Freedom of Speech Questioned at the 25th Annual International Cultural Festival

[Editor's note: This article was written by a Western practitioner from Atlanta, GA for her University (Emory) newspaper, "The Wheel."]

I am a junior in the college and I am also a Falun Gong practitioner. Falun Gong is an advanced meditative exercise for improving body, mind, and spirit, rooted in the principles: truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. In a little less than a year of practice, my life has improved tremendously. I experience less stress, my relationships have improved, and I feel a sense of peace in my heart that I never thought was possible. I am very thankful I came across Falun Gong and am glad I can practice it everyday if I choose.

As an American, I have this basic right as long as I don't violate any laws. Unfortunately, this isn't the case everywhere. In Mainland China, where over 70 million Falun Gong practitioners reside, citizens do not have the right to follow any spiritual faith they choose. Currently, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners are persecuted for their beliefs. As of July 1999, the Chinese government banned the practice of Falun Gong and have illegally jailed, tortured, and killed many Falun Gong practitioners. The Associated Press states that 115 practitioners have been tortured to death in these camps.

The persecution does not stop at Chinese borders. Over the past 21 months, the Chinese government has attempted to pressure American officials and private institutions into denying American Falun Gong practitioners the right to practice. This pressure has made its way all the way to Emory's campus.

A month ago I signed up to participate in the 25th annual International Cultural Celebration of behalf of the Friends of Falun Dafa Association at Emory. We had planned to demonstrate the five meditative exercises and give a brief explanation of the practice. We were not going to say anything about the persecution, simply present the practice as a part of Chinese culture, like the Tai Chi group has done for many years.

At first, our group was permitted to perform. However, a few weeks later, one of the organizers of the celebration informed me that we would have to follow tighter restrictions, because the Emory Chinese Student Union and the Chinese Consulate were placing pressure on the office to have us removed from the performance. The Chinese making this request sent many emails, faxes, and even a video to dissuade the organizers from allowing us to perform. Despite the pressure, the organizers of the festival didn't want to discriminate so they allowed us to perform. At this point, the Chinese Student Union were threatening to either boycott or protest the festival.

The organizers of the event felt as if the Chinese Student Union was not willing to compromise, so in an attempt to be fair to all of the participants, the organizers enforced the festival's policies very strictly on the Falun Gong group, which didn't occur to the same extent for other participants. Even, the Tai Chi group, which is very similar to Falun Gong, had many of the freedoms we were not allowed. For example, we weren't allowed to say anything for our presentation. We were required to write all of our information on an index card and this was read by the announcer. Then what we were permitted to say on the index card was restricted as well; we could not mention too much about China, nor could we use any Chinese words. We also could not mention where people could learn about Falun Gong if they were interested. In addition, there was a disclaimer read before our performance disassociating our group form the Chinese Student Union and stating clearly that the group is international, which it is; Falun Gong is practiced in over 40 countries. However, one of the main purposes for our participation in the festival was to represent Falun Gong as a part of Chinese culture. In comparison, the Tai Chi group was able to give a much more detailed description of their practice in person. They were allowed to say Chinese words, represent China, and mention where one could learn Tai Chi.

Why is this? We live in the United States, the land of the free. Why were the Falun Gong practitioners treated differently than the Tai Chi students? Why were our voices quieted? I can understand that the International Festival organizers want to accommodate everyone, which I know can be very difficult, but shouldn't all groups be treated equal?

I do not blame the organizers of the International Day Festival. I respect what they try to do with the festival and applaud their efforts to uphold Emory's non-discriminatory regulations. In addition, I do not hold any anger against the Chinese Student Union or the Chinese Consulate. I simply would like to bring this issue out into the open, so we can discuss it in a peaceful and open-minded manner.