Leaders of Chinese religious circle have expressed their strong protest against the May 3 report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom which attacked China's religious policy and maliciously accused China of religious persecution by crackdown on the Falun Gong cult.

Imam Chen Guangyuan, head of China Islamic Association, described the report as vicious fabrication. He recalled the visit by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom at the invitation of the State Administration of Religious Affairs last year, when the Commission recognized the communication had cleared up their misunderstanding about China's religious situation.

Imam Chen Guangyuan put up strong protest against the report which went back on the Commission's words and against the facts they witnessed in China. "It has distorted facts and is a sheer hostile attack�� said Imam Chen.

Chen pointed out that the government's action of banning the Falun Gong cult conformed to the law, made sense and followed the wishes of the people. It also reflects the protection of religious freedom of the public.

He noted that the US should pay more attention to its own problem of religious freedom instead of accusing others.

Ren Farong, head of the Taoist Association of China, stressed that it is a widely acclaimed fact that the Chinese citizens are enjoying religious freedom.

Ren said that the Chinese government fully honored its commitments on religious freedom since reform and opening-up in the late 1970s. A number of temples, churches and other venues for ritual services have been restored and open. Religious doctrines and cultures have been advocated. And successors have been fostered.

However, he added, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom turned a blind eye on all those facts and intentionally distorted them. Their report, in particular, continued labeling the problem of Falun Gong cult as a religious issue. It shows no respect to the interest and the call for justice by the Chinese religious circle and the Chinese people who abhor the Falun Gong cult.

Liu Bonian, vice chairman of the Catholic Patriotic Association of China, warned that any attempt of sabotaging China's stability and development by making use of cults will not gain people's support.

Liu also remembered how the US Commission on International Religious Freedom appreciated China's achievements on religious freedom in their trip to China last year when they visited the Catholic Patriotic Association.

Liu regarded the US report as unacceptable as it was a sheer slander and violated the code of the international relations and interfered the internal affairs of China.

Liu insisted that the Falun Gong cult challenged and imperiled the community. He held that the report intends to undermine the stability and economic development of China by supporting the Falun Gong cult. "That will never work��, he added.

The Venerable Xuecheng, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, said that the US was imposing religious hegemony by practicing dual-standards on the international religious human rights affairs.

Buddhism believes in karma and does not tolerate lies. But the US report tells numerous lies, which would result in divine retributions. He called on the US to stop intervening China's internal affairs under the pretext of religion and do more good deeds.

He vowed to promote the real Buddhism and firmly oppose the Falun Gong cult who has stolen the Falun name in Buddhism and done harm to Buddhism in the name of "dharma��.

Priest Yu Xinli, Vice Director-General of the Christian Council of China, said that Chinese Christians stood against the Falun Gong cult and the US action of stepping into other country's internal affairs by making use of religion.

According to Yu, no Chinese Christian has ever practiced Falun Gong. Chinese citizens enjoy real freedom of religious beliefs. Christians conduct ritual services all over China. The Christian Council has printed 40 million volumes of the Bible and several new churches are being built in Beijing.

Yu also mentioned China's successful Bible exhibition in the US last year.

Living Buddha Nacang, Vice president of the China Tibetan-Language Senior Buddhism Academy, exhorted the US to contribute more on promoting the friendship between China and the US to be rewarded with good.

He said that the Chinese government banned the Falun Gong cult to protect the citizens' religious freedom.

He expressed the strong support of the religious circle to the policies and stances of the Chinese government which has taken many important measures to safeguard the religious freedom of the Chinese citizens including those in Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions.

By People's Daily Online