"China's Orwellian War On Religion," Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

Police patrolling near the Id Kah Mosque in the old town of Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang region. 

Johannes Eisele/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

China's Orwellian War On Religion Nicholas Kristof, New York Times My column today is about China’s broad crackdown on Islam, Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism, in a way that is difficult to find parallel in modern times. It seems China is now detaining more people for religious reasons than any country since the collection of Jews for the Holocaust. And China is also using artificial intelligence, a “Social Credit System” and mass surveillance — even trying to install cameras on pulpits, facing the congregation — to monitor religion in a way that has little precedent. Please read!

I find what’s happening in China terribly sad; I lived there for years, speak Chinese and raised my kids to speak Chinese. And China has done so much to raise living standards and improve education, so that China-watchers have kept waiting for progress on human rights. And in fact human rights have deteriorated.

Another place where human rights have deteriorated: Saudi Arabia. It was never a democracy, but in the last few years it has become particularly repressive. A couple of days ago, I met with the brother and sister of imprisoned women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul. (I’ve urged that Loujain, who is still imprisoned, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous advocacy of human rights, together with the political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh of Iran.) Loujain’s brother said something that I can’t get out of my head: When the Saudi authorities tortured and sexually abused Loujain, they didn’t do it to extract information; they did it for pure sadism. And the White House has never even bothered to call for Loujain’s release.

As you read this, I’m in Paraguay and soon Guatemala for my annual win-a-trip journey with a university student (this year it’s Mia Armstrong from Arizona), so this is a particularly short newsletter. But please do read the China religion column!