THERE is some controversy surrounding reports that the Chinese government enforces strictures upon those who observe Islamic rituals, especially during the month of Ramazan, in Xinjiang, a region with a Uighur Muslim majority. Reports of tensions in the sensitive region between Uighurs and Han Chinese are not new. However, with the advent of Ramazan, some news stories had stated that the authorities in Xinjiang had banned government servants and students in the region from fasting and entering mosques. The Chinese government responded by saying that it does not force Muslim citizens not to fast. Interestingly, Pakistan has also become involved in this controversy; media reports state that a team of Pakistani clerics, led by an official of the religious affairs ministry, has just returned from Xinjiang. Invited by Beijing, members of the team claimed that Muslims in Xinjiang faced no restrictions. While the issue is a serious one, we must ask if it is the responsibility of our worthy clerics to ascertain the truth of the matter. The trip seems, as per descriptions, to have been a junket, and the clerics would have only observed what their government handlers wanted them to see.

Religious freedom is a right that should be inviolable, and Muslims in China and elsewhere, as well as members of any other faith, should have complete freedom to live according to their religious beliefs. However, it is definitely not the responsibility of our religious affairs ministry to certify levels of religious freedom in foreign lands. If anything, the state should be working overtime to ensure that all citizens — especially members of the minority communities — do not face any harassment while practising their respective faiths in Pakistan. Clearly, the high levels of sectarianism, bigotry, and anti-minority attitudes in our society suggest that much work needs to be done to rectify matters. Rather than enjoy foreign junkets and joyrides, our state functionaries should focus their energies on creating an atmosphere of confessional harmony and tolerance in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2016