The worsening human rights situation in Tibet is for real. The Chinese authorities controlling Tibetans in Tibet offers money for displaying the portraits of Xi Jinping while it brutally punishes anyone even possessing the pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama! The state interference in Tibetan religious freedom is very serious in real.
The tradition of Buddhist Tibetans effectively blend within the daily life of the people on the roof of the world. However poor or less privileged, Tibetans dedicate a small portion of their house to making their offering to the Buddha. The altars in addition to various ritualistic items and offerings used in their daily prayers, contains the pictures of their spiritual figures they worship. While His Holiness the Dalai Lama is worshiped by most of Tibetans as their spiritual leader, his portraits has always been a common sight in the altars of every Tibetan house.
However, China has banned the possession of portraits of the Dalai Lama in the occupied Tibet, branding him as a separatist. Not just displaying of the Dalai Lama’s portraits in altars, Tibetans in Tibet have been brutally punished and imprisoned for even possessing a picture of him in their mobile phones. Such kind of repression is not heard of in any part of the world other than China! There is no need to discuss about the fact that it is a crime punishable by law to listen to the teachings of the Dalai Lama or even following his teachings by the Tibetan Buddhists. As a matter of fact, an atheist regime is now dictating how to practice Buddhism to the traditionally Buddhist Tibetans!
With the approaching important date of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 84th birthday, China is tightening its grip against the ban on the Dalai Lama’s pictures in Tibet. The police are reaching up to usually not reached parts of Tibet to patrol Tibetan houses to find out anyone displaying Dalai Lama’s portraits in their houses.
In a ridiculous campaign, the height of repression against Tibetan religious freedom is that the regime wants the Tibetans to display the portraits of Mao and Xi Jinping in their houses instead of their spiritual leader Dalai Lama or the Buddha. It has now even forced the poorer Tibetan families to displaying the portraits of Xi Jinping in their houses to obtain state benefits and cash rewards. Because of financial constraints and poor livelihood opportunities in the certain areas of China occupied Tibet, the Tibetans have no choice but to take the money and put up Xi’s picture.