision of the National Religious Affairs Administration and the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Public information
The Chinese government’s news website reported that the inquiry system for religious groups is accessible to the public via the Internet, providing certified government records. All these documents became available simultaneously on each official religious website. Public information includes the clerical personnel’s name, gender, photo, religious title, religious sects, clerical identity, and clerical ID number.
How the search works
Users can search after entering a mobile phone verification code and picture verification code. If the religious personnel being searched is registered with the CCP, the system will display their relevant information.
Persecution tool
If the religious clergy did not show up in the search, the system will say “No information found for this person.” This provides a window and basis for potential crackdowns on certain religious figures. Inquirers are more likely to be local police, religious departments, community government managerial personnel, or informants placed among the public by the Communist Party. They will use this database to determine if potential targets belong to state-sanctioned groups. In other words, if a religious figure is not found in the database, there is a window and basis for potential suppression.
Hinders the spread of religion
This could have disastrous results for the spread of evangelism across regions. There are a considerable number of freelance missionaries in China without official recognition, so there is no doubt they are not in the database.
Legal and Illegal religion
The setup of the inquiry system facilitates religious repression, distinguishing between legal and illegal religion. House church Christians who freely preach the Gospel are considered illegal. They face arbitrary charges such as fraud and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”
Religious freedom in China
The Chinese Constitution stipulates that citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief. However, the Communist Regime continually exercises strict control over Christianity, Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Islam. Religious freedom in China must operate within the scope recognized and delineated by the government. This situation has intensified under President Xi Jinping.
~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
