The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom warned on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic was worsening religious persecution in countries such as China and Iran.
The commission found fault with China, where the virus originated, for its treatment of Uighur Muslims, who have reportedly been forced to continue working in Wuhan factories during the city’s quarantine, despite the high risk of contracting the disease. The Uighurs that have been quarantined have also faced discrimination, with Chinese authorities limiting their access to food and demanding payment for basic necessities.
China’s historical mistreatment of Uighurs creates conditions for widespread outbreaks among the group, USCIRF officials said, pointing to the nearly 1 million Uighur and other Muslims who have been confined in concentration camps in the Xinjiang province since 2017.
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“The combination of limited access to medical resources and large concentrations of elderly detainees could lead to a humanitarian disaster if the virus reaches any of those camps,” officials said.
The situation is similar in Iran, USCIRF found. The country has the largest outbreak of the virus in the Middle East, with many high-ranking officials contracting it because of the country’s lack of access to medical supplies. After the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, in early March, the Iranian government blocked the nation’s access to Wikipedia to prevent unrest. At least 12 members of the Iranian regime have died from the coronavirus.
As they handle chaos within the government, Iranian authorities have also had to contend with a large number of imprisoned religious minorities. Although Iran released 70,000 religious prisoners on furlough in March, USCIRF found that it moved other religious dissidents to prisons where cases of the coronavirus had been confirmed, placing them at greater risk of contraction.
Religious freedom has also come under attack in free countries, such as South Korea, USCIRF reported. There, members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus have faced persecution after about 7,500 cases of the coronavirus were traced to one member. The church, known in South Korea for its secrecy, claims to have about 300,000 members worldwide, including in Wuhan, arousing suspicion among South Koreans.
A petition to ban the church from South Korea has received more than 1 million signatures, and it is being investigated for “willful negligence” in spreading the coronavirus.
“Although some government measures appeared to be driven by legitimate public health concerns, others appeared to exaggerate the church’s role in the outbreak,” USCIRF officials wrote. “The government of Seoul locked down Shincheonji churches in the capital, and some mainline Protestant groups have accused the church of deliberately spreading the disease.”
Other countries have also taken steps that have restricted religious practice, including the United States, where many churches have suspended services in compliance with bans on large gatherings.
