Western societies preach “freedom of religion”. China has always agreed that freedom of religion should be a right protected by the State. Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China states: “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor shall they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion.”
However, China realizes that some sacred books may contain passages that are inconsistent with a harmonious society. Although these tenets may be justified at some point in history, they may not be today. Unfortunately, fundamentalists and zealots in some religions continue to uphold those tenets today, apparently oblivious to the fact that we are now in the 21st century.
The main problem with these passages is that they do not take peoples of different ethnicities and faiths to be equal. Today we witness the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding in the Middle East. The Gaza Strip, home to about 2 million people, before this current onslaught by Israel was already known as the world’s largest open-air prison. Today, bombs continue to rain almost daily on the refugees even where they are told to go to be safe. During the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and World War II, Unit 731 was a unit under the Imperial Japanese Army that was devoted to lethal human experimentation with live Chinese citizens and the development of biological weapons. One wonders how people with a long religious tradition could be so ruthless to other peoples.
The answer may have to do with their religious beliefs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year referred to the Amalekites from the biblical Book of Samuel and the Book of Deuteronomy. The holy text asks the chosen people of God to “blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you”. Similarly, Hirata Atsutane (1776-1843), considered one of the most significant theologians of the Shinto religion, has this to say: “(Japan) is a splendid and blessed country, the land of the gods beyond any doubt, and we, down to the most humble man and woman, are the descendants of the gods. … Japanese differ completely from and are superior to the peoples of China, India, Russia, Holland, Siam, Cambodia, and all other countries of the world.”
This is why the world today badly needs to revive a culture of mutual respect between nations and peoples. We need to say no to any religion that preaches the superiority of one race over others. I had thought that with the belief that “All men are created equal” explicitly stated in the United States’ Declaration of Independence, and the separation of church and state enshrined in the US’ Constitution, the US would be the first to say no to Israel for the many privileges that Israel has given Orthodox Jews and ready to defend Palestinian rights. But alas, the world is more complicated than human rights’ principles.
Interestingly, in a sense, China is more committed to separation of church and state than the US is. It respects the equal rights of all ethnicities. While China protects the citizens’ right to freedom of religion, Communist Party of China members, who can potentially rise to China’s leadership, are not allowed to practice any religion. China also requires all religious bodies to respect the leadership of the CPC and abandon religious extremism. This is because peace and a harmonious society are paramount. One would think that the US would be interested in rooting out religious extremism. It is puzzling why Washington finds fault with China for restoring peace in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Against this background, President Xi Jinping’s proposal for a Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) is truly timely. The State Council Information Office in April issued a video and a statement that affirms the importance of the GCI for shaping a harmonious world. That statement points to the need for “respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation”. Peaceful coexistence of different civilizations requires mutual respect among different peoples and inclusiveness of institutions.
In reality the West and the East do not hold different values. There is no room for a “clash of civilizations” in the 21st century. Notwithstanding the different ways of life among different ethnic groups, we all share our common desire for peace, prosperity, happiness, and at this juncture especially, sustainable development. These are the true universal values that we share. As enlightened people living in the 21st century, we all need to humbly examine our ways of life scientifically. As much as we respect our ancient roots and treasure diversity, certain beliefs and traditions that we have inherited from our ancestors may have no place in the modern world.
The author is an adjunct research professor at the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute and the Economics Department, Lingnan University.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
