China expands scrutiny of religious beliefs in Chengdu

China expands religious scrutiny to Chengdu hospitals, schools; employees, students asked to disclose beliefs

China has expanded scrutiny of religious affiliation into public workplaces and schools in Chengdu. Employees at a public hospital were ordered to disclose their religious beliefs and education authorities collected information on the religious backgrounds of students and their families, according to The Epoch Times.The report, published on August 14, is based on leaked internal documents and accounts from people familiar with the practices who spoke anonymously, citing concerns about possible reprisals.An internal notice circulated by a public hospital in Chengdu said it was conducting a comprehensive survey of employees’ religious beliefs as part of its “regular investigation of ideological, ethnic, and religious work.”The notice said the survey was to cover every employee, including permanent staff, contracted workers and temporary workers.Employees were instructed to provide information about their religious affiliation and not conceal or omit relevant details. Those with no religious affiliation were also required to register as having “no religious belief”, according to the report.The notice further said members of the Chinese Communist Party are not permitted to practise a religion and that employees with religious affiliations were required to report the matter to their Party branch.Religious activities and proselytising were also prohibited in the workplace, according to the document.An administrative employee at a university in Sichuan told The Epoch Times that schools were also investigating the religious affiliations of students’ family members and compiling the information for submission to higher authorities.An employee at Chengdu’s education authorities separately told the outlet that schools conduct background checks on students’ families every year before new students enter school, with religious affiliation among the information collected.The report said the information collected by schools is passed up the administrative chain, although one source said they did not know how it was ultimately used.The reported measures form part of a wider Chinese Communist Party approach that treats religious affairs as an issue of political and ideological management, according to The Epoch Times.The Chinese government has promoted a policy known as the “Sinicisation of religion”, under which religious groups are expected to align their activities with Chinese law and the political and cultural priorities of the state.Chinese president Xi Jinping has also called for stronger Party leadership over religious affairs and for religious work to be incorporated into the Party’s broader leadership system, according to the report.A Chinese scholar cited by The Epoch Times said similar restrictions on religious belief among public employees exist in other parts of the country, but those claims were not independently verified in the report.