Double Standards in the Media

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I noticed recently that China has plans to destroy numerous churches and currently has church leaders in prison. Yet it appears as barely a blip in terms of media coverage and no wide spread outrage or UN condemnation. Only a few weeks ago media coverage of the swiss Mosque issue was a major blitz with the EU and the UN weighing in heavily. Yet no muslim leaders were imprisoned and no Mosques destroyed.

From this only two conclusions can be made in order of importance.

1. Switzerland is held at a much higher standard on the global scene then China. Aka, we all turn a blind eye to China's human rights issues.

2. Islam is seen as a "louder" religion or perhaps a more sensitive religion and therefore deserves more attention and protection.

[HAL 9000 96]

Could be that way.

I am sure there are other possible explanations as well. For example, maybe religion is not treated in the same way in China as it is in Switzerland and thus different media attitudes would exist due to news organizations assuming these things.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I noticed recently that China has plans to destroy numerous churches and currently has church leaders in prison. Yet it appears as barely a blip in terms of media coverage and no wide spread outrage or UN condemnation. Only a few weeks ago media coverage of the swiss Mosque issue was a major blitz with the EU and the UN weighing in heavily. Yet no muslim leaders were imprisoned and no Mosques destroyed.

From this only two conclusions can be made in order of importance.

1. Switzerland is held at a much higher standard on the global scene then China. Aka, we all turn a blind eye to China's human rights issues.

2. Islam is seen as a "louder" religion or perhaps a more sensitive religion and therefore deserves more attention and protection.

It's the first and damn well should be. Unless we're willing to accept the lowest standards as the benchmark. Personally, I'd rather not go down that route.

[GabiandVi 34]

I think a third conclusion could be that China is politically important and we don't want to upset them too much. But I also think it is a combination of all three things.

The problem is that China is an equal opportunity religion suppressor. They also suppress Islam and Buddhism in the West. I was actually shocked at the number of Christian churches, obviously built before or around the turn of the century, I saw around China. In the middle of a hutong type village, there would be a New England style chapel and/or a small Catholic church.

My city was in the center of the Boxer Rebellion, but one of the oldest structures in the city (razed by an earthquake in 76) was the Cathedral that had been part of the French Concession. And just around the corner from that, all this near the biggest pedestrian shopping street in the city, was a mosque, much newer and not very large.

We had an Irish priest who would come down from Beijing and say English masses at that church. He was in China with a British charity, and he couldn't establish a parish, but he could say mass for the foreigners. You didn't have to show a passport, though, like you would at a lot of other Western religious ceremonies, so there were lots of Chinese in the pews on those days.

[alienlovechild 75]

I noticed recently that China has plans to destroy numerous churches and currently has church leaders in prison. Yet it appears as barely a blip in terms of media coverage and no wide spread outrage or UN condemnation. Only a few weeks ago media coverage of the swiss Mosque issue was a major blitz with the EU and the UN weighing in heavily. Yet no muslim leaders were imprisoned and no Mosques destroyed.

From this only two conclusions can be made in order of importance.

1. Switzerland is held at a much higher standard on the global scene then China. Aka, we all turn a blind eye to China's human rights issues.

2. Islam is seen as a "louder" religion or perhaps a more sensitive religion and therefore deserves more attention and protection.

China destroys illegal churches and sees religion in general as something threatening if isn't under control.

Most countries know China is a rising power with money so they can only piss them off with criticism which has little effect in a nation with state controlled media and limited Internet access. Few easier to slam the Swiss for their restrictions on mosque construction than risk insulting a billion Muslims. Numbers count.

[Niels Bohr 72]

No wonder there are so many Chinese Professor here in the US teaching Science. They don't like religion.

[slim 1,533]

I noticed recently that China has plans to destroy numerous churches and currently has church leaders in prison. Yet it appears as barely a blip in terms of media coverage and no wide spread outrage or UN condemnation. Only a few weeks ago media coverage of the swiss Mosque issue was a major blitz with the EU and the UN weighing in heavily. Yet no muslim leaders were imprisoned and no Mosques destroyed.

From this only two conclusions can be made in order of importance.

1. Switzerland is held at a much higher standard on the global scene then China. Aka, we all turn a blind eye to China's human rights issues.

2. Islam is seen as a "louder" religion or perhaps a more sensitive religion and therefore deserves more attention and protection.

3. Nobody is strong enough to stop China from doing it.