Culture
Thursday 26 May 2022
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![Wang Wenbin]()
Wang Wenbin
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman
“…[W]hen he (the 14th Dalai Lama) was abroad, he took the liberty of declaring a child as the reincarnation of the Panchen Erdeni … to carry out anti-China separatist political hype to the detriment of religious rituals…”
Read more...The Dalai Lama has the authority to choose the reincarnated Panchen Lama. Beijing has repeatedly violated and manipulated the rituals of Tibetan Buddhism. -
![RIA Novosti]()
RIA Novosti
Russian state news agency
“Russian muftis expressed support for the special operation in Ukraine and called it a forced preventive defensive measure, ‘based on the Holy Quran’.”
Read more...Russia’s war in Ukraine is neither ‘preventative’ nor ‘defensive.’ The Kremlin first invaded in 2014 and launched an all-out attack on February 24, 2022. -
![Hossein Amir-Abdollahian]()
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
Iran's Foreign Minister
“440 of the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are women who play a key role in political, legal, international, and cultural areas.”
Source: Iran Press news agency, January 25, 2022Read more...Iran has no female ambassadors. The majority of women serving in Iran’s foreign ministry are tasked with low-level clerical and office assistant positions. -
![China Global Television Network]()
China Global Television Network
“U.S. residents: China is doing a great job in equitable [wealth] distribution.”
Read more...The jury is still out on whether China will manage to narrow its massive divide in wealth equality. -
![RT (Russia Today)/ Brendan Heard]()
RT (Russia Today)/ Brendan Heard
"Melting statues to create modern art is a sign America hates its own history & no different from ISIS destroying Palmyra."
Read more...Removing U.S. monuments to an era of slavery and racism is nothing like Islamic State’s senseless destruction at the ancient world heritage site in Syria. -
![Turkish Foreign Ministry]()
Turkish Foreign Ministry
“The ongoing restoration programmes and other implementations in both monuments have no negative impact as per to UNESCO standards.”
Read more...In fact, Turkey is transforming the historic Hagia Sophia into an active mosque, threatening its status as a World Heritage site. -
![Ikenna Emewu]()
Ikenna Emewu
Editor-in-chief, Africa China Economy Magazine
“Xi's Tibet visit endorses Chinese pluralism, religious rights.”
Read more...Under Xi’s tenure, screws tightened further on Tibetan Buddhists’ religious freedoms. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
“In general, the division into indigenous, first-class, second-class categories of people and so on – this, for sure, completely smacks of… the theory and practice of Nazi Germany. ... [T]o speak of Russians as a non-indigenous people is not just incorrect, it is ridiculous and stupid.”
Read more...A proposed Ukraine law would grant official status for three indigenous minority groups in Ukraine. -
![Global Times]()
Global Times
Chinese Communist Party newspaper
“US actor and WWE star John Cena on Tuesday apologized on Chinese social media after having falsely indicated that the island of Taiwan is a country in a promotional video for his latest film Fast & Furious 9 to the island's audience.”
Read more...China claims Taiwan, and few countries have official diplomatic relations with the island. Still, Taiwan, has its own government, military, and laws. -
![Liu Xin and Chen Qingqing]()
Liu Xin and Chen Qingqing
Co-lead the Global Times China desk
“This is the first time that the Xinjiang regional government held such a reception for Eid al-Fitr … [showing] the region's sincerity and openness amid outside slander, as Xinjiang has nothing to hide.”
Read more...China’s campaign to deflect rights abuse accusations comes as Western states, rights groups demand U.N. access to Xinjiang. -
![Fariz Mehdawi]()
Fariz Mehdawi
Palestine ambassador to China
“You know, the average of mosques, if you have to calculate it all, it’s something like 2,000 inhabitants for one mosque. This ratio we don’t have it in our country. It’s not available anywhere.”
Read more...According to reputable estimates, about 65% of Xinjiang’s mosques have been damaged or destroyed. -
![Vladimir Putin]()
Vladimir Putin
president of Russia
“We in Russia must not allow, will not allow any aggressive, disrespectful demonstration of one's ethnicity towards the representatives of any nationality, nor will we allow any foreign conflicts of this kind ... ”
Read more...As with race elsewhere, ethnicity in Russia has been the basis for discrimination, law enforcement profiling and violence against minorities.
