HENAN [CHINA] : Authorities in the Henan province of China are forcing people of faith to register on ‘Smart Religion’ app for worship, reported Fox News.
Henan is one of the most religious provinces in the largely secular country and home to one of China’s most vibrant Christian communities.
Religious members of the public in Henan must fill out a government form and verify their place of worship before gathering with fellow believers, according to Chinese human rights advocacy group ChinaAid.
“Applicants must fill in personal information, including name, phone number, ID number, permanent residence, occupation, and date of birth, before they can make a reservation,” the group reported.
“Those who are allowed into the church must also have their temperature taken and show a reservation code,” it added. ChinaAid released their report on the new system on March 6.
The regulation system is required for all citizens seeking to worship, regardless of religion — citizens can select their affiliation with a church, Buddhist temple, mosque, and others. Smart Religion was developed by the Henan Province Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission, reported Fox News.
The People’s Republic of China is governed exclusively by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which promotes a policy of secularism.
While not explicitly illegal, religious worship is increasingly dangerous in China as government officials crack down on faith communities found unsatisfactory in patriotism or cultural assimilation. The CCP continues to run concentration camps for the detention and re-education of Uyghur Muslims.
Numerous Western nations, including the UK, have condemned China for grave human rights abuses involving Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang under a government crackdown to prevent terrorism and religious extremism in the restive region, reported Bitter Winter.
Since 2017, Beijing has carried out a sweeping crackdown in the north-western Xinjiang region under the banner of counterterrorism, undertaking campaigns to forcibly assimilate the mostly Muslim ethnic minority group.
Experts estimate that Chinese authorities have detained more than 1 million Uyghurs as part of the crackdown, holding them in centers and “re-education” camps and drawing international condemnation. (ANI)