The "Tibet issue" is not a religious issue, says a commentary in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:
The Dalai group wanted the international community to show its concern for the "Tibet issue", claiming the Tibetans lacked religious freedom. However, the Dalai group's accusations are not borne out by facts.
The reincarnation of the living Buddha, various ritualistic ceremonies and resumption of academic degrees of monks show that religious activities in Tibet are normal.
Currently, Tibet has over 1,700 monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism, 46,000 monks and nuns, four mosques and one Catholic church, and all religious activities go on smoothly in Tibet. On an average, there is one religious venue for every 1,600 Tibetans.
In recent years, many learned monks won Gexe Lharampa, the highest academic degree of the four ranks in the Gexe system, from the yellow sect, or the Gelugba school of Tibetan Buddhism, annually.
Common followers of the religion also have their freedom. Sutra streamers, prayer wheels and other religious instruments are ubiquitous in Tibet. Most followers have built scripture chambers in their own houses and over 1 million Tibetans went to Lhasa to pay homage to the Buddha.
The central government has allocated more than 700 million yuan ($100 million) since 1980 to maintain 1,400 monasteries and cultural relics. The Potala Palace, Norbu Linkag and the Sakya Monastery were renovated with the central government's funding.
The central government has also made efforts to collect and publish classics of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Tibetan Tripitaka.
Many Tibetan traditional festivals have been preserved, including the Spring Festival, according to the Tibetan calendar, and the Shoton (Yogurt) Festival.
The government respects and protects the religious freedom in conformity with the law. Today, religious freedom is the basic right of Chinese citizens. In addition, the legitimate rights of religious staff and followers are protected by law.
In the dark ages, only Tibetan Buddhism could be followed but nowadays religion in the autonomous region had developed with time. With Tibetan Buddhism dominating, more religions have been introduced to this area, including Islam and Catholicism.
The above facts show explicitly that the "Tibet issue" is not about religion but only a card played by the Dalai group to woo sympathy from others. The essence of the "Tibet issue" is a scheme for "Tibet independence" and this cannot be disguised as a religious problem.
(China Daily May 5, 2008)